The SiriusXM College Sports Best Mascot Bracket finally came to an end on April 17 with BYU’s Cosmo pulling out the win over Western Kentucky’s Big Red.
Cosmo’s journey to the national championship was one of a true underdog. BYU’s beloved mascot wasn’t included in the first version of the bracket, but after some uproar from Cougar fans, the account allowed BYU to participate in a play-in game against Boston College. Cosmo won 87.8% of the votes.
BYU’s first game was against the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils. The seeding didn’t scare away loyal BYU fans as the Cougars won 84.6% of the 12,000 votes in a first round upset. Round two didn’t seem much harder for BYU since the Cougars beat No. 8 Maryland with 65% of the votes.
The Cougars then entered the Sweet 16, facing off against No. 2 Michigan State’s Sparty. This round was harder for the Cougars, as Cosmo trailed Sparty for the majority of the poll. Cosmo eventually broke away from his competition in the finishing stretch by winning 58.1% of the 15,000 votes. Cosmo continued to eat his competition, taking on No. 10 Penn State’s Nittany Lion. BYU scraped by with 51% of the 37,000 votes in the catfight, advancing to the Final Four of the mascot bracket.
The Final Four matchup was a battle between Cosmo and Wisconsin’s Bucky Badger. BYU eventually took the win with 53.8% of the votes, but the result came down to the last hour of voting. The Cougars were down again but managed to make the comeback for the win in typical BYU fashion. The memes that came out of the win may have been more popular than the poll itself.
BYU football played Wisconsin in 2018 and just like the poll, upset the No. 6 Badgers after Wisconsin’s kicker missed the field goal. Cougar fans and players trolled Wisconsin after the win, leaving a friendly reminder what BYU is capable of.
The Cougars advanced to the Mascot National Championship in dramatic fashion, looking to face No.16 Western Kentucky’s Big Red. After a couple days and 96,000 votes, BYU pulled off the victory with 51% of the votes, claiming the National Title for best college mascot.
But the Cougars weren’t in the clear just yet. SiriusXM’s College Sports account investigated the championship matchup after suspecting foul play by voters.
The investigation only lasted a few hours, and BYU fans were given the information they already knew — Cosmo is the best mascot in the nation.
