What if I told you that Butch T. Cougar was the greatest mascot in America? Being nationally ranked is both beyond impressive and statement making, and if anyone has enough swagger to maintain such a reputation, it’s Butch.

Before spring break at the final home basketball game of the season, Max Baer was revealed as Butch T. Cougar. As is the fashion of every Butch in the FURternity, he removed his head and basked in glory – but this year there was something different.

As he walked onto center court with his family, Max held up a trophy as proof that Washington State University was capable of holding a national title.

Every year, the Universal Cheer Association (UCA) holds a national competition frequented by both cheer and dance squads. The mascot competition was exactly what Butch needed to show the world just how great being a Cougar really is.

No other mascot has the attitude, respect, and ferocity that Butch brings to the court. Even when he is interacting with a neutral crowd not from the Northwest, Butch is able to somehow steal the spotlight. Butch comes out to play with you, unlike Harry the Husky – he creates excitement instead of reacting to it.

Amid the Ice Bucket Challenges and stumbling animals which were in all of the entry videos, Butch was able to truly capture the spirit of our school. There is something uniquely Pullman about the way he pumps up the crowd and lifts the hearts of the community. Once WSU’s video of Butch cruising through Pullman reached the judges, they couldn’t help but have their eye on the best school in the Pacific Northwest. Indeed, Butch was at the time ranked second only to the defending champion Aubie the Tiger.

By the way, according to UCA, Harry the Husky wasn’t even ranked. Maybe it has something to do with a real dog being cuter, but Butch is a lot more fun to hang out with. Who needs real animals as mascots anyways? Athletic director Bill Moos even agrees that compared to a live cougar, Butch “is a little easier to pet and a lot more fun to hug.”

Unfortunately, when it came to the final round of judging, UCA rules made props the deciding factor rather than crowd involvement. Even though size regulations and inexperience proved to be tough obstacles, Butch’s doctor-themed props were creative and unique.

Eighth place is no small feat, although it is certainly not the rank Butch deserves. A couple of missteps do not justify dropping Butch from his second place ranking all the way down to eighth.

Aubie the Tiger, Brutus Buckeye, and Bucky the Badger all brought their ‘A’ game. After watching all of the acts, you have to give kudos to the other mascots just for being extremely entertaining; at the same time, you must recognize that Butch blew them out of the water with his stellar performance.

According to Disney News, Brutus Buckeye took first, but his props were the only thing he really had going for him. Among all the similar acts, Butch excelled at being unique.

Despite the subjective scoring system and a biased judging panel, WSU has proven itself as one of the greatest schools in the nation. Of course, Cougs already know this, and for the second time in WSU history, Butch may be regarded as one of the greatest mascots in the U.S.

If you have yet to watch the YouTube videos, do yourself a favor and observe what Butch has accomplished. After all, Butch is the embodiment of what it means to be a Coug. We will see where he takes us next year and I for one will certainly be tuning into the UCA 2016 mascot nationals to watch Butch take a more deserving spot – first place.