Capital One Opens the Polls for the 2006 All-America Mascot Team and Kicks off Race for National Mascot of the Year; College mascots put their best claws and paws forward to win America's votes for King of the Gridiron.

MCLEAN, Va. -- Capital One today announced the polls have opened for the fifth annual Capital One All-America Mascot Team - the team is made up of 12 lovable, hard-working, furry fanatics deemed the best of the beasts. And the fuzz, fur and tails are flying as the 12 vie for the most coveted title in the land - "Capital One National Mascot of the Year."

Starting today, fans can cast their votes online at www.capitalonebowl.com for their favorite All-American. The winner will be announced during the Capital One Bowl on January 1. This year's contest features a weekly claw-to-paw face-off among this year's All-Americans:

The Contenders
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Air Force Academy - The Bird
Auburn University - Aubie
Georgia Tech - Buzz
North Carolina State - Mr. Wuf
Syracuse University - Otto
University of Kentucky - Wildcat
University of Maryland - Testudo
University of Oklahoma - Sooner
University of Tennessee - Smokey
University of Wisconsin - Bucky Badger
Washington State University - Butch T. Cougar
Western Kentucky University - Big Red

"We created this contest to celebrate the unsung heroes of college football," said Steve Schooff at Capital One. "These diehard, dedicated characters have been cheering on their teams relentlessly through thick and thin, and now is their opportunity to shine."

Fans will determine the winner. Online voting consists of 11 weekly head-to-head match-ups between the All-Americans. Then the six mascots with the best win/loss records will face-off in online playoffs starting in November.

"Mascots bust their tails every game, but are lost in the shadows of the flashy all-star quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and coaches," said David Raymond, mascot expert and original Phillie Phanatic. "This is a great tribute to them, and fans now have an opportunity to show their support. Bragging rights are on the line."

This year's fuzzy crew was chosen from Division IA and IAA athletic programs with college football teams. They made the squad after being ranked on mascot "musts" such as interaction with fans, originality and pedigree. The panel of judges included mascot guru and historian, Dr. Roy Yarbrough, and representatives from ESPN and Capital One.

Over the past four years, Capital One has helped thrust the spotlight on these unsung champions of the gridiron. Team members star in a national advertising campaign, which this year features the mascots participating in 'Fur Factor', a series of gravity defying (and fictitious) competitions. In addition to the bragging rights, each mascot receives $5,000 for its school's mascot program. The Mascot of the Year will receive an additional $5,000 scholarship to help fund its school's mascot program.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FAVORITE MASCOT

Get ready for mascot mayhem on your own computer. Capital One has added an additional fan component to this year's competition. Fans can log on to www.capitalonebowl.com and download their mascot of choice to dance, prance and tumble across their computer desktops to remind them to show their school spirit and vote - vote - vote - for their favorite furry friend.

About Capital One

Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a holding company whose principal subsidiaries, Capital One Bank and Capital One FSB, offer consumer lending products. Capital One, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in McLean, Va., is one of the largest providers of MasterCard and Visa credit cards in the world. Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 500 index. Capital One's affiliation with college football began with the sponsorship of the 2001 Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and ESPN's Bowl Week. In addition, Capital One sponsors the ABC College Football Halftime Report and numerous other college football programs.