College Football Teams as Pokemon: UConn Gets Growlithe

From the moment that he arrived in Storrs, Bob Diaco wanted to make the Huskies the very best, like no team ever was. And, judging by a recent SB Nation piece, the squad from Storrs has the fire and dogged determination to make a jump in the next few years.

The brilliant minds at SB Nation's flagship college football site sought to compare every NCAA FBS team to one of the original 150 Pokemon. Many of the comparisons are spot on - Boston College as Metapod, for instance, since neither of them have any offense. However, this is The UConn Blog, so we're going to discuss who this esteemed staff of writers assigned to the Huskies: Growlithe.

First, a disclaimer: Growlithe is THIS writer's favorite Pokemon. He is a puppy who is on fire and, in Pokemon canon, serves as a police dog. When I saw that Growlithe was the Pokemon assigned to my favorite college football team, I needed a moment.

However, after recovering and catching my breath, I realized that Growlithe really was the perfect Pokemon to compare to the Huskies for multiple reasons.

First of all, Growlithe is a dog. Huskies are dogs. Makes a lot of sense.

Secondly, Growlithe is fairly strong for an unevolved Pokemon. The canine appears fairly early in most Pokemon games, and can be a key asset in battle, especially for those who eschewed a fire-type starter for a water or grass type. It can utilize multiple powerful moves such as Flame Wheel, Bite, and Fire Fang, all by Level 21.

Finally, Growlithes are, by all accounts, hardworking and trustworthy fighters, tough pups that never give up in battle. They are the exact type of creature that any Pokemon trainer would want helping them out of a tough situation.

The UConn Growlithes...err, I mean Huskies, now have the rest of the offseason to internalize their spirit Pokemon and prepare for the set of battles ahead. Bob Diaco has the team on the path to victory, and now it's up to the team to follow it.

And, if you need even more hype for the season to come, consider this - in SB Nation's piece, there was no team that represented Arcanine, the evolved form of Growlithe. Perhaps the Huskies are destined to take that next step this year and, eventually, become one of the strongest teams in the FBS.