Big beef: No space for Bevo at SEC title game

While No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Georgia are preparing for a rematch in Saturday's SEC championship game, there's no such luck for another meeting between mascots Uga and Bevo.

Bevo, who famously made news in 2019 in the mascots' pregame photo op at the Sugar Bowl when he came charging out of his pen and knocked over a police barricade, was not permitted to travel to Atlanta for this weekend's game.

The size required for an enclosure large enough to house Bevo XV, who is more than 1,700 pounds with a horn span of 58 inches, was the issue for Saturday, according to an SEC spokesman. Bevo traveled to last year's College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl, but the conference felt the space in Atlanta wasn't suitable.

"When we received the request for Bevo to be on the sideline in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, our staff looked at several alternatives including the sideline location," the SEC said in a statement. "The reality is there is limited sideline space at the stadium. We can't jeopardize the safety of Bevo or the game participants. With the narrow sidelines, location of multiple sets for television and camera carts, there is not enough space. While we want to honor tradition across the conference, the space limitation is a reality."

The Silver Spurs, Bevo's handlers, say he's the "largest live mascot in college athletics." Colorado's Ralphie VI is estimated to be about 850 pounds.

Uga XI did not make the trip to Austin with the Bulldogs during Georgia's 30-15 victory in October. Uga XI is expected in Atlanta, about a 70-mile trip from Athens.

His owner, Charles Seiler, told the Austin American-Statesman that travel logistics for the 2½-year-old English bulldog made the trip difficult to Austin. Uga XI also didn't travel for Georgia's game at Kentucky this season.

"That's a lot of wear and tear on the dog," Seilee told the Statesman. "... Those games way out in the middle of the country are hard for us to get to. This dog that we have -- well, he's not new -- but he's only 2½, and we haven't flown him yet, and he hasn't been on a team bus yet."

Uga XI took over in 2023 for his predecessor Uga X, who had the run-in with Bevo in 2019.

While revisiting the 2019 meeting, Seiler told ESPN earlier this year that he didn't think Bevo had any issue with Uga but was just bored. He said he and Ricky Brennes, executive director of the Silver Spurs, later took pictures of the two together.

"Rick called me and apologized," Seiler said. "He said he thinks that, because Bevo got to the arena like six hours before the game started and hadn't moved from that spot, he just got worn out from staring at a wall. He just wanted to go for a stroll. I don't think the cow ever even saw the dog, because there were too many people around."