For a long time, two of college football’s best mascots were separated by conference alignment that we were all sure would last forever. The Duck dominated the Pac-12, standing alone as the best mascot on the West Coast. Brutus Buckeye had to compete in a Big Ten conference with incredible mascots like Michigan State’s Sparty and Iowa’s Herky the Hawk. 

Now, the two iconic mascots call the Big Ten home. While the bulk of the talk of this weekend’s game is focused (rightfully) on the field, some attention must be paid to the sideline, where Brutus and The Duck will go to work in a tense Autzen Stadium environment. 

So, which one is better? To answer that, we take a dive into their pasts. 

The Duck had a long journey to get to where he is today. When the football team started as the Webfoots, a Duck seemed like a fitting mascot. But it wasn’t until the 1950s that “Puddles” — a live white duck — became a common sight at football games. “RoboDuck” became a thing in the early 2000s before The Duck we know and love came to be in 2010. But, make no mistake, his name is not Puddles. The costumed duck will never be “Puddles.” Nothing grinds his gears quite like misnaming him — I’m assuming. 

Boring name? Advantage, Brutus.

Brutus came around in 1965 as Ohio State’s first official mascot. He’s gone through some tweaks and upgrades to get to the iconic nut he is today. If you want to learn more about his inspiration, a buckeye tree can be found outside of the Lillis Business Complex — a gift Oregon State University left after defeating Oregon in the 2015 National Championship. 

Brutus, admittedly, has seen more success in his tenure than The Duck has. Ohio State has won eight national championships and has made the playoffs five times since the four-team playoff began in 2014. 

Playoff experience? Advantage, Brutus.

One of the best segments on ESPN’s College Gameday is Lee Corso’s pick for the featured game. He always puts on the head of the mascot of the team he thinks will win the big game. Corso has admitted to loving The Duck and hates picking against Oregon. Since the show’s inception, Corso has donned The Ducks’ head 21 times, and the Ducks are 14 and 7 in such games. He’s picked against Oregon 10 times, and has only been wrong twice. 

Yet, somehow, Ohio State has hogged a bigger portion of Corso’s heart. He’s worn Brutus’ head 42 times over the years, and OSU has won 28 of those matchups. Remarkably, he’s only picked against the Buckeyes 16 times in the show’s history. 

Corso has picked both The Duck and Brutus over each other once before and the Buckeyes were victorious in both contests. He picked Ohio State to win the 2015 National Championship over Oregon and took the Ducks to beat OSU in 2010. 

So, Corso has a decision to make. Saturday’s pick will be a tiebreaking one: will he take Brutus or The Duck? Can Oregon win a College Gameday appearance over OSU? Only time — and The Daily Emerald — will tell. 

Corso’s picking history? Advantage, Brutus. 

So, who’s the best? By my accounts, all the “advantages” of this piece have gone Brutus’ way. 

But this is The Duck we’re talking about!

One looks friendly, approachable and feathered. One looks like he’s wearing a brown spaceship on his head. Don’t get me wrong, both are great… but nothing beats The Duck.