The Best College Football Game Day Traditions

This is a more recent tradition and perhaps millennials' contribution to the trend of jumping to a popular song. It's the Killers' signature song from their 2004 debut album. Warm agitation, and somehow it became part of the Michigan football game day experience at The Big House. According to mlive.com, the track was first performed at Michigan Stadium during the 2016 season. Although the student section actually joins in on vocals, it is not uncommon for the majority of the more than 115,000 spectators to join in to sing the song.

One of the great live college mascots is “Ralfie,” the live buffalo (ok, bison), who has led University of Colorado football games since 1966, when Ralphie I debuted. Ralphie is best known for leading the Buffaloes team onto the field (guided by five human coaches) before the game and again after halftime. It's a tradition that remains one of the best in the West – although the potential for danger is consistently a possibility.

Games using colorful t-shirts as a strategy to raise the spirits of a certain fan base and intimidate opponents are nothing new in college sports. However, perhaps the most impressive and exciting in a college football setting resides at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley. Since 2004, the “White Out” game has usually been reserved for the most anticipated contests of a season. That sea of ​​white – which isn't limited to the Nittany Lions student section – amidst the 106,000+ seat stadium is truly something to behold.

For opponents and their fans – if they're up for a trip – the Bulldogs' Davis Wade Stadium can be a nightmare, mainly because of those pesky cowbells that the home fans like to use on almost every occasion for one of their great traditions of college football. The stadium first entered service in 1914, thus becoming the fourth oldest college football stadium in the sport. More than 61,000 fans (quite small by SEC standards) can rock Davis Wade, and it will, especially when it's the Bulldogs' turn to host the annual Egg Bowl against rival Ole Miss.

The story of that enormous drum, which remains the highlight of the Purdue All-American Marching Band, dates back to the early 1920s. According to legend, band director Paul Spotts Emrick I wanted a captivating look to match the massive sound during the performances. Hence the birth of an oversized bass drum. Now, this may not actually be the case. “Biggest Drum in the World” (made of three layers of maple wood weighing 315 pounds), but the site of the instrument being launched onto the field at Ross-Ade Stadium is still quite a scene.

Taking on the role of Oregon's famous mascot, “Puddles the Duck,” isn't for everyone. Sure, a love of school spirit is a start, but the person wearing the “Puddles” costume must have a relatively high level of fitness. Especially during football season, where the mascot does a push-up for every point the team scores in a game. Reportedly, the tradition began in the late 1970s and remains strong today. Of course, maybe it's not as fun on days like September 2, 2023, when the Ducks beat Portland State 81-7.

A USC football game doesn't officially begin until the sword is planted at midfield by the marching band's drummer. It is the first of two stabbing traditions we will highlight. While it's a special moment for Trojans fans, for opponents, it's not always taken calmly. Of course, the stabbing experience can be potentially harmful to the drum major, who often flirts with being injured every time it is performed.

More than 65,000 fans can cram into Lane Stadium, the home of the Hokies, which feels compact but refreshingly open in certain areas. And boy, can this place keep going – especially when the home team is about to take the field and Metallica's “Enter Sandman” is blasted. This sets off the fan base, with almost everyone present jumping in unison. Since the tradition began in 2000, it has been an imposing sight for opponents, no matter how poor the Hokies' performance may have been at the time.

The Clemson team's entry onto the field for home games remains one of the most unique. Taking care when going down “The Hill” can be a challenge for Tigers players, coaches and staff. Along the way, everyone plays “Howard's Rock,” which sits on a pedestal at the top of the east side hill. The stone was given to beloved Clemson coach Frank Howard by a friend who brought it from Death Valley, California, and since the mid-1960s it has served as a good luck piece for the program before every home game. in his version of Death Valley.

Sports traditions involving Native American issues can be sensitive to many. However, this moment in the state of Florida is generally considered tasteful and respectful and remains quite special. Founded in 1978, an FSU student, dressed in honorary Osceola Seminole Warrior attire and riding an Appaloosa horse known as “Renegade,” leads the team onto the field at home games, then stops at midfield to drive the spear into the ground. For fans of the show, it is highly sacred.

Arguably the best tailgating in college football can be found in the SEC. And when it comes to the best of the best, this place at Ole Miss may reign supreme. This tailgate venue in the center of the Oxford campus, complete with plenty of trees to provide welcome shade, is the center of the party on match days and becomes even more special when the team passes by. The Forest on the way to the stadium.

After the Auburn Tigers' football victory, there's only one place in town to celebrate: the corners of College Street and Magnolia Ave, also known as “Toomer's Corner,” where Auburn's campus and the city of Auburn essentially meet. . Toilet paper fills the trees and large crowds do their best to responsibly enjoy a postgame celebration – especially when the Tigers beat rival Alabama in the famous Iron Bowl. Sadly, vandals had their way with the beloved oak trees that graced the corner, but the tradition of “rolling” Toomer's Corner will never die.

Here's a case where a vehicle is actually the mascot. Oklahoma's “Sooner Schooner” is a replica of the Studebaker Conestoga wagon that served the territory's settlers in the late 1880s. Members of the school's men's and women's spiritualist organizations are in charge, with horses leading the way, as the Sooners football team takes the field. Now, there's always the chance the Schooner could tip over or collide with something, which could be fun to witness – as long as no one gets hurt.

Is this really “The Best Band in the Country?” Ohio State football fans think so. And when it comes to marching bands, the Buckeyes truly seem unmatched. Certainly, it has what is probably the greatest tradition associated with a college marching band. The dotting of the letter I in the writing “Ohio”, which is explained by the band in the filling, is an established tradition at the university. An experienced sousaphone player usually scores the I. However, celebrities and other notable personalities, such as Bob Hope, Archie Griffin, and John Glenn, have also done the honoring.

In the ultimate demonstration of team unity and selflessness, “The 12th Man” appears to transcend Texas A&M football and has been utilized, in various ways, by other football programs. In 1922, A&M student E. King Gill was called up from the press box to become a reserve as injuries limited the team to 11 men on the field in a game against Center College. The Aggies pulled off the upset with Gill as the only man on the sideline, ready to play when called upon. Today, the moment is honored as the Aggies student section stands during home games – ready if called upon.

The annual Army-Navy Game remains a special event for any fan of the sport – or of America. There are many traditions associated with the big game, but perhaps none are more special or cherished than the pregame march. Before the game starts, the Brigade of Midshipmen and the Corps of Cadets march to the football field. The stadium may not always be full at march time, but the annual television broadcast does a good job of showing it off to those at home – which always sends shivers down your spine.

Since the University of Iowa Children's Hospital's new facility opened next to Iowa's Kinnick Stadium in 2017, those in attendance and on the field have waved to the patients and families watching at the end of the first quarter. Known as Hawkeye's waveIt's an extremely moving gesture that has become a highly anticipated moment unlike any other tradition in the stadium's history. The venue opened in 1929 and has undergone several well-received renovations, and currently seats over 69,000 people. So, it's a really moving moment.