Sebastian the Ibis leads the UM football team onto the field at Sun Life Stadium.

Twisting and turning his body to spell out C-A-N-E-S, University of Miami mascot Sebastian the Ibis is a familiar fixture at Hurricane sporting events, helping UM’s athletic teams on to victory whether it be on the gridiron or hardwood.

Now, Sebastian needs your help to win one of the fiercest competitions of the college football season: the 2010 Capital One Mascot Challenge.

Sebastian is one of 16 mascots competing in the challenge. For the next 12 weeks, he will go head to head with a different mascot. At the conclusion of the 12 weeklong voting periods, the mascots will be ranked in descending order of wins versus losses, and the eight mascots with the highest number of wins will advance to the playoff phase, which will be conducted in three rounds over a three-week period beginning November 22.

The winning mascot will be announced during the Capital One Bowl on January 1, 2011, earning the title Capital One National Mascot of the Year.

The competition is determined by both Internet voting and text voting. Vote for Sebastian at www.capitalonebowl.com/vote/main or by texting “Sebastian” to 69866. There is no voting limit.