Editors Note: Every Friday before NIU football games, Sweeps will bring you the real match ups that matter, like which team mascot would win in a street fight.

This Saturday, SIU will travel up to NIU for a battle on the football field. Sweeps isn’t interested in that particular showdown – we’re all about the mascots.

On March 19, 1951, SIU overwhelmingly voted in favor of adopting a new team mascot to replace its old name, the “Maroons.” Just think, we could be talking about whether a husky would win in a fight with the band Maroon 5.

Salukis are considered the oldest purebred dog in the world, dating back to 3600 B.C. They are tall, slender, calm, dignified and elegant – not exactly a breed that will strike fear in a husky, which can withstand temperatures as low as 76 Fahrenheit degrees below zero, according to www.siberian-husky-dogs.com.

Sarah Thurber, an associate veterinarian at Bellwood Animal Hospital in Rockford, was kind enough to lend her expertise on the subject of husky vs. saluki.

“The salukis I’ve come across have all been kind of goofy and really wimpy,” Thurber said. “Huskies are kind of goofy too, but not wimpy at all.”

Senior psychology major Casey Burke had never heard of a saluki. However, after seeing a photo of the saluki, Burke decided right away who would win in a fight.

“Oh my God, I think a husky would beat the hell out of that thing,” Burke said. “The husky is just more physically dominant than the feminine saluki.”

Sophomore biology major Samy Luketich focused more on the mental aspect of the duel.

“A husky is a strong, brave and intelligent creature, and the saluki is not,” Luketich said.

So which would win in this fantasy street fight between the two mascots?

Sweeps turned back to Thurber for a final verdict.

“The husky would definitely win the fight,” Thurber said. “The saluki would just run away.”

Editor’s Note: No animals were harmed in the writing of this article.