The result was a top 10 list of mascots that included those from Central Florida, Washington State and Nebraska.

The only other Big Ten school mascot to break into the top 10 is Penn State.

Sparty won on the last day of voting in what turned into a big turnaround. Washington State was reported as the victorious university on the EA Sports and Washington State Web sites and had to be changed at the last minute, said EA Sports representative and social relations and policy junior Eric Mally.

The win will be known worldwide, as gamers from across the world will see Sparty’s tough grin on the cover of the game, he said.

Sparty was voted National Mascot Champion for the third time in four years last January and is the only Big Ten mascot to have claimed the title in back-to-back years.

“I don’t know if people realize how big an honor it is,” Mally said.

“It speaks volumes of the fan support that MSU has.”

“NCAA Football 09” will be multiplayer and will feature about 200 schools. The game is available for pre-order on the Web.

To pre-order the game for $49.99 or to get more information on “NCAA Football 09” for the Nintendo Wii, visit www.easports.com/ncaa09.