Marching bands! Big entrances! Sing-alongs! 36 of our favorite game-day traditions

There's nothing quite like the energy, emotion, pageantry and good ol' fashioned fun that takes place every fall weekend at college football games.

There are time-honored traditions that date back many decades. There are century-old marching bands and pulsating techno hits. There are rampaging animals, covered wagons, antique cars and even storied rocks. There are quaint customs and there are controversies -- it wouldn't be college football without controversy, right?

With another season upon us, we've gathered a collection of our college football reporters' favorite game-day traditions. We were looking for moments fans could count on and look forward to experiencing every time they go to the stadium, so we didn't include celebrations of a win or rivalry moments that may happen only once every other year or so.

And by no means are we ranking these traditions or labeling these "better" than some that we surely left out. Every school has its own quirks and unique features that are near and dear to that team and its fans. But here's a sampling of the wild, wacky, wonderful ways that college football strikes a special chord in the sports landscape.

Dramatic entrances

Osceola and Renegade planting the spear, Florida State: Since September 1978, Osceola has led his horse, Renegade, onto the field before kickoff of every Florida State home game and planted a spear at midfield in what has become one of the best-known college football entrances. Bill Durham, an FSU graduate, came up with the idea and got approval from the Seminole Tribe of Florida for the practice to begin. The Durham family continues to provide the Appaloosa horse that is used, and Osceola wears regalia that is authentic to the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Watching Osceola rear Renegade up on his hind legs to plant the flaming spear with 80,000 fans chanting is truly a sight to see. -- Andrea Adelson

"Enter Sandman," Virginia Tech: After installing the first videoboard at Lane Stadium in 2000, Virginia Tech decided it needed a new walkout song too. "Enter Sandman" by Metallica won out over "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Sirius." A few years later, the tradition truly took off after a marching band member started jumping up and down during the song as a way to warm up. Now, the entire stadium jumps as the opening bars begin to play, bursting into raucous approval when the team runs out of the tunnel and onto the field. Multiple times over the years, a seismograph detected notable activity during "Enter Sandman." And in a full circle moment, Metallica was in concert at Lane Stadium in the spring of 2025 and played its iconic song. To no one's surprise, seismic activity again was detected. -- Adelson

The Smoke, Miami: Believe it or not, the Hurricanes have come out of their tunnel onto the field for all their home games through "the smoke" since the 1950s, when the program was struggling to both win games and draw fan support. According to the university, school transportation director Bob Nalette proposed using fire extinguishers to produce smoke for players to run through as a way to drum up fan interest. In his spare time, Nalette welded a pipe together to billow said fire extinguisher smoke. The entrance took on iconic status in the 1980s as the program rose to prominence. -- Adelson

Touch the Banner, Michigan: The Wolverines pride themselves on being the winningest program in college football history, but their famous pregame tradition began with the team off to a 1-5 start in 1962. The M Club, run by former letterwinners from all of Michigan's athletic teams, asked coach Bump Elliott if letterwinners could welcome the football team before home games. They soon displayed a giant banner that reads "GO BLUE M CLUB SUPPORTS YOU," which Michigan players and coaches leap to touch as they run out of the tunnel while "The Victors" plays. -- Adam Rittenberg

Rubbing Howard's Rock and running down The Hill; Gathering at the Paw, Clemson: Clemson has two of the most well-known pregame and postgame traditions in college football: Rubbing Howard's Rock before running down The Hill to enter the stadium, and allowing fans onto the field postgame, win or lose, to meet at the midfield paw. Howard's Rock, originally from Death Valley, California, was placed at the top of The Hill on the east side of the stadium in 1966. But after former coach Frank Howard told the team before a game against Wake Forest in 1967 they could rub the rock if they gave "110-percent effort," the tradition of rubbing the rock, then running down the hill, before every game began. Gathering at the Paw also began under Howard in 1942 when Memorial Stadium opened, as a way for fans and players to gather together. -- Adelson

Touching tributes

Hawkeye Wave, Iowa: Not every cherished college football tradition goes back decades and decades. In 2017, those inside Kinnick Stadium -- fans, players, coaches and officials -- began "The Wave," acknowledging the child patients inside University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, which is just across the street. After the first quarter, everyone turns toward the hospital, where the patients and their families wave from the 12th floor windows. The tradition began after Krista Young suggested the idea on a Hawkeye fan Facebook page. A social media surge followed and The Wave began for the start of the 2017 season -- Rittenberg

Spirit of Chucky Mullins, Ole Miss: Nearly 36 years after his death, Chucky Mullins remains an endearing figure at Ole Miss. He was paralyzed in a 1989 game against Vanderbilt while making a hit near the goal line on Commodores fullback Brad Gaines and died less than two years later after suffering a pulmonary embolism. As the Ole Miss team takes the field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium before games, each player touches a bust of Mullins that sits midway between the tunnel and the field. On the platform where the bust sits is Mullins' mantra: "Never quit." -- Chris Low

Mr. Two Bits; "Won't Back Down," Florida: The Gators have two traditions that are immediately recognizable. Since 1949, every home game has started with the "Two Bits" cheer, started and popularized by George Edmondson. He would wear a yellow shirt, blue-and-orange striped tie and whistle, and exhort the crowd to chant. "Two Bits. Four Bits. Six Bits. A Dollar. All for the Gators, stand up and holler!" Beginning in 2013, with Edmondson in his 90s, a celebrity "Mr. Two Bits" began to lead the pregame cheers. Then in 2017, a new tradition started after Gainesville native Tom Petty died. At the end of the third quarter, the crowd sings Petty's "I Won't Back Down" in addition to the longstanding "We are the Boys." -- Adelson

Music that gets you moving

"Jump Around," Wisconsin: No team has developed a wilder midgame tradition than Wisconsin's "Jump Around," the House of Pain song of the same name, played between the third and fourth quarters at Camp Randall Stadium. The song made its Badgers debut at the 1998 homecoming game against Purdue. Ryan Sondrup, an injured tight end for the Badgers who entered the athletics marketing department, was tasked with finding songs that could spark the crowd during games. He came back with "Jump Around," which has sent Camp Randall shaking ever since. -- Rittenberg

JUMP AROUND‼️ pic.twitter.com/7TqyN3OXyY

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 17, 2024

The Bounce House, UCF. After UCF scored its first touchdown at its new on-campus stadium on Sept. 17, 2007 -- against Texas, no less -- rollicking club hit "Kernkraft 400" by Zombie Nation blared from the speakers. Spontaneously, the crowd started jumping wildly, causing the stadium to vibrate and "bounce." Thus, the birth of not only a tradition but a stadium nickname. Now the song is played multiple times during games and serves as a way to get everyone fired up, with the crowd chanting along and cheering "U-C-F!" -- Adelson

"Sweet Caroline," Pitt. Back in 2008, former Pitt football player Justin Acierno was working at the school and tasked with improving the student fan experience during games. What would keep them interested? With the help of student organizations and athletic department employees, they came up with a plan: Play Neil Diamond's 1969 classic "Sweet Caroline" at the end of the third quarter of football games. The plan worked. Acierno made sure some of the lyrics were more Pitt friendly -- subbing in "Let's Go Pitt" during the chorus. The sing-along first happened against Buffalo in Week 2 of the 2008 season, and the rest is history. -- Adelson

"Sandstorm," South Carolina: It's certainly not unusual to hear the techno instrumental song "Sandstorm" by Finnish DJ Darude at a sporting event, but South Carolina has staked a special claim to it in the world of college football. The connection can be traced to Sept. 24, 2009, when the Gamecocks were hosting No. 4 Ole Miss. With time winding down and South Carolina leading 16-10, and the Rebels facing a key third down, the pulsating beat blasted throughout Williams-Brice Stadium, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. "A rave breaks out in Columbia," ESPN announcer Chris Fowler said as fans and players jumped and gyrated. The Gamecocks got that stop, "Sandstorm" roared again, Ole Miss failed on fourth down, and the upset -- and new tradition -- were sealed. Now anywhere South Carolina folks gather, you can expect to hear the anthem, and Darude himself appeared at Willy B to perform it for a game against Kentucky in 2023. -- Steve Richards

"Dixieland Delight," Alabama: The Crimson Tide mark the beginning of the fourth quarter by playing "Dixieland Delight," by the band Alabama, even though it's written about a Saturday night in Tennessee. But that's neither here nor there. It's a beloved sing-along, the height of the form, but enterprising Tide fans also managed to insert a few of their own lyrics, including a four-letter greeting to their friends over in Auburn. (And LSU, and Tennessee too.) It became such a source of frustration that the university banned the playing of the song in 2014, then agreed to revisit it in 2018 with the #DixielandDelightDoneRight campaign, encouraging fans to say "BEAT" Auburn instead of the other word, with the stadium speakers attempting to drown out the ne'er-do-wells. Good luck with all that. -- Dave Wilson

That's dedication

Midnight Yell, Texas A&M: The Aggies love their traditions, and the SEC move and social media have exposed them to many new audiences, many of whom seem bewildered. But college football is about local customs, and watching a game at Kyle Field is one of the best environments in the sport because of the devotion of A&M fans. To wit, the Aggies routinely draw more fans the night before a game than many schools do on game day to "practice" the yells they'll perform on game day, a tradition since 1931. -- Wilson

Midnight Drummers' Circle, Notre Dame: At midnight the night before Notre Dame football home games, fans will flock to the school's Main Building (better known as the Golden Dome) to witness a performance by the drumline of the Band of the Fighting Irish that kicks off the game-day experience. The drummers' circle is one of multiple Golden Dome concerts by the band during the lead-up to home games -- the trumpet section also holds performances outside the Main Building at 4:10 on Fridays, and the whole band performs two hours before kickoff on game day on the Dome's steps. -- J.J. Post

Early mornings at the Tip Top Lounge, Iowa State: Cyclones fans have always showed up, even in the lean years before Matt Campbell built them into a consistent winner. The parking lots are filled with old school buses and rowdy fans, many of them powered from a pre-sunrise visit to a local watering hole known as the Tip Top Lounge. Originally started as a sandwich shop in 1950, it turned into a bar in 1962, and opens at 6 a.m. on game days, fueling fans with chili and Fireball shots, a breakfast of champions in Ames. -- Wilson

Card stunts, Cal. Here is a bit of college football trivia. Cal students invented card stunts, the practice of handing out cards to a crowd to create a massive design, for The Big Game against Stanford in 1914. The practice continues today, directed by a rally committee that sets up the stunts and sorts cards to give to students for every home game. The cards drew national attention, and the ire of coach Justin Wilcox, last season during the game against San Diego State, when students kept throwing them onto the field. Officials whistled Cal for two 15-yard penalties as a result. Wilcox then took the mic of the referee and scolded fans, telling them to knock it off. -- Adelson

Getting revved up

Ramblin' Wreck, Georgia Tech. Described on the school's website as a "one-of-a-kind mechanical mascot," the 1930 Ford Model A Sport Coupe painted gold and white has led the Georgia Tech football team onto the field before every home game since Sept. 30, 1961. But why? In the 1940s and 1950s at Georgia Tech, it became a sort of "rite of passage" to own a shoddy, beat-up car -- or "ramblin' wreck" -- kept alive thanks to the engineering ingenuity of its students. As a tribute to that spirit, the school looked for a pre-World War II Ford to serve as its mechanical mascot and found it in 1960. It took a year for the school to convince the owners to sell it, and the Wreck debuted that season against Rice. -- Adelson

Sooner Schooner, Oklahoma: Every Oklahoma score at Owen Field is followed by a victory ride from the Sooner Schooner, a scaled-down version of the covered wagons used by pioneers to settle the land known as Oklahoma in 1889. The Schooner debuted in 1964 and became OU's official mascot in 1980. Spirit squad members from the RUF/NEKS and RUF/NEK Lil' Sis drive the Schooner, which is led by ponies appropriately named "Boomer" and "Sooner." While there have been some notable crashes, its voyage around the field remains an integral part of game days in Norman. -- Rittenberg

Vol Navy, Tennessee: It's the most famous navy in college football. Each fall Saturday when Tennessee plays a home football game, boats of all sizes set sail for Neyland Stadium, which is located on the banks of the Tennessee River. As you wind your way down Neyland Drive en route to the games, the orange Tennessee flags waving from the procession of boats flap in the wind, on both the warmest and coldest of days. The boats, many decked out in orange, dock at marinas on the river's banks, making for an easy walk to the stadium. Sometimes the parties on the boats are as entertaining as the games themselves, certainly the postgame parties when the Vols win. -- Chris Low

Strike up the band

Script Ohio, dotting the i, Ohio State: Ohio State fans are very into their state. Chants of O-H! must be followed by I-O! The "I" in Ohio carries extra meaning, as some Buckeyes fans have shown even after death. Ohio State's band has its own memorable spin on the state name, spelling out Ohio in script form at home games, and then inviting a senior sousaphone player to high-step and dot the i, before bowing to all four sides of Ohio Stadium. The Ohio State Marching Band, or The Best Damn Band in the Land, began doing script Ohio and dotting the i during the 1938 season, and it remains one of the most electric moments during Buckeyes home games. -- Rittenberg

Stanford Band halftime show, Stanford: Very few things are off limits for the Stanford Band, known for its irreverent and sometimes controversial halftime performances. The shift away from a traditional band began in 1963, after its longtime director was dismissed. The band went on strike for the first two games of the football season. The new director leaned into the culture of the era, allowing students to play rock 'n' roll songs, "scatter" to get into place as opposed to traditional marching, and script humorous formations that often served as punchlines, social commentary or poked fun at opponents. The Stanford Band has drawn ire and/or been disciplined for, among other things, ridiculing UCLA, Catholicism (Notre Dame), Mormonism (BYU) and the spotted owl (Oregon). -- Adelson

The MOB, Rice: The Stanford Band has a kindred spirit in Rice's MOB (the Marching Owl Band), which is a small but mighty and scrappy group that, like Stanford, uses brainpower to take aim at opponents. In 1973, the MOB mocked two Texas A&M institutions: the Aggie Band's military style (the MOB goose-stepped in imitation) and beloved mascot Reveille (forming a fire hydrant while playing "Oh Where, Oh Where, Has My Little Dog Gone?"). Band members were cornered in a supply closet by angry Aggies and had to be rescued by a box truck backed up to its doors. In 2007, they were reprimanded by Conference USA for a halftime skit called "Todd Graham's Inferno," whereupon band members searched through the circles of hell for the coach who had just left Rice for Tulsa after one successful season. Wherever sacred cows are found, the MOB will look to make ground beef. -- Wilson

Marching 100, Florida A&M: When you take a trip to the "highest of seven hills" for a football game, you can expect a spectacular performance by the world-renowned Marching 100. Halftime performances start with their signature "Slow One," as each band member holds one leg up at a 90-degree angle and slowly switches legs. The 100 then quickens the pace, followed by the band filling the field as the show begins. The band was founded in 1892 by Dr. William P. Foster and has grown to be one of the world's most recognizable marching bands. From Paris Fashion Week to multiple Super Bowls to two presidential inauguration parades, the 100 has been seen far and wide, but the ultimate experience happens at Bragg Stadium in Tallahassee. -- Erika Leflouria

Sonic Boom of the South, Jackson State: As soon as you step foot inside Mississippi Veterans Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi, you can't help but notice the rumbling from the bass drums, followed by the funky rhythm of The Temptations' "Get Ready" from the Jackson State marching band to get fans' pom-poms going. Fans arrive at the stadium ahead of time to witness the Sonic Boom take part in a Zero Quarter battle of the bands against the visiting unit, an HBCU pregame staple. Following the presentation of the colors, the band rocks the stadium with its trademark tune "We Came To Play" by Tower of Power. The Sonic Boom's halftime performances are the main attraction, however, wowing fans with their signature "Tiger Run-On" and "JSU Rocks the House" fanfare. -- Kalan Hooks

Animal planet

Ralphie's Run, Colorado: Live animal mascots aren't as common as they used to be in college football, but Colorado's Ralphie remains an iconic presence before games at Folsom Field. Colorado selected Ralphie as its official mascot in 1966 and the next year, she began running around the field to lead the Buffaloes out of their tunnel. A group of Ralphie handlers make the U-shaped run with the bison, who ends up in a trailer near the visitors locker room. There have been six Ralphies, always female bison, which live on a ranch in an undisclosed location. -- Rittenberg

Here Comes Bullet, Oklahoma State: Since 1988, Bullet, a black horse, has galloped onto the field following every Cowboys touchdown, carrying a spirit rider waving an Oklahoma State flag. The first of four horses who've since served as Bullet got plenty of work. In 1988, Barry Sanders won the Heisman Trophy while scoring an NCAA-record 44 touchdowns. -- Jake Trotter

Flight of the Eagle, Auburn: In a tradition that goes back to the start of the 2000 season, an eagle with a 6½-foot wingspan majestically circles Jordan-Hare Stadium as the fans chant "Warrrrrrrrr" until it lands at midfield, then they finish with "Eagle!" There have been several eagles over the years performing the flight, and right now, there are two sharing the duties. And no, War Eagle is not the Auburn mascot. It's the school's battle cry that dates back to a Civil War veteran. -- Low

Blaster the Burro, Colorado School of Mines: Since the 1990s, the Orediggers have brought out a live donkey to celebrate after every touchdown by the home team at Marv Kay Stadium. A member of the university's Blue Key Honor Society will run alongside Blaster the Burro to the 50-yard line to celebrate the team's score. Spoiler: There are two donkeys that carry the duty of Blaster; Winkie is the runner burro that you'll see on game days, while Pepsi is the burro used for special university events. -- Leflouria

Big fun at smaller schools

The Cannon, Toledo. Before each home game, at the end of each half and after every Toledo score, a Civil War-era model cannon is fired off. The tradition began in 1966, when a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity saw a cannon fired at a Texas game and decided to take the idea to Toledo. According to the school, another member of the fraternity "bartered his cannon for fraternity dues." That cannon was in use until it was replaced in 2010. To this day, members of Pi Kappa Phi are responsible for operating the cannon during games. -- Adelson

Purple Haze, East Carolina: It doesn't get the pub of some of the other grand entrances in college football, but being there live to see East Carolina's players racing onto the field at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium through a giant pirate skull amid clouds of purple smoke with Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" blaring on the jumbotron and a video of pirate ships waving ECU skull and crossbones flags and shooting off cannons on the high seas is about as cool as it gets. Jimi Hendrix and college football mixed together? That's pure nirvana. -- Low

Gone (sort of) but not forgotten

Red balloons, Nebraska: Since the 1960s, Husker fans would release red balloons after Nebraska's first touchdown, turning the Lincoln sky into a sea of red. Due to a helium shortage, the school discontinued the tradition in 2022. But last season, Nebraska brought the balloon release back for its game against Colorado. Going forward, amid criticism for the impact the balloons have on the environment, Nebraska plans to hold the balloon release for select games only. -- Trotter

Hand signs for Texas schools: At Texas, they Hook 'Em with the index and pinky fingers. At Texas A&M, they Gig 'Em with the thumb. SMU has two fingers up, the V for victory, which later became pony ears. Houston adds a middle finger to Texas' sign to make a cougar paw -- "unofficially, it indicates the students' attitude toward UT," Texas Monthly once wrote. At Texas Tech, they extend the thumb and index finger for Guns Up. TCU raises the first two fingers then bends the tips down, allegedly to look like the horns of the Horned Frog. Baylor fans make a bear claw to Sic 'Em. Of the nine former Southwest Conference schools only Rice and Arkansas didn't have hand signs. But the one they all had in common was turning Texas' horns upside down. R.I.P. to the SWC. -- Wilson

Playing with food

The State Fair of Texas and a Fletcher's Corny Dog, Texas-Oklahoma: Texas and Oklahoma fans don't share much affinity for each other, but they both agree that their annual rivalry game boasts the best setting in college football -- the center of the State Fair of Texas. There's a mutual respect for each other on the Midway that isn't shared inside the stadium -- fans in Baker Mayfield jerseys riding the 212-foot-tall Texas Star Ferris wheel with those in Colt McCoy's threads. And it's not game day without a Fletcher's Corny Dog, who originated the battered and fried hot dog on a stick in 1942 and now sell more than half a million of them each year during the fair's 24-day run. -- Wilson

Tortilla toss, Texas Tech: Nobody seems to know for sure how and when it started, but since at least the late 1980s, Texas Tech students have been throwing tortillas onto the field after the opening kickoff. The university doesn't endorse this tradition. But that hasn't stopped the Red Raider faithful from slinging tortillas all around Jones Stadium. -- Trotter

'Greatest show in college sports'

White Out, Penn State: One of the best scenes in college football, for the biggest home night game of the season, is a White Out at Happy Valley. For the past two decades, Penn State fans dress in all white, creating a sea of white -- and bedlam -- throughout 106,572-seat Beaver Stadium. It's an intimidating environment for the opposition and one of those experiences in college football that nobody can duplicate. Penn State has dubbed its White Out as the "greatest show in college sports." This season's is Sept. 27 against Oregon. -- Low

The total package

Saturday night at Tiger Stadium, LSU: Where do you start when it comes to taking in an LSU football game? The tailgating, in particular the scrumptious food (jambalaya, gumbo and shrimp po'boys, all out of this world). And, yes, there are always beverage options available. The wardrobes and Mardi Gras beads are unlike anything else you'll find in college football, and no trip to LSU is complete without visiting Mike the Tiger in his sprawling digs. And then there's the Golden Band From Tigerland and those first four notes before breaking full bore into "Hold That Tiger." It all adds up to college football pageantry at its finest. -- Low