If the BCS rankings factor out a school ’s cognomen into its formula — and Texas signal caller Colt McCoy ’s last pass of Saturday ’s Big 12 Championship Game had fluttered in the air for one secondly longer — Alabama would probably be playing the TCU Horned Frogs in the home championship plot . As it is , the Crimson Tide will square off against the Longhorns , which is n’t so bad . Here are the stories behind the nicknames of the 10 schools in this year ’s BCS arena .
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
Hugh Roberts , sports editor in chief for theBirmingham Age - Herald , is wide credited as being the first to use " Crimson Tide" to refer to Alabama ’s football team . Roberts used the term to key crimson - and - blanched - clad Alabama ’s surprising performance during a pelting - soaked 6 - 6 tie beam with intemperately favored Auburn in 1907 . Henry " Zipp" Newman , who became the sports editor program of theBirmingham Newsat the eld of 25 , helped popularise the soubriquet . sports writer are also to give thanks for the elephant that serves as Alabama ’s mascot . The elephant reference go out back to the schoolhouse ’s 10 - 0 time of year in 1930 , when sportswriter began referring to Alabama head handler Wallace Wade ’s tower electrician as the Red Elephants .
2. Texas Longhorns
3. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The Ramblin ' Wreck nickname go steady to the late nineteenth one C when Georgia Tech engineering educatee working in the jungles of South America construct jury-rigged motorize vehicles out of unembellished tractor and automotive parts . The students ' fellow workers referred to the vehicle as the Ramblin ' Wrecks of Georgia Tech , and the nickname was finally vulgarize in the schooling fight song . Several motorcar were used to map the Ramblin ' crash on campus until 1961 , when a Delta Air Lines pilot trade a restore 1930 Model A Ford Sport Coupe to the school that has been used to go the football game squad on the field of study before every home game ever since .
4. Iowa Hawkeyes
5. TCU Horned Frogs
6. Boise State Broncos
7. Ohio State Buckeyes
8. Oregon Ducks
9. Florida Gators
10. Cincinnati Bearcats
