They are two of the most famous live mascots in all of collegiate athletics. They are both revered by rabid fan bases. They will both represent their respective teams Saturday in Tiger Stadium.But for LSU’s Mike VI and Georgia’s Uga VII, that’s where the similarities end.After all, one is a 400-plus pound Bengal-Siberian tiger, and the other is an English bulldog.As LSU students know, Mike spends his time in a habitat that is larger than 15,000 square feet and is kept under the watchful eye of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine.Most of the week, Uga lives in Savannah, Ga., with his owner Frank Seiler.”There’s a local vet here, and then there’s the vet school up in Athens that we take him to for checkups,” Seiler said. “But it’s really nothing major.”Seiler’s family has owned all seven of Georgia’s famous bulldogs, whose name is an acronym for the University of Georgia, dating back to 1956 with Uga I.At a school like LSU where a mascot is publicly worshipped every day, it may come as a shock that Uga spends his free time on the Seiler family’s floor.”He’s just a regular dog,” Seiler said. “He sleeps and eats just like your dog would.”From the arrival of Mike I on campus in 1936, to Mike IV’s famous escape in 1981, to Mike V’s move into the lavish new habitat on Aug. 27, 2005, the past Mikes have spent their lives in the public eye throughout his 72-year history at LSU.But while Mike spends his days in or around Tiger Stadium, Uga may be the world’s most traveled bulldog. Unlike Mike, who stopped traveling to away games in 1972, Uga attends every game on Georgia’s schedule. Seiler said the arrangements depend on the game’s location.”We either fly with the team, or we fly privately and meet them at the hotel. Most of the games we can just drive to. But we do everything the team does but practice.”Seiler said Uga will be flying privately from Savannah this week and will meet the team in Baton Rouge.When it comes time to put on his famous red sweater and spiked collar, Seiler said Uga knows its game day.”We give him a bath before we put the sweater on,” he said. “When he sees the sweater and his bag next to it, he knows something’s up. He might not be quite sure what, but he gets excited.”While Uga dons his game gear, Mike makes his customary lap around Tiger Stadium in a cage escorted by LSU cheerleaders.Perhaps one similarity is each animal’s stringent diet, though they are hardly the same kind.Mike is kept on a special diet for large felines, but Uga’s meals are a bit more common.”The vet school keeps him on a rigid diet of prescribed dog food,” Seiler said. “He eats at 6:15 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. It’s supposed to keep his weight stable and his coat shiny.”Saturday will mark the first time since 2003 that Uga and Mike have prowled the same stadium. Uga may not have the comfort of his famous air-conditioned house in Georgia’s Sanford Stadium, but he will have a chance to confront his fellow fleabag once again.”The only story I know of is the one [former Georgia coach Vince] Dooley alludes to,” Seiler said. “He said Mike was growling, and Uga came up to the cage, and Mike kind of stopped, and they had their little battle or faceoff.”Hopefully Mike and Uga will let the football teams do the battling Saturday. But after this face off, someone is leaving Tiger Stadium with their tail tucked between their legs.—-Contact David Helman at [email protected]