ESPN power ranks mascots. Where is Ohio State mascot Brutus?

USA Today

27-07-2025

There aren't too many college mascots more beloved than Ohio State mascot, Brutus. He's an iconic one and has been around a long, long time, even becoming beloved by longtime ESPN College GameDay host, Lee Corso. In fact, Corso has put the Brutus head on more than any other college mascot.
Brutus has evolved over the years to the current appearance of wearing a uniform with a Buckeye Nut head that's much, much smaller than it was when first introduced in 1965. Either way, there aren't too many mascots that are as recognizable as Brutus is across college athletics. He's not a fearsome mascot, but a fun, wildly popular, high energy one that interacts with fans.
But where would Brutus fit if power ranking mascots? That is, of course, a subjective question, but one that ESPN's Ryan McGee set out to answer. He published a piece last week power ranking mascots across different divisions, and Brutus was featured in the "Costume Divison." McGee only identified the top five and had Brutus at the No. 2 spot, right behind the Oregon Duck at No. 1.
"As hard as it is to believe, before 1965 there was no mascot in Columbus," McGee said. "After flirting with the idea of bringing a live buck onto the sidelines of the Horseshoe, a student vote settled on Buckeyes, honoring the official state tree of Ohio, and the name Brutus.
"Over the years, Brutus generally has been considered the template for the "person in clothes but with a huge plastic head" model for modern mascot business. Thankfully, Brutus has experienced some extreme cranial makeovers -- and shrinkage -- through the ages. The O.G. O-H-I-O Buckeye looked more like a chocolate bonbon bowling ball than a fearsome football foe."
So, what other costumed mascots made the top five? Behind Brutus and the Duck were Big Red of Western Kentucky (3), the Stanford Tree (4), and Keggy the Keg of Dartmouth at No. 4 (I have to admit I didn't know that was a thing, but brownie points for being creative).
Now, being an Ohio State website, of course, many aren't going to like Brutus finishing behind the Oregon Duck, but the Duck does get cool points for coming out on a motorcycle and trolling other schools in a lighthearted way. Let's call it 1A and 1B, shall we?
You can get a look at the other divisions and rankings of the mascot power rankings by visiting ESPN.com and taking a look at a fun list to look at during the offseason.
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