The best college football game-day traditions

This is a newer tradition, and perhaps the millennials’ contribution to the trend of bouncing around to a popular song. It’s the Killers’ signature tune from their 2004 debut album Hot Fuss, and it somehow became part of the Michigan football game-day experience at The Big House. According to mlive.com, the track was first played at Michigan Stadium during the 2016 season. Though the student section really gets into the vocals, it’s not uncommon for most of the 115,000-plus spectators to join in to belt out the song.

One of the great live college mascots is “Ralphie,” the live buffalo (okay, bison), who has been leading the charge at 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 handlers) before the game and again coming out of halftime. It’s a tradition that remains one of the best in the West — even though the potential for danger is consistently a possibility.

Color themed-shirt games as a strategy to raise the spirits of a particular fan base and intimidate the opposition are nothing new in college sports. However, perhaps the most impressive and exhilarating in a college football environment resides at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley. Since 2004, the “White Out” game is usually reserved for the most anticipated contests of a season. That sea of white — which is not limited to the Nittany Lions student section — amid the 106,000-plus seat stadium is truly something to see.

To opponents and their fans — should they be up for a road trip — the Bulldogs’ Davis Wade Stadium can be a nightmare, mainly because of those pesky cowbells that the home crowd likes to utilize on just about every occasion for one of the great college football traditions. The stadium first saw service in 1914, thus making it the fourth-oldest college football venue in the sport. More than 61,000 fans (rather small for SEC standards) can pack Davis Wade, and that will happen, especially when it’s the Bulldogs’ turn to host the annual Egg Bowl versus rival Ole Miss. 

The story of that massive 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 wanted a captivating visual to go with the massive sound during performances. Hence, the birth of an oversized, bass drum. Now, this in fact might not actually be the “World’s Largest Drum,” (made of three layers of maple wood weighing 315 pounds), but the site of the instrument being rolled out on the Ross-Ade Stadium field is still quite the scene.

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

A USC football game does not officially start until the sword is planted at midfield by the marching band’s drum major. It’s the first of two field-stabbing traditions that we’ll highlight. While it’s quite the special moment for fans of the Trojans, to opponents, it’s not always taken in stride. Of course, the stabbing experience can be potentially detrimental to drum major, who often flirts with being injured every time its performed. 

More than 65,000 fans can pack themselves into Lane Stadium, the home of the Hokies, which feels compact but refreshingly open in certain areas. And man, can this place get going — especially when the home team is about to take the field and Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” is blasted to the hilt. That sets off the fan base, with nearly all present jumping in unison. Since the tradition began in 2000, it’s been an imposing sight to opponents, no matter how poorly the Hokies might be performing at the time.

Clemson’s team descent onto the field for home games remains one of the most unique. Taking caution while making their way down “The Hill” can be challenging for Tigers players, coaches and staff. Along the way, all touch “Howard’s Rock,” which sits on a pedestal at the top of the east end zone hill. The rock was given to beloved Clemson coach Frank Howard from a friend who brought it back from Death Valley, California, and since the mid-to-late 1960s it’s served as a good luck piece for the program before every home game at its version of Death Valley. 

Sports traditions involving Native American subjects can be touchy to many. However, this Florida State moment is generally considered to be tastefully respectful and remains quite special. Established in 1978, an FSU student, clad in garb honoring Seminole warrior Osceola and riding an Appaloosa horse known as “Renegade,” leads the team onto the field at home games, then stops at midfield to drive his spear into the ground. For those fans of the program, it’s highly sacred.

Arguably the best college football tailgating can be found in the SEC. And, when it comes to the best of the best, this spot at Ole Miss might reign supreme. This tailgate spot in the center of the Oxford campus, complete with plenty of trees to provide welcomed shade, is party central on game days, and it’s made even more special when the team makes it way through The Grove on the way to the stadium.

Following an Auburn Tigers football victory, there’s only one place in town to celebrate: the corners of College Street and Magnolia Ave, otherwise known as “Toomer’s Corner,” where Auburn’s campus and the City of Auburn essentially meet. Toilet paper fills the trees and a massive crowd does its best to responsibly enjoy a post-game celebration — especially when the Tigers are victorious against rival Alabama in the famed Iron Bowl. Sadly, vandals have 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 version of the Studebaker Conestoga wagon that served settlers in the territory during the late 1880s. Members of the school’s male and female spirit organizations are at the helm, with horses leading the way, as the Sooners football team takes the field. Now, there’s always the chance that Schooner tips or collides with something, which can be entertaining to witness — as long as nobody gets hurt. 

Is this really “The Best Damn Band in the Land?” Fans of Ohio State football think so. And, when it comes to marching bands, the Buckeyes really do seem second to none. Certainly, it has what’s likely the greatest tradition associated with a college marching band. The dotting of the letter I in the script “Ohio” that’s spelled out by the band on the filled is a time-honored tradition at the university. An experienced sousaphone player generally dots the I. However, celebrities and other notable personalities, like Bob Hope, Archie Griffin and John Glenn, have also done the honor.

In the ultimate display of team unity and selflessness, “The 12th Man” has seemed to transcend Texas A&M football, and been utilized, in various forms, by other football programs. Back in 1922, A&M student E. King Gill was called down from the press box to suit up as a reserve since injuries limited the team to the 11 men on the field in a game versus Centre College. The Aggies pulled off the upset with Gill the only man on the sideline, ready to play when called upon. Today, the moment is honored as the Aggies student section stands throughout home games — ready if called. 

The annual Army-Navy Game remains a special event for any fan of the sport — or America. There are plenty of traditions that are associated with the grand game, but perhaps none more special or cherished than the pregame march. Prior to kickoff, the Brigade of Midshipmen and Corps of Cadets march on to the football field. The stadium might not always be full at the time of the march, but the television broadcast is annually good about showing it to those at home — which sends chills throughout the body every time.

Since the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital’s new facility opened next door to Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium in 2017, those in attendance and on the field wave to patients and families looking on at the end of the first quarter. Known as The Hawkeye Wave, it’s a remarkably touching gesture that has become a highly anticipated moment like no other tradition in the stadium’s history. The place opened in 1929 and has seen several well-received renovations, and currently seats more than 69,000. So, it’s truly a moving moment.