Meet The 2016 Puppy Bowl Contestants

It's almost time for the best sporting event of the year — and I'm not talking about the Super Bowl. Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl XII airs at 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 7 and they've assembled a seriously adorable lineup of rescue pups from all over the country. It's gotten a little difficult to keep track of all the cuteness in this event — 49 dogs are participating and a group of kittens will take over for the halftime show. Oh, and did I mention there will be chicken cheerleaders on the sidelines? There's nothing better than having so many adorable animals on our small screens for a few hours — and photos of the Puppy Bowl dogs prove that Animal Planet has once again outdone itself.

The dogs have been divided into two teams — #TeamRuff and #TeamFluff. How exactly will the game be managed, you ask? TV host and announcer Dan Schachner will be on hand to act as referee — and we can rest assured that he'll make sure it's a fair game. Some of his favorite penalties include "Illegal Retriever Down Field," "Unpuppylike conduct," and "Unnecessary ruff, ruff, ruff-ness." (Something tells me we can expect a lot of puns during this fabulous event.)

Before you tune in for Puppy Bowl XII, you have to see these 31 dogs from the starting lineup and learn a few things about them, courtesy of their Animal Planet bios. (Spoiler alert — you'll probably want to take them all home.)

1. Clover

This little Basset Hound hails from Tennessee.

2. Countess

A member of #TeamFluff, Countess is an English Bulldog from Florida.

3. Gryffin

Confession — I'm already obsessed with Gryffin, an English Sheepdog on #TeamFluff.

4. Hank

What does a Yellow Lab and Husky mix look like? Meet Hank — he's already stolen my heart.

5. Jimmy

Jimmy is a spaniel mix from Iowa.

6. Marley

Marley's a lab mix on #TeamRuff.

7. Miss Sassy

Miss Sassy, a Boston Terrier with an amazing name, is a member of #TeamFluff.

8. Otis

A bulldog from Tennessee, Otis looks like he means business.

9. Raphael

Raphael is a Pit Bull on #TeamRuff — he has such a sweet face, but maybe he's just trying to lull the competition into a false sense of security.

10. Sailor

Sailor is a seriously adorable Australian Cattle Dog on #TeamFluff.

11. Samoa

Samoa is Husky-Shepherd mix on #TeamFluff.

12. Splash

Splash the Great Pyrenees is exceptionally fluffy, so naturally she's a member of #TeamFluff.

13. Toby

Meanwhile, over on #TeamRuff, we have Toby the Maltese.

14. Wrinkles

Wrinkles is the perfect name for this guy — and he's a Shar-Pei on #TeamFluff.

15. Rixton

Rixton is a Shetland Sheepdog on #TeamRuff and he's really mastered the "puppy dog eyes" already.

16. Timber

Also on #TeamRuff is Timber, a Labrador mix.

17. Tate

This little beagle will be competing for #TeamRuff.

18. Atticus

Atticus is a husky-lab mix from Virginia.

19. Bella

Meet Bella — a Rat Terrier on #TeamRuff.

20. Boris

Boris is a four-month-old Havanese from Florida. His team hasn't been revealed, but I think he should be on #TeamFluff (because he's so fluffy, of course).

21. Brooklyn

Brooklyn the German Shepherd will definitely grow into her ears pretty soon — but for now, let's just appreciate how adorable she is at 13 weeks old.

22. Buttons

Buttons is a Shih Tzu on #TeamFluff.

23. Carolina

Carolina is an American Stratfordshire Terrier from New York.

24. Charlie

Charlie is a Feist-Whippet mix on #TeamFluff.

25. Cooper

Cooper, a Great Pyrenees-Collie mix on #TeamFluff has also stolen my heart. I'm sensing a pattern here.

26. Gordon

Gordon's an adorable English Setter on #TeamFluff.

27. Harper

And this is Harper, a Pit Bull on #TeamRuff.

28. Kevin

Meet Kevin — a Schnauzer on #TeamFluff.

29. Leah

Leah's a Rottweiler on #TeamRuff.

30. Bijoux

Next up is Bijoux, a Great Dane competing on #TeamFluff.

31. Scout

Last but definitely not least is Scout, an Australian Shepherd from Indiana.

Now that you've familiarized yourself with these adorable faces, get ready to cheer for them and their teammates when they hit the field.

Images: Keith Barraclough/Animal Planet (32)