The Five Worst College Football Mascots in History

College football has its share of Spartans, Trojans, Warriors, a Mountaineer, and tribal mascots. There’s also fierce animals like the obvious (Tigers, Wildcats, and Wolverines) to the ones you might not expect (the horned frog [TCU] can squirt a four-foot stream of blood from its eyes when frightened). And don’t forget the live mascots like Bevo (the Texas Longhorn) and UGA (the Georgia Bulldog).

However, there are some mascots that are just not all that intimidating. Here are five mascots that – while some are cute, and even iconic – miss the mark on the gridiron.

5. Otto (Syracuse University)

When Syracuse dropped the -man and -women suffixes off the Orange mascot, they also may qualify for the worst team name in college sports. Otto predates the 2004 name change, however, and he’s a staple during college basketball season – the giant orange at least somewhat resembles a basketball. However, when he’s cheering on his favorite football team, Otto ranks toward the bottom of the list when it comes to intimidating fellas.

4. Oski (University of California, Berkeley)

Cal’s nickname is the Golden Bears, so there’s enormous potential for a good mascot. Unfortunately, Oski hasn’t evolved since 1941, so he looks like a portly person wearing a rudimentary bear mask. You’ve probably seen better bear costumes around your neighborhood on Halloween. However, there is good news: starting this season, Oski will be training his replacement – his son, Cali.

3. HokieBird (Virginia Tech)

Now, we can’t give Virginia Tech too much grief for having a purple turkey as their mascot when their nickname (the Hokies) is a made-up term that means, “a person loyal to Virginia Tech athletics.” The nickname doesn’t easily lend itself to a mascot. The turkey comes from the 1909 football team, when head coach Branch Bocock put players into the Gobbler Club. While that’s a nice origin story, being called a turkey is not a term of endearment – calling someone a turkey generally means you’re insulting that person’s intelligence.

2. Nittany Lion (Penn State University)

Penn State is on this list for wasted potential. With a nickname like the Nittany Lions – named after mountain lions that roamed on nearby Mount Nittany in the 19th century – you would expect a mascot that instills fear in opponents and inspires fans. The Nittany Lion name was developed by students in 1904 in response to the Princeton Tiger. The mascot came along in 1921, and he’s in desperate need of a makeover. A plain brown suit with a goofy brown head and a scarf barely scratches the surface of what a lion mascot could be.

1. Stanford Tree (Stanford University)

Much like Syracuse, Stanford’s nickname is that of a color (Cardinal red, not the bird). They do not have an official mascot. Because of this, the marching band rolled out some new mascot candidates in 1975. The Tree received so much positive attention that it because the school’s de facto mascot ever since. The Tree represents a tree named El Palo Alto. It appears in the school’s logo and the official seal of the city of Palo Alto. It’s a good backstory, but still – it’s a tree!