The 8 Most Common Nicknames Used By FBS Football Teams (And The Programs That Have Staked A Claim To Them)

There are currently 136 football teams that comprise the FBS division, and most of those programs have adopted a unique nickname that they can stake a claim to. However, the same can’t be said for dozens of others that have some competition on that front.

These are the most common nicknames among FBS football teams

Based on the research I did for this article, there are 19 different nicknames that are shared by at least two teams at college football’s highest level heading into the 2025 season.

Around half of those monikers are used by exactly two schools, but here’s a look at the ones where there’s a little more competition. To make things a little spicier, the pictures I’m using for each entry are a nod to the programs I’d argue have earned the right to claim the name more than any other.

Aggies: 3

Schools: New Mexico State, Texas A&M, Utah State 

Texas A&M is the only member of this trio that’s held onto the “A&M” that New Mexico State harnessed upon its inception before rebranding in 1960 (if you’re curious, those initials stand for “Agriculture and Mechanical”).

Utah State was also originally the “Agricultural College of Utah,” and that discipline served as the inspiration for the Aggies nickname all three schools decided to adopt.

Bears: 3*

Schools: Baylor, Cal, Missouri State

You could argue that there is currently only one team that’s known as the Bears.

Cal is technically the “Golden Bears” while Missouri State has not officially completed its transition to FBS. However, I’m not acknowledging the Golden Loophole that will rear its head again in a bit, and barring some unforeseen development, it’s only a matter of time until Missouri State is firmly welcomed into the fold.

This is the first one that required me to agonize over which picture to use. Cal, which adopted the Golden Bears nickname toward the end of the 19th century, has a somewhat prouder history with the five national championships it can claim (the last of which was secured in 1937). Baylor, which went with the Bears in 1914, has been decidedly more relevant since the start of the millennium and subsequently comes out on top.

Cougars: 3

Schools: BYU, Houston, Washington State

Washington State was the first member of this trio to claim Cougar after being inspired by a newspaper comic that was published in 1919, and BYU decided to get in on the action four years later. Houston embraced it four years after that, but it didn’t have an intercollegiate varsity football program until 1946.

This isn’t really much of a contest, as the guys in Provo are pretty clearly the winning team.

Huskies: 3

Schools: Northern Illinois, UConn, Washington

There isn’t a single entry on this list that features more geographical diversity than this one, as Huskies can be found on both coasts as well as in the heart of the country. If we were talking about basketball teams, UConn would obviously reign supreme, but we’re not, so Washington gets the nod.

Bulldogs: 4

Schools: Fresno State, Georgia, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State

Mississippi State was another team that went with Aggies before switching to the Maroons prior to going with the Bulldogs in 1961. Louisiana State beat everyone else to the punch by going that route upon the inception of the program in 1901, but Georgia—which adopted the Bulldogs in 1920 (a year before Fresno State played its first season)—has somewhat obviously cemented itself as the true owner.

Eagles: 4*

Schools: Boston College, Eastern Michigan, Georgia Southern, Southern Miss 

We’ve got another “Golden” twist here, as Southern Miss added that adjective to “Eagles” to set itself apart. However, as I mentioned above, I’m still lumping them into the total.

As a Boston College graduate and masochistic Eagles fan, I’m admittedly biased but also bitter about what they’ve subjected me to over the past 15 years or to the point where I’d be more than happy to give another school credit given the opportunity. Unfortunately, they essentially win by default here.

Wildcats: 4

Schools: Arizona, Kansas State, Kentucky, Northwestern 

This was another one that required a little bit of debating.

At the risk of offending Northwestern fans, it was easy to rule them out, and Kentucky’s football team has perpetually struggled to escape from the shadow of the Wildcats team that has led to the institution being firmly viewed as a Basketball School.

Kansas State also spent the bulk of its existence being viewed as one of the worst college football programs in existence before Bill Snyder staged a dramatic turnaround. That did help give Arizona a run for its money, but when I hear “Wildcats,” they’re the first football team that springs to mind.

Tigers: 5

Schools: Auburn, Clemson, LSU, Memphis, Missouri

We’re capping things off with what will surely be the most contentious entry on this list thanks to two of the five teams that are known as the Tigers.

It was easy to eliminate Memphis and Missouri and only slightly harder to take Auburn out of the running due to the caliber of the two teams left standing. I can’t necessarily blame anyone who argues Clemson should take the crown, but I have to give this to the team that literally has a live tiger on its campus.