LSU mascot Mike VI to miss season amid cancer battle

LSU losing its fifth-place ranking to unranked Wisconsin was pretty bad, but making matters worse is news that team mascot, Mike VI, will miss the 2016 season due to cancer.

Mike, a Bengali-Siberian tiger, was diagnosed with cancer over the summer. He was treated for a tumor in June and has since gone into remission, but LSU is taking extra precautions and as such he won't attend any games this year, reports Sporting News' Bob Hille.

"LSU understands that the tradition of having Mike on the field on game day is important; however, Mike’s health, safety and well-being are always our top priority," the university said in a news release.

Following Mike's treatment, the prognosis is he still has about two years to live.

LSU fans will still get to see Mike in his on-campus habitat, where he'll stay on gameday Saturday against Jacksonville State.