Smack Apparel’s Top 10 College Football Saturday Traditions

Not all college football traditions are created equal...

We took the liberty of ranking our Top Ten favorite college football traditions you may find around the country on any given college football Saturday.

10) Oregon - Shout

Based on the cult classic movie "Animal House" that was filmed in Eugene, Oregon, the Shout tradition isn’t as widely known on the East Coast but ranks among the best in college football. At the end of the third quarter, the Oregon faithful go quiet while a music video imitating the classic toga scene begins to play over the video board. The video features cameos from Oregon greats such as Joey Harrington and Marcus Mariota, and the crowd sings along. Like the scene out of the hit movie, the crowd follows the instructions of “a little bit softer now” until you can hear a pin drop. Almost as soon as you’re ready to fall asleep, “a little bit louder now” begins blasting over the speakers until the crowd is so loud you can’t hear yourself think! It will be fun to watch this tradition hit the mainstream of the Big 10 in 2024.

9) Notre Dame - Touchdown Jesus

We will admit, this isn’t in line with traditions of music blasting and getting the fans fired up, but if you love college football, there’s something magical about seeing a gigantic mural of Jesus Christ looking down over South Bend as their football team needs all the prayers they can get to be National Champions again in the near future.

8) Florida State - Chief Osceola/The Chop

There’s just something about a white horse riding through a football field while Chief Osceola carries a spear (that is on fire) and spikes it at the 50-yard line that gets our juices flowing. Follow that with 80,000+ crazed FSU fans tomahawking their hearts out to get the team fired up, and you get one of the best traditions in the land.

7) Colorado - Ralphie’s Run

Hand up, we are suckers for live animals, especially big ones. Any time you run a live buffalo down the middle of a football field to kick off a college football Saturday, we are going to put you on a list.

6) Penn State - White Out

It’s a cold night in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions are about to take the field while 100,000+ fans all dressed in white scream at the top of their lungs while music blasts over the loudspeaker. Is this heaven? Nope. It’s the White Out at Penn State. This long-standing tradition creates one of the best atmospheres in all of college football and lands at number six on our list.

5) Auburn - Rollin’ Toomer’s Corner

If it’s a Saturday in Auburn, you better make sure you have toilet paper in the house because it might be a few days before the stores and restock. After any big win on a football Saturday students flood the streets and make their way down to Toomer’s Corner to toilet paper the historic oak trees.

4) Wisconsin - Jump Around

When the third quarter ends, the party is about to begin in Madison, Wisconsin. The entire stadium gets quiet in anticipation, and then the loudspeakers blast House of Pain's "Jump Around" while the entire stadium falls in line and starts jumping like kangaroos. The combination of fan excitement and music selection makes this an unforgettable scene.

3) Florida - Won’t Back Down

A relatively new tradition busted on to the scene in Gainesville, Florida and instantly became a Smack Apparel favorite. All the lights of the Swamp are replaced with cell phone flashlights swaying side to side as Tom Petty’s classic “I won’t belt down” belts over the speaker PA. Students and alumni link arm in arm and since at the top of their lungs letting the entire world know they are going to stand their ground. A beautiful sight to be seen.

2) Iowa - The Wave 

The Wave in Iowa has quickly become everyone’s favorite sentimental tradition in the sport, and for good reasons. When the clock strikes zero at the end of the first quarter, every single person in the stadium turns their attention to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital that overlooks Kinnick Football Stadium and waves to the patients and their families who are looking over the field. It is truly one of the most heartwarming gestures that play out in sports today and goes a long way to let the patients know that there is an entire stadium full of people rooting them on in their path to recovery.

1) Virginia Tech - Sandman

Dun dun dun dun dun… dun dun dun dun dun… dun dun dun dun dun… If you know, you know. Enter Sandman at Virginia Tech tops our list of Saturday traditions because, frankly, it’s the most badass entrance of any school on the planet. Metallica rocking over the loudspeakers, the team taking the field while all the fans are absolutely losing their minds… there’s nothing better.