South Carolina’s Gamecock mascot has a new name and we’re figuring out odds

We’re still a few days away from Week 0 in college football, and while the SEC isn’t featured heavily on the opening slate, the conference can’t seem to help itself when it comes to making headlines. The South Carolina Gamecocks have decided to move on from the “Sir Big Spur” moniker for its live mascot, and the reason is both ridiculous and peak college football.

To be clear, the University of South Carolina isn’t discontinuing using a live mascot. On the contrary, the chicken will still be paraded around through tailgates on his little cart and will be on the sidelines during games, clucking his team to victory. The formerly named Sir Big Spur has changed owners; thus, they believe a name chance is also in order. The University doesn’t own the rights to ‘Big Spur,’ which was the costumed mascot's name pre-1980 before the creation of ‘Cocky.’ The school is helping to steer the selection of the new name, and an announcement is expected ahead of the season opener against Georgia State on Saturday, September 4.

And local paper The State has come up with suggestions for a new name. They range from tame names like ‘The General’ and Coop to humorous such as Capt. Cluck or Cluck Norris. As the football team continues to turn around its tarnished image from the failed Will Muschamp experiment, the Gamecocks are in a unique position to continue their re-branding.

Odds for Potential South Carolina New Live Mascot Names*

Coop: -125
Cluck Norris: +100
Capt. Cluck: +150
Kickin’ Chicken: +300
General: +500
Marco Pollo: +750
Brooster+900
Mr. Chicken Scratch: +1000
Cock-a-doodle-dude: +2000
Cock Commander +10000

* Not actually available for betting anywhere because c’mon y’all

When it comes to determining which name will be chosen, Coop stands as the favorite. It has it all. It is a pun, it is harmless for kids and fun for the whole family, which the school would enjoy. One could even say it pays homage to standout wide receiver Pharoah Cooper who played for the team from 2013-2015. The fan-favorite installed at +100 would be Cluck Norris. Even typing that out, I had to smile. It just reeks of awesomeness and would ensure that the live mascot would forever win any hypothetical fights against other mascots in the NCAA. Right on the heels of that would be Capt. Cluck (+150) and Kickin’ Chicken (+300).

A name like ‘General’ is too basic and doesn’t inspire excitement from fans, young or old, so it is a long shot at +500. Marco Pollo is clever, but if we are being honest, fans likely wouldn’t pronounce it the correct way, which drops it down to +750 odds. Cock Commander has been tossed around, but there is no shot the hoi polloi in Columbia will allow it even with a majority of people voting for it in a poll, so it’s +10000 odds for that one.

It depends on the direction the owners and the University want to take. Sir Big Spur is mainly seen around campus, and at sporting events, so the name will hopefully be either rich in tradition or a punny name that fans can come together and get behind. There is ample opportunity for a uniting name between the Gamecocks’ women’s basketball team success, back-to-back baseball national championships and football history should they go with something sports related. All in all, the name likely won’t measure up to Sir Big Spur, given that the moniker was not only a tribute to the school but to the unique animal that it was attributed to. We should know the new moniker of the live mascot over the next 10 days as the football team plays gears up for its home opener under the lights of Williams Brice Stadium.