SUNY Cortland’s Blaze Needs Your Votes in Mascot Madness

The 2026 edition of SUNY’s Mascot Madness has officially begun and SUNY Cortland’s mascot, Blaze, needs your votes. The SUNY system, all 64 campuses, are hosting a competition to determine who has the most popular college mascot.

For the first round in the competition, Blaze faces Oneonta’s Red. Anyone is allowed to vote for Blaze through the SUNY website, SUNY Cortland says. Online voting opened on Tuesday and continues through 3 o’clock today for the first round.

SUNY Cortland voters are encouraged to cast ballots early and often, and they can log one vote every 12 hours from a unique device.

Assuming everyone’s favorite Red Dragon is victorious in the first round — and keeps winning — Blaze will advance through the schedule below. All voting rounds begin at noon and end at 3 p.m.

• Round 2: Monday, March 16 to Wednesday, March 18
• Round 3: Friday, March 20 to Monday, March 23
• Semifinals: Wednesday, March 25 to Friday, March 27
• Finals: Tuesday, March 31 to Thursday, April 2
• Bonus votes are expected to be available through Instagram starting in Round 3.