Most Dominant College Mascot on Earth: Cyclones win!

In a contest that captured the hearts and minds of college sports fans across the nation for more than six weeks, Cy the Cyclone has emerged as 2007's Most Dominant College Mascot on Earth. On its way to the top, the violent windstorm overcame several mythical creatures and inanimate objects before finally taking on and defeating the Spartans and Razorbacks.

Throughout the tournament, there were several close calls and subplots behind Iowa State's win. Many of you skipped studying for accounting classes, threatened to go on hunger strikes when the opposing school won and packed Facebook groups and our message boards to declare why your mascot should win.

That's why, in addition to announcing Cy's supremacy on top of the college mascot food chain, I'd like to present awards to some of the tournament's finer but unheralded moments.

Mascot That Should Have Won: According to a 2006 estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau, Wyoming has about 515,000 residents, which makes the state the least populous in the country. From that amount, only 242,948 voted in the 2004 presidential election (about 69 percent for George W. Bush, if you were wondering). During the Cowboys' four-week run in the tournament, we received 1,204,536 votes from Wyoming residents and fans, a figure more than twice the state's population. How did Wyoming generate these votes?

As I said in an earlier column, several of the more successful schools organized their fan base, alumni, employees and other sympathetic people in a manner similar to a well-run political campaign. Wyoming fans spread the word to vote for their mascot in local newspapers and television, among season-ticket holders, in government offices and schools. They were so efficient that it led a Wake Forest fan to tell us in an e-mail, "What is up with the mascot poll contest? Wyoming fans may not be cheating, but to send ads through government buildings, in the newspapers, and do an article on TV? That is just unfair." Alas, the Cowboys ran up against the Michigan State Spartans in the humans region finals and fell 32,000 votes shy of advancing to the final four.

Most Dedicated Male Fan: DeacFan2009, you know who you are. He was Fan No. 1 for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during his school's human region semifinal matchup against Wyoming. He rooted for Wake Forest with a passion that straddled the line between being a fan and an obsessive compulsive stalker. But if it wasn't for fans like DeacFan2009, college sports wouldn't be what it is today.

Most Dedicated Female Fan: Heather Butler, a student and cosmetologist from Laramie, Wyo., sent us this photo during the Michigan State-Wyoming Cowboys human region finals matchup. Want a close-up shot? Butler said her parents had interesting reactions to her tattoo. "My mom was a little upset and cried about it, but my dad said he was proud," she said. I think this trumps DeacFan2009's loyalty to Wake Forest.

Best Internet Message Board: This honor goes to SpartanTailGate.com. One thread in particular covers the Spartans' run through a good chunk of the tournament. The dialogue gets brutal around the 29th page of the thread, when Iowa State fans started to jaw with the MSU faithful. Ah, Internet e-thuggery at its best.

Best Facebook group: Despite the sheer numbers behind Michigan State's mascot tournament Facebook group, this award goes to Iowa State's Facebook group. This YouTube video clip pretty much won it for you guys. It got lots of thumbs-up from a lot of people at the CBS SportsLine.com office.

And there you have it. This year's Most Dominant College Mascot on Earth tournament comes to a close ... until next year. For those of you upset that we "overlooked" certain teams like the Tennessee Volunteers, West Virginia Mountaineers and others, don't worry, you'll have your chance next year.

And Iowa State fans, we've got a treat in the works for Cy in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

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