College Football: 26 Things for which every fan should be thankful

Jul 21, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Big 12 cheerleaders and mascots pose for a photo during the Big 12 Media Days at Omni Dallas. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

20. Costumed Mascots

There may not be any job that is more fun than being the person with the honor of wearing the mascot costume, and college football fans love to cling to these beloved characters.

Every school has a person in costume that uniquely identifies their mascot and their heritage, and some of these mascots are more famous than the teams themselves.

The mascots participate in the pregame hype, hang with the cheerleaders, rile up the fans, taunt opposing players, do push-ups and other acrobatics, and become part of college football lore.

Mascots are so crucial to the game that they have even become part of the weekly ritual on the top pregame show in the nation (more on that later), and they have their own competition for fans to choose their favorite in the Capital One Mascot Challenge.

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