College football is back this week, with 129 teams in the the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision fighting for four playoff spots.OK, the acronym FBS is way better than saying the full name of the division out loud. Thankfully, many of the nicknames for those dozens of teams are less mechanical and more of a rich tapestry showing off the tradition, creativity and history that makes the college game so much fun to watch.But some of those names, while endearing, are a little out there on closer inspection. Here's the story behind some of the more odd nicknames.Crimson Tide (Alabama) – The legend behind this nickname comes from a muddy 1907 game against archrival Auburn in which the soil turned a red hue, leading a reporter to write Alabama looked like a “crimson tide” in a “sea of mud.” The strangest thing on the Alabama sidelines, however, is Big Al, the school’s elephant mascot. Search all you want, but you’ll never find a pachyderm in the Deep South. The origins of the elephant stretch back to 1930, when a fan marveling over the Tide’s skilled linemen shouted from the stands “Hold your horses, the elephants are coming.” So was born the team's unofficial nickname of “Red Elephants,” but Big Al didn’t make his first appearance until 1979.Nittany Lions (Penn State) – Sure, we all know what a lion is. But what's the deal with Nittany? It’s quite simple, actually: Close to State College is Mount Nittany, where ordinary mountain lions once roamed. Inspired during a 1904 baseball game against Princeton – where a Tiger statue intimidates visitors – a Penn State student created the Nittany Lion as the “fiercest beat of them all.” Buckeyes (Ohio State) – Ohio State is one of the most successful programs in all of college football, even if their nickname isn’t exactly intimidating. But the tree has a special history in Ohio, known as “The Buckeye State.” Native to the state, especially in the Ohio River Valley, the tree is known for hardy wood that was once used for artificial limbs and seeds that are considered good luck. In 1833, one Ohioan gave a speech saying “in all our woods, there is not a tree so hard to kill as the buckeye.” Ohio State’s athletic teams began to use the nickname in the early 20th century, but it wasn’t until 1950 that it was formally adopted.Terrapins (Maryland) – They’re not quick, and they hide in their shells. Are turtles well-suited to represent a football team? In Maryland, you bet. The Diamondback terrapin is the state reptile and was recommended as the school nickname by former football coach Dr. H. Curley Byrd. In 1932, the mascot Testudo made his debut. His name is believed to be a nod to turtles’ scientific classification, Testudines, though some theories say it goes back to an African turtle species or the Latin word used for a form of head protection for Roman soldiers. No matter where it comes from, watch it, terrapins bite.Rainbow Warriors (Hawaii) – Warriors, sure, we get that, but Rainbow? The colorful atmospheric phenomenon has special meaning in Hawaii. Once known as the Deans, reporters started calling the team the Rainbows in 1923 when it upset Oregon State with a rainbow above the field. A legend started that Hawaii would not lose when a rainbow appeared over the field. It fit, too, since ancient Hawaiian chiefs believed rainbows were sacred. Warriors also had a special place in the islands’ history, and the team officially became the Rainbow Warriors in 1974. The “Rainbow” was dropped in 2000, but it returned in 2013. Bonus fact: Women’s teams at Hawaii are the Rainbow Wahine, which means “woman” in Hawaiian.Cardinal (Stanford) – Like Alabama, Stanford’s nickname is born from its primary color. For more than 40 years, however, the school’s teams were known as the Indians. In 1972, under pressure from native American students, the school dropped the name and became the Cardinals, eventually dropping the “s.” The mascot, on the other hand, is an oddity: the Stanford Tree. It’s not an official school mascot, but rather part of the Stanford Band. It represents El Palo Alto, a famous Redwood tree in the town. And anyone who’s played backyard football know, trees can be great pass defenders. Jayhawks (Kansas) – We’ve heard of blue jays, and hawks are all over the place. Jayhawks, those are a little different.The legend goes back to the mid-19th century, when the battle was raging between settlers who were pro-slavery and those who wanted a free state. Both sides went by Jayhawkers, and the name in stuck in KU’s home of Lawrence, a “Free State stronghold,” according to the university. The school’s first football team in 1890 went by the nickname Jayhawkers, and the logo’s famous shoes appeared in the student newspaper in 1912. They’re meant for “kicking opponents.”