Best College Football Rivalries

Aren’t rivalries the best? Rivalry week is the best week of the year, but with all this random conference realignment, we sometimes get rivalry games week 2 or 3. I’ll say it, that sucks. But the vibe is different in a rivalry game. Even if you’re not a fan of either team, you can feel it. And when you are a fan, you wake up excited and nervous, sometimes all week. Rivalries are at their best when both teams are consistently good, when the outcome impacts the conference champion, and the fanbases hate each other. I think there are three clear “best” rivalries, so it was fun thinking about what the other ones on the list could be. Enjoy:

5. Army vs Navy – This is the last regular season game played every year, and now with all the realignment, I think Trump signed an executive order to keep it that way. As I’ve said in other posts, it’s a great game. The pregame is especially awesome as they spend 2-3 hours carrying out old traditions and playing awesome America montages on TV. The game is very much old school football. Neither team is known for having a flashy offense, or really any offense that’s been updated much in the last 50 years, but it’s still fun. Tough. Physical. God bless America and football.

4. The Holy War – BYU vs Utah – This is so high on the list simply because of the name. I freaking love it. And this game is crazy. Super underrated because neither school are traditional power houses, but have both been good for the last several years which has made it more fun. These schools are less than 50 miles from each other which means they compete for players and everyone works with someone from the other team. Rivalries are better when the fans know plenty of fans of the other team, it adds the passion that makes college sports great. This game used to determine who would win the Mountain West, and now they’re both very competitive in the Big 12 (had to double check that’s where they both landed #RealignmentSucks)

3. Iron Bowl – Auburn vs Alabama – I would probably put this higher on the list if Auburn wasn’t so inconsistent these days. Bama leads the series 52-37-1 and has won 12 of the last 15 games. This rivalry is probably extra heated because there is nothing else in Alabama. It’s a nice place, but no NFL team or any other professional team means that the college season means everything. These fanbases hate each other, the teams hate each other, and it often seems like the coaches hate each other, too. There are countless iconic moments from the Iron Bowl, but my favorite is the kick-6. In 2013, with Bama coming in as back to back national champs and ranked #1 and Auburn ranked #4, Bama decided to kick a field goal to try and win the game as time expired. Bama had missed THREE field goals already. Oh, and they shouldn’t have even lined up for this long 57-yarder, but Nick Saban challenged the call before and got :01 back on the clock. Okay, so they bring in a brand new freshman kicker (again, a 57 yarder!!) and Auburn puts their speedy punt returner under the uprights to return the kick in case it’s short. And it was. And he ran it all the way back (109+ yards) to give Auburn the win. I still remember where I was when that happened. Unbelievable. In case you want to watch it again like I did, here it is.

2. Red River Rivalry (don’t call it Shootout) – Texas vs OU – I’m not sure when this happened, but it’s not allowed to call this the Red River Shootout anymore. I looked this up and the official reasoning is to “not endorse gun violence.” Didn’t realize anyone was doing that… This is the rare rivalry game never played the last week of the season. And always played at a neutral site. This fabulous game is always played during the Texas State Fair at the Cotton Bowl (which doesn’t host the Cotton Bowl anymore). The Cotton Bowl is almost exactly equidistant from each school (just a few miles difference) and the stadium is divided down the 50-yard line. ESPN always has a reporter visit that section where it can certainly get rowdy. Both schools have big in-state rivals, but this game is better. Both teams are almost always in the national conversation, they’ve played 11 times with both teams ranked in the top 5. It’s also a very even series with Texas winning 65 of 121 games. This is always a great game to watch every single year.

1. The Game – Michigan vs Ohio State – When a rivalry game is just called “The Game,” well, I think we have a winner. And I’m not even biased. This is widely believed to be the best rivalry in AMERICA, not just college football. These two schools have more wins than any other program in the country, Michigan is #1, Ohio State is of course #2. They’ve won 21 combined national championships and 84 Big Ten titles. Michigan leads all-time 62-52-1. Both teams are almost always competing for the Big 10 and usually the National Championship raising the stakes even more. It used to determine who would go to the Rose Bowl, but that’s not a thing anymore (#RealignmentSucks). The game in 2006 was called “The Game of the Century” (and it was great) and there was a span called “The Ten Year War.” There have been books, documentaries, and ESPN commercials made about the game. There’s been plenty of fights, late hits, and cheap shots over the years. Ohio State literally doesn’t allow the letter “M” to appear anywhere (probably in the state #weirdos), crossing the letter out with a red x. They refer to Michigan as “that school up north.” Ohio State fans are obsessed with Michigan. People say they care more, partly because Michigan grads are CEO’s and billionaires and stuff, but I think Michigan fans care just as much. The national prominence and dominance of both teams definitely elevates this rivalry. We went a long time, much of my prime college football watching days in my youth, where Ohio State dominated the rivalry. Things have swung back to equilibrium the last few years. And I’d just like to remind everyone that when Ohio State won the natty a few years ago, they still lost to Michigan.

Dead Rivalries: Kansas vs Missouri, Nebraska vs Oklahoma, Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State, Oregon vs Oregon State, Michigan vs Notre Dame. These were all great games in their own right (with some great names like “The Border War,” “Bedlam,” and “The Civil War” that have died because of all the ridiculous college football realignment #RealignmentSucks. Notre Dame are just a bunch of loser who don’t want to play Michigan anymore.

Honorable Mentions: Wisconsin vs Minnesota, Alabama vs Tennessee, Texas vs Texas A&M, Florida vs Georgia, Notre Dame vs USC, USC vs UCLA. Wisconsin vs Minnesota is the longest continuous game in college and it’s a great game for Big Ten sickos like me on Black Friday. Bama and UT play on the 3rd Saturday in October, and it is electric. The Longhorns and Aggies don’t make the list simply because the rivalry went away for more than 10 years. Freaking realignment and ridiculous egos on the part of the Longhorns messed that one up. The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party was great growing up, but has fallen off recently as Florida has fallen off. Notre Dame vs USC has fallen off in recent years because USC has fallen off, but it’s still a great game. USC vs UCLA should be great, but both teams have been so up and down (or just bad in UCLA) for so long now.

My dad will be disappointed Indiana vs Purdue didn’t make the list, but neither have a great history of winning in football, at least not long term. It’s a very underrated basketball rivalry though.

There’s real football tomorrow!

NFL Greats

I felt like writing about my favorite NFL players of all-time today. When I was in college, I was always going to football games on Saturday and so I couldn’t watch football for 14 straight hours. I had to work after the game often and always got to games early, so I missed a lot. I had a great group of college friends and we would often spend our Sunday afternoons together after church doing homework and watching football. We all played fantasy football together, and it was around this time that I started to wonder if I was a bigger fan of the NFL than college. I’m still not sure, but the athleticism of NFL athletes is absolutely astounding. Sometimes I watch a game, and the body control these guys have amazes me, but the announcers don’t even say anything because it happens on every play.

My favorite team, the Detroit Lions, have been horrible for most of my life. Now they are not horrible. Turns out they just needed an Aggie as a coach. The Lions were NEVER on TV growing up except when they played the Cowboys (at Dallas, every single season) and on Thanksgiving. So while I love a lot of former (and current) Lions, I also loved a lot of guys from other teams. I always basically had to have a playoff team, and I reliably chose one team pretty much every year. But more on that in the list.

5. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit – The only active member on this list. The Lions have so many offensive weapons, but Amon-Ra is my favorite. He’s tough, physical, a great blocker, unselfish, and clutch. So many great wide receivers are divas, but he is not. Saint has been all-pro THREE times (in just five years) and somehow is regularly forgotten in discussions about the best receivers in the league. If the Lions are going to have a big year, they’ll be depending on Amon-Ra to get it done.

4. Charles Woodson, DB, Oakland (x2) and Green Bay – I wish I was old enough to really remember Woodson in college at Michigan. I did get to see him play the year he won the Heisman, but I was too young to understand. Even though I mostly remember Woodson from Green Bay, my least favorite team in the NFL, I still loved him. When a guy is the only defensive player to win the Heisman at my favorite school (at the time), I have no choice but to love him. And I do not do things halfway. I poured myself into watching him. He was so dominant. He always made big plays, no matter how old he got. He was an all-pro eight different times across his insanely long career. He was the league leader in interceptions fourteen years after he left college. I’m telling you, homie retired too soon. He could probably STILL be out there batting down balls and making life hard for great receivers.

3. Tom Brady, QB, New England and Tampa Bay – The GOAT. I think that’s undeniable at this point. Seven Super Bowls. Twenty-three seasons (without much of a drop off). Clutch moment after clutch moment. Carried a team to a Super Bowl single-handedly after being down 28-3 at halftime. SIXTH ROUND draft pick. He went to the Super Bowl 10 times, the AFC Championship 13 times, and won the AFC East 17 times. It’s hard to believe those numbers will ever be beaten. TB12 was one of my faves because he went to Michigan, but then stayed there because of how freaking good he was. It’s rare for a team like the Patriots to get shoved down your throat every single week and you still never get tired of watching them. That was because of Brady. He was always must-see TV. And somehow, I feel like I didn’t appreciate him enough at the time. I miss that guy.

2. Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit and Los Angeles Rams – This was a hard choice for me between 1 and 2. I loved Matt Stafford. I still do. He’s a first ballot hall of famer, and people now finally recognize that since he’s gotten out of Detroit. But real ones knew all along how great he was. I was DEVASTATED when he was traded away. In my humble opinion, Stafford has more arm talent than any other quarterback I’ve ever seen. Yes, people will talk about Dan Marino and stuff, but I didn’t see him. And I’ve seen a lot of Stafford. Even as he gets close to 40, he still throws the most beautiful spiral in the league. He loves a side-arm pass (he was a former baseball player – did you know he went to high school with Clayton Kershaw? lol), a no-look pass, and completing the hardest pass that seems impossible. He was Mahomes before Mahomes. He only had four winning seasons in Detroit, but without him, the Lions would’ve had none. In fact, those years when they won just 6 or 7 games, they might have only won 1 or 2 without him. That’s how good he is. And he’s one tough cookie. He broke his back in 2018, and kept playing for the whole season. He broke his back AGAIN the next year, and did miss the rest of the season, but came back once it was healed. And continued to get pounded by defenses because the Lions were terrible. One year, he played with all kinds of tears and rips and a bad ankle, but started every single game. He has played with broken ribs, spinal contusions, and a weird elbow tendon issue that he played with the year he won the Super Bowl. He once separated his shoulder in a game and came back in to throw the game winning TD. The best thing to come out of the Lions going 0-16 was that it gave me Matt Stafford. Love him forever even if I boo when he plays the Lions in the playoffs.

1. Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis and Denver – My guy. I wrote a lot about Peyt in my aura post, but he was my absolute favorite. The Colts, and later Broncos, were my playoff teams. I loved him so much. I loved how he commanded the line of scrimmage. I loved how he was always going to carry his team to a win late in the 4th quarter. I loved all of his commercials and interviews. He played at the same time in the same conference as Brady, so his trophy case is a little smaller, but still: 12 division titles, four Super Bowl appearances, two Super Bowl wins, FIVE time MVP. He threw for nearly 72,000 career yards and 539 touchdowns (remember – those are regular season stats. That’s weirdly just how stats work). He had another 7,000 yards in the playoffs and 40 more touchdowns. The Broncos team that did not win the Super Bowl in 2013 might have been the greatest team I’ve ever seen. That offense was unbelievable, all because of Manning. He holds something like 20 NFL records. He’s not the GOAT because Brady won more Super Bowls, but people forget how great he really was. He changed the position completely. He might not be THE goat, but he is MY favorite and that should mean something to him!

Honorable Mentions: Calvin Johnson, Aidan Hutchinson, Penei Sewell, Jahmyr Gibbs, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen. So obviously there’s a lot of Lions on here. Megatron didn’t make the list mostly because I just didn’t get to see him play that often. I love watching his old highlight videos though. Makes me so angry the way he was treated by the Lions, and I’m glad to see they’ve resolved their issues (mostly because all the bad actors are gone now). Johnson, Peyton Manning, and Charles Woodson all went into the hall of fame together. I have to be the only person in the world who had those guys as 3 of my 6 favorite NFL athletes of all time – it was a hall of fame class made just for me.

Hutch, Sewell, Jah – they might make the list in time. I kind of doubt it though because you just don’t love athletes the same way as an adult as you do as a kid. Hutch has an extra special place in my heart for his career at Michigan. Mahomes and Josh Allen are just two guys I love to watch. They’re not on my team, but I cheer hard for both of them. And once the Lions are out of the playoffs, I cheer for the Chiefs and Bills. Except they often end up playing each other. But great dudes who are fun to watch ball out.

I love football so much. I’ve listened to hours of podcasts and TV sports talk about football over the last few weeks. It’s been a brutally hot August here (shoutout that 109 degree day) and I’m just limping towards a weekend where I have no plans except to sit and watch football all weekend. NEED IT

Who are/were your faves? Let me know!

College Football Greats

Who is excited for another list? If not, you don’t have to read this, it’s a free country.

Today though, I want to write about my favorite college football players. Not the best of all time, my personal faves. I was inspired to do this because my all time favorite athlete, Roger Federer, played in this “icons” match back in New York at Arthur Ashe. I like thinking about my favorite athletes, or the list of the best, so this just seemed like a natural progression for today’s topic.

5. Braylon Edwards, WR, Michigan – What a guy. Bray was an incredible receiver for Michigan when I was growing up and idolized athletes in a way you only really do as a kid. Braylon wore #1 at Michigan, a special honor that used to be reserved only for DOG wide receivers. Now there’s like 300 guys on a team and they need every number (including some twice). He had more than 3,500 yards, and really only played 3 years. He set Michigan single season records for catches and yards in his senior season. He’s the only Big 10 receiver all time to have 1,000+ yards in three straight years, and the third guy all-time to do that. People forget Braylon Edwards. Your girl does not.

4. Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M – My boy. Evans was such an unbelievable physical specimen back when he first took the field for the Ags. He stood out from the third deck for being gigantic. Homie is 6’5″. He didn’t play football until his senior year in high school. This isn’t an NFL list, but he tied the record two years ago for the most consecutive seasons with 1,000+ receiving yards. It is INSANE that he didn’t play football until he was a high school senior! When we beat Alabama in 2013, Evans set a school record for receiving yards with 279. That’s a great number for a QUARTERBACK to put up in passing yards, let alone a receiver. He broke his own record a few weeks later when he got 287 yards against Auburn. He probably won’t be remembered long-term for his college career – he only played for two seasons – but he really was great. And of everyone on my list, he has definitely had the best pro career. First ballot hall of famer fo sho. Also, if you don’t know, Evans has an incredible family story. His dad was murdered by his uncle. His mom was just 14 when she had him. He does so much to give back to the community now. He has overcome unbelievable odds, and more people should know that. First ballot hall of famer human, too.

3. Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M – “Swope is dope.” I put that on a sign when I went to College Gameday my sophomore year, and as luck would have it, I ended up next to a guy with a funny sign they put on TV all the time so I ended up on TV a lot too. We were playing Florida, and this guy had a sign that said “Muschamp takes bubble baths” which still cracks me up because it’s so random. People working asked who Swope was, but real ones know. I actually first learned about Swope in high school when he ran for like 300 yards against my high school in his senior year. He was a RB back then. I just remember thinking, “who is this guy?” My dad obviously had the same thought and asked around until he learned he was going to A&M. Swope played for A&M for four years (3 as WR, 1 as DB), and was an animal. He isn’t that big, but he was tough, gritty, and played with his heart on his sleeve. Swope set a bunch of receiving records at A&M, all of which were broken by Mike Evans. Swope was dope, y’all.

2. Michael Hart, RB, Michigan – Nobody had more heart than our guy Mike Hart. Mikey had problems with injuries so while he was at Michigan for 4 years, he only played 2 years fully healthy. Despite this, he holds the record for most rushing yards in Michigan history and the most caries all time. And Michigan is a school that runs the ball. He’s of course famous for calling Michigan State “little brother,” an endearing viral clip to this day. He became a coach after retiring from the NFL, and was even at Michigan for a little bit. I hope he comes back soon. I hope to one day see another running back (anywhere) who runs like the world depends on it, who carries the team despite being a foot smaller than everyone on his offensive line. Love that guy.

1. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida – I loved Tim Tebow. Like wrote in my high school yearbook that I was going to marry him, loved him. In fact, I told that story at an event where his mom was speaking, and she said she’d love to have me as her daughter-in-law so… Tim Tebow willed his team to win. He was insanely tough and just a gamer. He wasn’t afraid of a big hit, he definitely wasn’t afraid to run, and he wasn’t worried about what people thought of his throwing ability. I think he should have won 2 Heisman’s. He got more first place votes than Sam Bradford the year Bradford won, but lost because Sam got more second and third place votes. Make it make sense. And yes, I really did love him for his play on the field. But everyone knows Tebow was (is) also incredibly lovable off the field. He loves God, and he’s not afraid to say it. He’s just a good dude and it seems completely genuine. He did so much charity work, wore Bible verses on his eye black, and was such a positive force for good. He’s still around doing great things for the Kingdom today. Timmy was the very best.

Honorable Mentions: There’s plenty of guys I left on the list. Johnny Manziel, Chad Henne, Mario Manningham, Blake Corum to name a few. Henne and Manningham were some of my favorites growing up, there’s something so nostalgic about them. And they were BALLERS. Blake Corum won a National Championship at Michigan and is just the happiest smileyist guy you’ve ever seen.

Johnny, well, Johnny Manziel makes me sad. I loved Johnny. It was amazing to work for the athletic department while he was there. He was unbelievable to watch, truly. I remember one game when he was like 30 yards behind the line of scrimmage and we were all like “ahhhh throw it away” and then he completed a pass for a first down and my friend goes “Guys. It’s always going to be okay.” And that was what it was like. But he doesn’t make the list because he makes me sad for what he could’ve been. It’s his life, it doesn’t actually impact me that he threw everything away. But I don’t know, there’s just something about it all that makes me gloomy. He was great, though.

My list of favorite NFL players is very different, so I think I’ll do that one next. I feel like few people have interest in these topics, but I sure am enjoying writing about them. And this blog is just for me so there.

I’m so freaking ready for football season. Just a few days until week zero!

Best College Football Mascots

Like I’ve said before, I’m a list person. My brain thinks and organizes itself in lists. Today, I was thinking about the best mascots in college football, and I figured I’d just share my stream of consciousness list with you here.

The qualifications: I’m thinking about people dressed up as a mascot ONLY. We all love a live mascot (shoutout Reveille), but for this list, we’re talking students in mascot heads. Also, I think they have to be a mascot for the team name directly. So the Texas Tech Dark Rider would not count, but the blow-up Nebraska Cornhusker would. These are MY favorite mascots, not the most funny or loved around the country. I reserve the right to leave off popular mascots for petty reasons. Finally, we will be going from 10 to 1 in honor of David Letterman. No further explanation necessary.

Without further ado, the best college football mascots:

10. Florida, Albert and Alberta the Gators – I’m a sucker for a guy and girl pair of mascots. I think it’s funny. Florida is an intimidating place to play and their mascots are both terrifying and friendly.

9. Syracuse, Otto the Orange – Mascots are supposed to be funny, and I think it’s funny that Syracuse has a piece of fruit with a blue hat and silly grin as its mascot. I don’t know how intimidating he is to opposing fans and teams, but he is pretty fun for fans to watch. Otto is mostly known as a dancing mascot and doesn’t try to pull too much mischief like some on this list.

8. Wisconsin, Bucky Badger – Bucky is a badger on two legs wearing a sweater. Ridiculous. But also iconic. Like many mascots, he does pushups after every Wisconsin score. Thankfully for Bucky, Wisconsin hasn’t scored a lot lately so he’s not doing 500+ pushups per game these days. He once crowd surfed through the student section and is my favorite Big 10 mascot.

7. Arizona State, Sparky the Sun Devil – Apparently ASU used to the bulldogs, but the students voted to change mascots in 1946 and we got the ASU Sun Devils. They’ve had a costumed mascot since 1951, one of the earliest schools to adopt a costumed mascot. He’s been played by super athletic students, including one who did handstands on top of the goalpost crossbar, and also has done really dramatic things like being lowered into the arena at basketball games. I also just like his face. He definitely looks devilish with its little smirk, evil eyebrows, and giant teeth.

6. Oklahoma State, Pistol Pete – Pistol Pete loves to shoot guns. Pistol Pete was a real person, a US Marshall and marksman whose image became the Oklahoma State mascot when he died in 1958. Pistol Pete doesn’t really do skits, but he has a huge cowboy head with a giant orange cowboy hat, chaps, and pistols. He’s kind of silly because he wears a fake head on a normal body, but it’s not terrible like that stupid Kansas State Wildcat. I think any mascot who shoots guns and treats a football game like the Wild West is pretty fun.

5. Western Kentucky, Big Red – This might break my rule about being a mascot related to the team nickname, but seriously, have y’all seen this thing? Imagine Big Bird (lol literally typed Berd at first #SoTired), Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Grimace (from McDonald’s) all somehow had a child. That would be Big Red. Now Western Kentucky can sometimes be a very fun football team. They sometimes score lots and lots of points. But they’re not a powerhouse by any stretch of the imagination. And yet they still have a pretty iconic mascot. He’s high on the list for appearances only. That thing is hilarious to look at. I mean WKU literally characterizes it as a blob – no gender, not an animal, just a blob. (Side note. Is everyone worried that when they use a dash that people will assume they’re writing with AI because AI is obsessed with dashes? I worry. But I just know how to use a good dash. All original content flowing from these finger tips, baby) The best thing that Big Red does is shake his belly. Like picks it up and shakes it. Seriously. College football is the BEST.

4. Miami, Sebastian the Ibis – Sebastian is so high on this list purely for the name “Sebastian the Ibis.” I mean, what kind of mascot name is that? It’s ridiculous and over the top. Miami aren’t the Ibises (Ibisi? Ibis’?), they’re the Hurricanes, but they have this swaggy Ibis named Sebastian. I love college football. Okay so Sebastian. He lit a miniature Sooner Schooner on fire after Miami beat OU. He was detained by police after he tried to put out the iconic flaming spear at Florida State with a fire extinguisher. He has literally been penalized by refs for excessive celebration (which, come on, how LAME are refs). There’s no mascot who fits the vibe of the football team better than Sebastian the Ibis.

3. Auburn, Aubie the Tiger – So apparently Aubie is in the Mascot Hall of Fame. I guess it makes sense that that’s a thing that exists, but still. Impressive. He’s won at least 10 mascot national championships (again, apparently that’s a thing?). And yes “at least 10” because some people say he’s won 11. Aubie is a pranking mascot and a dancing one. He’s always a talented dancer, and he loves to flirt with the fans. Overall, Aubie brings a lot of joy to fans and I suppose that’s what mascots are all about.

2. Nebraska, Lil Red – Alright so Nebraska has Herbie Husker. Herbie is a traditional mascot. But I prefer Lil Red. If you read my Big 10 Traditions post, you know about Lil Red. Lil Red is inflatable. Lil Red’s innie (shout out Severance) flips their body around so their feet go in Lil Red’s head and then they jump up and down to make Lil Red look like he’s bouncing on his head all over the sidelines. And it kills me every single time. I’m serious. When I watch Nebraska games, which are honestly just sad these days, I get so excited to see Lil Red on the sidelines doing his thing. And I also really like the name Lil Red because it makes me think of Lil Sebastian and Ron Swanson, and it brings me joy.

1. Oregon, The Oregon Duck – The most iconic mascot of all. This was really a no brainer. The Oregon Duck leads the team onto the field on a motorcycle. Swag. He also does push-ups after Oregon scores and they score a LOT so that college kid must be ripped. He also wears alternative uniforms which are fun, and he’s always causing shenanigans in the background of my Saturday morning fave, College Gameday. He challenges opposing fans and mascots to dance offs (he usually wins) and is always busting out some new skit throughout the game. In the words of the GOAT Lee Corso, “I love that duck!”

And listen, I know people will wonder where Brutus the Buckeye or the Michigan State Spartan are, but I hate them. There’s nothing you can say that would make me include them on a list of “best” anything.

Any others I forgot? Let me know in the comments. Don’t forget to like this post if you enjoyed it 🙂

Traditions – Other Schools

College football has gotten so weird that there are now just four major conferences, and then other major schools in random conferences. I don’t feel much like writing about the traditions at places like Bowling Green (no offense) so I decided just now to write about the best traditions for the teams I haven’t hit yet.

Notre Dame – Notre Dame has plenty of traditions. They’re most famous for refusing to join a conference like a bunch of lame-o’s. My favorite Notre Dame tradition is them being ranked in the top 5 in the preseason with like 7 leading candidates for the Heisman, and then they don’t with the Natty and nobody wins the Heisman. It’s a tradition unlike any other. Let’s see, what else. They have a sign that says “Play like a champion today” and they all touch that heading out of the tunnel. Their helmets are painted gold before every game and there is apparently real gold in the paint. And no game on TV is complete without a shot of touchdown Jesus, the mural on campus near the football stadium.

Army/Navy – This is the last football game played in the regular season. It’s a great watch for all the patriotism and tradition. Before the game starts, the two schools engage in the prisoner exchange. A few students from each school spend a semester studying at the other school. They swap back to their home school before the game at midfield, it’s pretty cool. They also both play the game to “sing second” or win and sing their alma mater second. They say it’s the game where everyone on the field is willing to die for everyone in the stands. While there are other academies so this is not technically true, it’s still pretty great. Each team usually wears a special uniform commemorating some cool aspect of the actual Army or Navy. I love this game, I watch it every year.

Air Force – Air Force is such a beautiful campus and stadium. Their best tradition is definitely the parachute team delivering the ball or flag before the game starts. They also have falcons that perform and fly around the stadium. They are the only school in the country with live falcons.

Rice – At Rice, their best tradition is the MOB, or the Marching Owl Band. Stanford’s band is known for its satire and weirdness, the MOB is known for making fun of their opponents. Nobody is off limits. They are another band who kinda runs to their formations, but those geniuses over at Rice usually come up with some pretty clever shows making fun of something timely. After their coach Todd Graham left for Tulsa in 2007, they performed a skit called Todd Graham’s Inferno and made fun of him in the circles of hell like in Dante’s Inferno.

Washington State – At every single College Gameday since 2003, a Washington State flag has flown somewhere in the background. A small group of fans across the country find out where gameday is going to be (usually announced less than a week ahead of time) and make plans to send someone to gameday to fly the flag. Washington State is not a great football school, but this iconic tradition is one of those random things that makes college football so great.

Oregon State – Oregon State doesn’t really have any great traditions, but it felt wrong not to include them as a long standing (former) member of a Power 4/5 Conference. Yes, the PAC-12 is BACK and weirder than ever this year, but I still just don’t know that much about their football tradition. Something definitely recognizable about OSU is the playing of the chainsaw sound on third downs. The fans imitate a chain saw in the stands. In the third quarter, some of the trumpeters in the band leave the band seats and travel around the stadium to play for different sections. They also used to play Oregon every year in a game called the Civil War. Apparently in the 1890s, a local minister starting throwing his hat into the river if Oregon State won. Fans would follow him to the river to watch. I don’t really get it, but I don’t have to – college football is weird.

I can’t believe football is back next week. Any ideas about what I should write about between now and then? Let me know in the comments!

Traditions – ACC

So this post actually is taking a lot of research because the ACC has a mix of well-known schools, and schools that are definitely not football schools. Maybe we’ll all learn something new – I certainly did.

Boston College – Every year, BC hosts a red bandanna game. This is to honor a 1999 grad who saved lives on 9/11 while wearing a red bandanna as a makeshift mask. Welles Crowther saved 18 people before he died when the south tower collapsed. BC wears special red bandanna uniforms and fans wear commemorative gear in the stands. Pretty cool.

California – I find it HILARIOUS that Cal is in the Atlantic Coast Conference. What is happening to college football. Cal doesn’t have a lot of traditions unless you count seeing the clip of “The Band is on the Field” from their game against Stanford back in 1982. Cal and Stanford have played since the 1890’s which is cool.

Clemson – Alright. Here’s the deal. Some people consider Clemson’s entrance to be the best in college football. I find their entrance to be the most overrated entrance in sports. First all the fans go inside the stadium. Then the team boards a bus at their locker room and drives to the stadium. They file off the bus, and then sprint down a hill onto the field and touch Howard’s Rock. It is so silly. Running down a hill is always dangerous. It’s hilarious because the coaches basically lean back and kind of shuffle down the hill. Players jump and do crazy things and sometimes they fall down or get hurt. I just don’t get the appeal!

Duke – We all know Duke is a basketball school. They’ve had some random good years in football, but all their traditions and reputation are based on basketball. I suppose the best Duke football tradition is their tailgating scene – they have some dudes who wear hard hats and tailgate. Yep, that’s it, that’s the tradition. Like I said, not a football school.

Florida State – Now Florida State has probably my favorite entrance in all of college football. A student dressed like the Seminole Chief Osceola rides in on an Appaloosa horse named Renegade. Osceola carries a flaming spear and plants it at midfield. And then the team runs out and the fans sing the Seminole War Chant, which they continue for 4-straight hours. It is ELECTRIC. They also have a sod cemetery at Florida State. They take sod from the field back from big road wins and bury it on campus with a plaque commemorating the win. College football is so weird and wonderful.

Georgia Tech – At Georgia Tech they have the Ramblin’ Wreck. This is a 1930 Model A that leads the team onto the field. It’s awesome. The cheerleaders ride along on the outside of the car along with their Yellow Jacket mascot. They’ve done this for more than 60 years!

Louisville – Another basketball school with meh football traditions. I guess their best tradition is their big red cardinal mascot. It’s very recognizable, although I think that’s more from basketball than football.

Miami – The U! Yet another school who makes college football better when they’re better. What a swaggy school. They have a lot of great traditions – the team runs on the field through a smoke machine, I think they were the first to do this. Google says they’ve done this since the 1950’s and they first created the smoke with fire extinguishers lol. They also of course have the “U” hand sign where the touch their thumbs together to make a big giant U across their hands. The fans do it all the time, the players do it all the time. Miami is just one of those schools that has a distinct culture – love it or hate it, it’s very college football.

North Carolina – Yet another basketball school. UNC has a ram mascot, both a live one and a person dressed up like one. The team rubs the head of the animal one for good luck before games.

North Carolina State – NC State are the Wolfpack. They have a little wolf hand sign and they imitate howling wolves. Idk I don’t have much else to say about them. This post is either highlighting something awesome or something boring.

Pitt – Pitt actually kind of has a rowdy student section. Pitt has a crazy list of alumni who had amazing NFL careers. You don’t think of them as a powerhouse, but some of the best players at every single position have come from Pitt. At the end of the 3rd quarter, they sing “Sweet Caroline” and add some of their own words in the chorus like “Hail to Pitt” instead of the “bum bum bum” that other fans sing.

SMU – It’s so weird that SMU is in the ACC. I’d probably say their best tradition is their tailgating scene which is very underrated. Their students also wear fancy clothes to games, which honestly, props to them because it’s hot in Dallas in September. They also yell “Pony Up” all the time and I find it annoying, but it’s their tradition and they’re sticking to it.

Stanford – Another California school in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Stanford is weird in a lovable sort of way. Their mascot is “Cardinal,” like without an s. Their band has a mascot and it’s a tree. They do not march in lines or with any kind of discipline, they run to their next spot to make formations. They wear the ugliest ties they can find, and everyone can add whatever they want to the uniform like buttons on their bucket hats or huge sunglasses. They play rock music, tell satirical stories, and make fun of things like OJ Simpson’s bronco chase when they played his alma mater. Stanford is one of those schools that is a non-Ivy League Ivy. It’s full of geniuses and that includes their football team. They only let guys on the team who are smart enough to get into Stanford. Respect.

Syracuse – The Syracuse mascot is the “Orange.” No s. They do have an orange (fruit) mascot that is pretty funny. Syracuse also plays indoors which is probably smart, but it’s still unique in college football. I don’t have anything else to say about another basketball school.

Virginia – At UVA, their alma mater is called “Good Old Song” and they sing it after the team scores. That’s unique I guess because most fans sing their fight song after teams score. Another basketball school.

Virginia Tech – Virginia Tech has a super cool military precision band, not unlike The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band. They also take the field to “Enter Sandman” which is a top 3 song for an entrance in sports. They also give out a metal lunch pail to defensive standouts which is definitely cheesy, but college football is full of cheesy traditions.

Wake Forest – The mascot at Wake Forest is a Demon Deacon, and honestly, I don’t really know what it is. I mean I can see the weird top hat wearing thing in my mind, but still. This mascot is mildly entertaining and gets the crowd going. Idk they don’t really have any other traditions.

Are y’all excited for another post soon about another conference filled with basketball schools? Get hyped.

Traditions – SEC

Have you missed me? Sorry I haven’t written the last few days, I’ve just been too busy! Our wonderful little series continues today with the best traditions at the schools in the Southeastern Conference, also known as the SEC. I’ve always found it a little strange that it’s the SEC when Southeastern is one word. Isn’t that kind of like abbreviating the name Rebekah to RB?

Anyway. There’s a lot of great traditions in the SEC so let’s get down to bidnus.

Alabama – Alabama are the Crimson Tide and their mascot is an elephant. Yes, there’s a story about them looking like a “herd of elephants” getting off the train back in the day, but it’s still kinda silly. Bama has this chant that goes “Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer” and they say it a lot. It’s catchy I suppose. But my favorite tradition of theirs is way better than yelling some random words in a song. At the end of the 3rd quarter, they turn all the lights off and play Dixieland Delight. And later in the fall, once it’s getting dark earlier, it is absolute SCENES. Bama fans also add some of their own words like “Roll Tide” or insults to rival schools.

Arkansas – Those weird fans of Arkansas Razorback football’s most famous tradition is calling the pigs. And yea it’s kinda weird and yea I’m gonna judge them, but it’s freaking college football and we all do weird things for our team. They call the hogs by kinda yelling “wooooooo” and then “pig sooie” and honestly those are weird words, but like I said, it’s college football. Their other hilarious tradition that goes back for decades are those silly razorback hats. I think those things are hilarious. We’ve all seen Green Bay Packer fans wearing cheese on their heads, but at Arkansas, they wear a running razorback (pig) as a hat. And it’s super weird, but it’s super college football.

Auburn – Auburn is another school who has a nickname of one thing and a mascot of something else (kind of). Auburn are the Tigers, but their most famous motto is “War Eagle.” And they release an eagle as the team takes the field and that beautiful thing flies around the stadium. And it is awesome. Another great Auburn tradition is rolling Toomer’s Corner. After wins, fans throw toilet paper to cover these HUGE and beautiful oak trees on campus. Back in 2010, a guy named Harvey Updyke (a name I sadly remembered without looking it up because so much football lives in my head) poisoned the trees. He was an Alabama fan. The idiot called Paul Finebaum (another idiot) to tell him he’d poisoned the trees. I think he went to jail. Anyway. He killed the trees. They had to be replaced, and then one of them burned. They planted new ones again. They couldn’t roll Toomer’s Corner from 2017-2022ish which is a real bummer. Thankfully they’re back and thriving, and hopefully they stay that way. College football is serious business, but it shouldn’t involve killing things smh.

Florida – The best Florida tradition is probably the gator chomp. And also their stadium is called “The Swamp” which is kind of perfect. Gator fans do the chomp all game long, often to this one song I can hear so clearly in mind it’s like it’s playing right now. Remember that time Florida was beating Oklahoma in the National Championship and there was a late hit on Tim Tebow and he gator chomped at the defense and got a penalty? That was hilarious. A lot of schools have hand gestures, but waving a horned frog or longhorn in someone’s face is not quite the same as gator chomping at them. Also. One time I went to a game at Kyle Field and there were some Florida fans by us. They loved the stadium and the atmosphere and they joined us in sawing ’em off. I thought that was cool. College football is the BEST.

Georgia – The University of Georgia are the bulldogs and their mascot is named Uga (like University of GA, which is pretty clever honestly). Every time I see little Uga, I think of Lee Corso saying “That dog is UGLY” on College Gameday. Uga is a typical little bulldog. Georgia also has a tradition of playing “between the hedges.” Their entire field literally is surrounded by hedges. Like on the sidelines surrounded. It’s kind of weird, but it’s very unique and UGA fans are very proud of it.

Kentucky – In a conference full of football schools, Kentucky is a basketball school. The Wildcats aren’t really any good at football, but their best tradition is singing their famous state song, “My Old Kentucky Home.” They all sing this before games and they definitely sing it loud and proud. Kentucky is a state people seem proud to be from, and I think that’s awesome.

LSU – LSU at night is on my bucket list. And yes, I know that it is dangerous for opposing team fans to attend games there, but I don’t care. My friends in college wimped out on me, so it’s still at the top of the list for me to go. Their stadium is nicknamed Death Valley, and I don’t think there’s a more intimidating place to play a night game. To be fair, we weren’t that intimated when we went in there at night last year and beat them 49-25 which led to their joke of a coach being fired. But most teams are intimated to play there at night. The tradition here is just the noise and chaos brought by the home fans. They start tailgating early and don’t stop until the game. You can tell even on TV that it is LOUD and an incredible atmosphere.

Mississippi – Ole Miss is one of the most famous places to tailgate. The tailgating takes place in this place called “The Grove” and it’s a beautiful field of oak trees. Opposing team fans often travel to Ole Miss just to experience the tailgating. This is another thing my lame college friends skimped out on so it’s still on my bucket list of places to visit. Ole Miss also has this saying: hotty toddy gosh almighty. I think it’s catchy, and not just because I enjoy a good hot toddy now and then.

Mississippi State – Those freaking cowbells. At home games in puny and lame-o Starkville, the sound of cowbells is basically all you can hear. Every fan rings their own bell while their team is on defense. It is truly obnoxious, even on TV.

Missouri – At Mizzou, fans yell “M-I-Z” and then the other half of the stadium responds with “Z-O-U.” It seems like a cool atmospheric thing. I also think it’s so stupid that Missouri is in the SEC. When they left the Big 12, I thought they should’ve joined the Big 10. They fit in there academically, it’s a decent basketball school, and they’re in the midwest. College football big whigs should really listen to me more.

Oklahoma – At OU, they have the hilarious Sooner Schooner. It’s not naturally hilarious, but it sometimes falls over (nobody gets hurt) and it’s pretty funny when that happens. The Sooner Schooner is a covered wagon pulled by horses that leads the team on the field and runs on the field anytime OU scores. They also have a pretty recognizable fight song, but it’s actually stolen from Yale and was originally titled Boola Boola. Which, again, is a bunch of ridiculous words, but college football is allowed to be ridiculous.

South Carolina – The gamecocks have a mascot called Cocky. It was not that long ago that I studied their logo and realized I had the shape of the gamecock all misunderstood. Look it up and you’ll see that it’s a confusing logo. They team enters the stadium to the theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey” which is a tight song, but I think their entrance is boring. Their best tradition is definitely Sandstorm. They basically own that song. They play it ALL THE TIME and the fans go wild every single time. South Carolina is a sneaky underrated place to play.

Tennessee – There’s a lot to like about Tennessee, and football is better when they’re good. They have the beautiful checkered end zones, checkered with creamsicle orange and white. They have a huge stadium, and when UT is good, that place gets rowdy. Their fight song is “Rocky Top” and you can distinctly hear the words from everyone every time it’s played. I also like their entrance, the team runs through a big block T created by the band. I’m not explaining it well, but it’s tight.

Texas – For a school with a historic football team, I genuinely don’t feel like they have a lot of great traditions. Back in the day, they used to have a pretty cool intro video where there was a bunch of running longhorns on the screen, and then they got zapped by the Heisman Trophy Winners and turned into running 2-legged longhorns and then the team kind of ran onto the field after that. Again, I’m not doing it justice, but I thought it was cool. Their coolest tradition is probably Bevo, their beautiful giant longhorn. I think longhorns are so cool and quintessentially Texan, but I don’t think I’ll ever have any longhorn type things in my home. And I live in a city whose logo is a longhorn! Bevo got his name after Texas lost to A&M 13-0 and we branded a cow with the score. At least that’s the legend. Another great tradition at Texas is being horrible fans. They’re consistently ranked one of the worst fanbases in the country. They’re snobby and rude and can be very unfriendly to opposing fans.

Texas A&M – The school with the best traditions in the country. When I was in school, my favorite tradition was Midnight Yell. It’s definitely one of the most unique traditions in the country. At midnight before football games, fans get together to practice the yells for the game the next day. Thousands of people show up. At A&M, we don’t have cheerleaders, we have yell leaders who lead the fans through yells with different hand signals during the game. And yes, some people think it’s weird. But haven’t we established that college football is full of weird things and that’s what makes it wonderful? Besides, is it weird for A&M fans to yell things when other schools have cheerleaders who hold up a sign with a fence on it and fans are supposed to yell “De-Fense?” Our most famous tradition is of course the 12th Man. For more than 100 years, Aggie students have stood ready to go in the game in case the need arises. We stand for the whole game and most of halftime. And I’d put Kyle Field at the top of the list for best places to play.

Vanderbilt – This post ends with a whimper. Vanderbilt is another non-football school (although they’re getting a little better I guess). After first downs, they yell “Anchor Down” which is fine. Vandy is beautiful and it’s in wonderful Nashville. I think it was last year when they beat Alabama in Nashville, and the fans took the goalposts and marched them all the way to Broadway, the place to go out with bars and music and stuff in Nashville. Literally. They carried gigantic yellow goalposts all the way to the bars. If that doesn’t sum up the weirdness and wonderfulness of college football, nothing will.

Two more weeks until college football.

Traditions – Big Twelve

You know what might be the hardest thing about this little series? Remembering which conference everybody is in. Everything has changed so much in the last ten years, and it’s hard to keep it all straight. Today I’m going to run through the best traditions in the Big 12, which doesn’t have 12 teams, and honestly has a bunch of teams that used to be a joke. Does that make the entire conference a joke? I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

Arizona – Welp. Right off the bat we got a team I forgot was in the Big 12. Arizona is a basketball school. Their football traditions include boring things like walking through the fans to get to games, and jingling their keys before kickoffs. I guess their coolest tradition is what is apparently called the “Zona Sway.” The fans lock arms, sway, and chat “Zo-Na” before kickoffs. Idk kinda boring.

Arizona State – Arizona State has a pretty cool team entrance/tradition. Their mascot, the Sun Devil, stomps the opposing teams bus in a new intro video before every game, and then the team runs out to some AC/DC. Did you know AC/DC is called Acca Dacca in Australia? Anyway. Arizona State is also where the patriot Pat Tillman played in college. The team runs through the Tillman Tunnel to take the field which isn’t necessarily a tradition on its own, but it is cool.

Baylor – I think the coolest tradition at Baylor is the Baylor Line. Freshman students sprint from one side of the filed to form a tunnel for the team to run through. And if you’ve never seen the hilarious video of some kid thinking he could beat RGIII (who was just jogging until he realized that kid was trying to beat him), you should look it up.

BYU – BYU is such an underrated place to play. And it is beautiful out there. I love Utah. Before the fourth quarter, they have fire dancers perform which is kind of random, but also kind of tight. They also apparently give out free ice cream to visiting fans in the stadium, which isn’t that kind of the nicest thing you’ve ever heard and doesn’t that just kind of FIT?

Central Florida – UCF has one of those cool songs they’ve claimed, Kernkraft 400. You know the song – ohooo oh. ohoooo ooo oh oh oh oh oh oh etc. They come out to this song with everyone singing and jumping up and down and usually wearing all black and lighting up their cell phone lights, and it’s pretty electric.

Cincinnati – lol Cincinnati is in the Big 12? I knew this, but have definitely forgotten it in recent months. I cannot keep it all straight. They have one of those stupid and dangerous traditions – running down something steep. Before games, their band plays a song at the top of the stadium and then sprints down the stairs to their seats. Seriously. Only in college football do we think its a good idea for big people or people with big instruments to run DOWN steeps things.

Colorado – RALPHIE. I love Ralphie. Did you know that Ralphie is always a girl bison (she’s actually not a buffalo)? This blew my mind when I learned this a few years ago. Ralphie is a boy name. Anyway. Ralphie runs in a big kinda horseshoe across the field to lead the team in. It’s awesome. Last year though, Ralphie got tired of running (literally) and retired right before their season-opener. That’s so relatable. And also, CU’s stadium is absolutely beautiful. I LOVE Boulder. The hiking is amazing and the beer is next level.

Houston – The best UH tradition has a new story to me. Apparently they used to (still do?) have a live cougar mascot named Shasta. Shasta I lost a toe when the cage door closed on it and those mean old LOSERS from some school in Austin made fun of the poor thing. I guess that the little hand symbol UH makes today (with the folded ring finger and thumb) started out as a joke from the loser Texas fans. It’s still their symbol 75 years later.

Iowa State – Iowa State of course has that annoying tornado siren they blare before kickoff. And they also have a bell they ring after games when they win. Kinda boring stuff.

Kansas – The most famous Kansas tradition is way better during basketball games, but it’s gotta be the “Rock Chalk Jayhawk” chant. It’s loud and and unique and has been around since the 1880’s. Google says they also wave their arms over their heads after a touchdown to mimic the grain fields. That has to be one of the stupidest things I have ever heard. Good thing they don’t score a lot and don’t have to do this stupid thing very often.

Kansas State – Okay listen. I hate the Kansas State mascot. I think he is so stupid. It is a kid wearing a giant wildcat head on his normal body. He wears a football uniform, but it’s HIS NORMAL BODY. It is ridiculous. They also have this thing with the Wabash Cannonball where the band plays the song and the fans kinda jump and move around to the beat. Some people say it’s “awesome” but I think it is meh.

Oklahoma State – Oklahoma State’s stadium at night is so tight. And I really loved Mike Gundy with his mullet fluttering in the Oklahoma wind. It’s a bummer he’s not there anymore. And that he’s not 40 anymore. (That’s a good joke btw) They have a horse that rides around the field after they score, but it’s not really that exciting. I personally like the students with the paddles. Kids bring these old wooden paddles when they sit in the front row and bang them on the front of the stadium wall. It seems loud and maybe at least a little intimidating.

TCU – After TCU scores, they ring out this old train horn which apparently weighs more than 3,000 pounds. Are you telling me that trains carry a horn that weighs 1.5 tons? That just seems inefficient. They also chant, “Riff Ram Bah Zoo” which sounds like a bunch of gibberish to me, but whatever, to each their own.

Texas Tech – Alright so Tech has of course the masked rider, which is cool. It’s a masked rider on a black horse and they lead the team out. Everyone’s favorite safety school also throws tortillas in the air. I don’t really know why and I think this got banned last year, but I think it’s funny and random and something you’d only see in college football.

Utah – At Utah, they light the block U on the mountain after they win, which is cool. They also do this thing called the “Moment of Loudness” at the end of the third quarter. The fans all stand and make loud noises to honor people they love who have died.

West Virginia – The best West Virginia tradition is singing Country Roads after a win. Yes they sing it before games, but it is absolute scenes after a win. And while I think that song is actually about western Virginia (as the blue ridge mountains, Shenandoah River, etc are in western Virginia…), it’s one of the best scenes in sports. They also sometimes “stripe the stadium” meaning alternating sections wear blue and gold. It looks pretty tight when they pull it off. I hate West Virginia because I hate Rich Rodriguez, but for not being a super famous football school, it seems like a pretty great atmosphere.

Man I’m so ready for football season.

Traditions – Big Ten

College football has the BEST traditions. We all know Texas A&M has the best traditions in the country, but plenty of other schools have some good ones, too. Instead of trying to make a list of the best across the whole country, I figured I’d just make the best in each of the big conferences.

Today we will cover the Big 10. Now the Big 10 used to have just 10 (and then 11) schools in the midwest. Now there are like 30 schools from all over the country (literally). It still feels weird to talk about the tradition at USC with the tradition at Michigan, but here were are.

Without further ado, and in alphabetical order only, here are some of my favorite traditions in the Big 10.

Illinois – Who knew a school starting with “I” would be the first on the list. Listen. Illinois doesn’t have any traditions, I mean not really. Want proof? I googled their most famous tradition after racking my brain and Google said it’s the walk of the team through the fans to the stadium. Doesn’t almost everyone do that… Boring.

Indiana – Indiana is another school not known for their traditions, at least not in football. Now they touch a rock outside the locker room, but that’s so lame. I’m so over all these teams who touch rocks and stuff. It’s boring. My new favorite IU tradition is waiting for Coach Cignetti’s post game interview. That guy is hilarious. And I learned not that long ago that he apparently gives the WEAKEST handshake. That’s right, a guy who refuses to smile has a limp fish for a hand. Cig’s best quote though is still, “I win. Google me.” Indiana are the reigning national champions. What a time to be alive.

Iowa – Iowa has the good old wave at the end of the first quarter. This is probably the only college football tradition that can make the toughest old man cry. Iowa’s stadium is right next to a children’s hospital. At the end of the first quarter, the entire stadium, including the announcers and the opposing team, turn and wave to the kids at the hospital. And it’s AWESOME. The kids wave back and it goes on for a little while. I love it. And I also love a good 1st half tradition. It’s fun and it’s different, even though it’s relatively new.

Maryland – lol Maryland. I forget they’re in the Big 10. Their most famous tradition is another boring one – they rub a bronze terrapin (turtle) for good luck. Seriously, does everyone think they need to be Notre Dame and touch some random thing to get the fans going? BORING.

Michigan – Now Michigan has a lot of traditions, all the schools with a winning tradition do. Most people think of their entrance as a tradition, and it is. Running at the 50 yard line (instead of an end zone) and jumping up to touch a banner that’s been hit by teams since the 1960’s is cool. And they have taken over Mr. Brightside as their official anthem after the 3rd quarter (and it is ELECTRIC to be there for it). But they have a few lesser known ones I like: the drum major touches his/her bare head to the turf during the pregame show. In fact, I think that pregame performance has been the same for 50 years or more. And the fans also really love cheering for Slippery Rock, a small school in Pennsylvania. I looked up why this is a thing, and it goes all the way back to 1959. Basically the PA Announcer just built it up before giving the score of the Slippery Rock game, and fans decided they wanted Slippery Rock to win. They still announce the score to this day, and fans still cheer like crazy for it. It’s so random, but that’s why college football is awesome. Now two of my favorite traditions are not the best traditions at Michigan, but they are two things that make games at the Big House unique.

Michigan State – Michigan State’s best tradition is being Michigan’s little brother. They can’t recruit or compete with Michigan on the field. They also have a stupid mascot that a lot of people like, but I think he’s so dumb looking. Seriously, google him if you don’t know what I’m talking about. They also have a dog that catches frisbees at halftime which I guess is kind of cool but also kind of speaks to how they’re not really a football school…

Minnesota – Minnesota is actually a pretty historic school. They invented cheerleaders in the 1890’s. They still have cheerleaders now of course. They also have this saying, “Ski-U-Mah” which goes back to the 1880’s. It’s a Sioux word for “Victory” and fans still yell it today.

Nebraska – Oh Nebraska. They claim many traditions, like selling out a billion football games in a row. But does it count as a sellout if the season ticket holders don’t show up?? Nebraska is one of those schools that I wouldn’t mind being good again. I mean, I don’t really want them to be good, but I think football is better when they’re good. Their most famous tradition is probably the black shirts. Back in the 1960’s, defensive starters were given black shirts to wear during practice to differentiate them from the rest of the team. The defense wore gray, but the starters were given black. The story goes that they had to turn in their shirts after practice every day, and earn the black shirt the next day. That first season of the black shirts was also a great defensive season for the Huskers. And they continued to have great defenses until they fired Bo Pelini (idiotic thing to do). They also have a blowup mascot I find hilarious. Somehow the kid who is the mascot can turn around inside it so his feet are in the head of the mascot and then he jumps up and down to look like the thing is bouncing on its head. It kills me every time I see it. And it’s not a tradition, but nobody travels like Nebraska fans. There were like 80,000 of them in Ireland for their opener a few years ago.

Northwestern – I don’t know anything about Northwestern traditions, but I do know their new stadium looks TIGHT. Maybe a tradition is calling themselves “Chicago’s Big Ten School” which is kind of hilarious. Google says they light up a clock on campus purple when they win, white when they lose. Very exciting stuff.

Ohio State – This is another school with great traditions. Their stupidest tradition is crossing out the letter “M” on things because they hate the letter M because of Michigan. My favorite tradition of theirs, and one of my faves overall, is Script Ohio. This tradition actually came from Michigan who first performed this. The Ohio State Band, also known as “The Best Damn Band in the Land,” marches to spell out Ohio in cursive. And once they’re done writing that out, a sousaphone player struts out to dot the i. It sounds kinda lame in writing, but it’s tight. Watch this if you don’t believe me. Their band is also awesome. They do all kinds of things – they even did a show where they made a big hand formation to wave to the kids when they were in Iowa.

Oregon – Oregon’s best tradition is their mascot. Their duck looks like Daffy Duck and he is hilarious. He comes out on a motorcycle and is always up to some kind of shenanigan. They also never seem to wear the same uniform twice which is kind of its own tradition – swapping between chrome or jet black or wildly unmatching uniforms. And they’re always tight.

Penn State – The best tradition at Penn State is the white out. The stadium is full of people wearing white and the crowd is rocking. And then they get one of their “WE ARE” “PENN STATE” cheer/response things going and it’s electric. It’s one of the best atmospheres in the country every year.

Purdue – At Purdue, they have this gigantic drum. They say it’s the world largest, and maybe it is. That drum leads the band, and has for 100 years. It’s cool, but that’s also really I got to say about that.

Rutgers – Another school I forget is in the Big 10. The birthplace of college football. Honestly, shouldn’t they have more traditions? They’re one of those schools that walk through the fans to get to the stadium and they touch a sign, although it is a sign commemorating the first college football game of all time so that’s cool.

UCLA – My favorite UCLA tradition is wearing those beautiful home uniforms against USC. When the cross-town rivals play, they both wear their home color uniforms, and it’s an all-time uni matchup. I also think the Rose Bowl, where UCLA plays all of their home games, is an all-time stadium in ANY sport.

USC – USC has a lot of traditions. They of course have the colored uniform match-up, and they play at the Coliseum, another all-time stadium. UCLA/USC also apparently have a 295 pound trophy they play for and the winner gets to paint it in their colors. That’s kind of cool. USC has the song girls, which are their dance team. They wear iconic uniforms and are always classically beautiful LA girls. They have a cool trojan mascot, wave their “V” hand sign around (V for Victory), and their school slogan is “Fight On” which is also cool. Like Nebraska, college football is better when USC is good.

Washington – At Washington they have “sail-gating.” This is what is sounds like – tailgating on a sailboat. This beautiful stadium sits on Union Bay and the sail-gating scenes are awesome.

Wisconsin – This one is easy, Jump Around. After the third quarter, they play “Jump Around” on the PA system, and the students (and crowd) you know…jump around. It’s one of the first traditions I remember seeing on TV back in the day and I thought it was awesome. Nothing beats a bunch of idiot college kids at 2:00 on a crisp November afternoon going crazy in the stands to get the boys going.

Any traditions I missed? Let me know!

Most Aura in Sports

Yo yo yo. I’m back with a new very loose series about sports, mostly football. I’m so ready for football season to be back, and I figured this was a way to get some of those waiting wiggles OUT.

To me, this is how the NFL offseason goes. The Super Bowl ends, and the withdrawal begins the following weekend. Once March rolls around, I get by with college basketball, and April brings the Masters. April also brings the NFL Draft which always gives me enough football to hold me over for a bit. I spend May-July soaking up sun and summer and looking forward to a vacation. I never want the summer go by too fast because I love it, but once my vacation is over, I’m ready for football to start. And yes, I still enjoy baseball and tennis and golf and the NHL playoffs and the World Cup etc. but there is NOTHING better than football.

To illustrate this, I got a little story for you Ags. Today, I went to the pool for several hours. This is my preferred way to spend a summer Saturday at home. Also today was the NFL Hall of Fame enshrinement. I taped it and have been watching it since I got back from the pool.

Drew Brees, who I never really liked that much because my brother was annoying about how they graduated from the same high school, said something interesting in his speech. And that is why I’m finally embarking on this short series about football. I’ve been planning to start for a few weeks, but Westlake Drew gave me the inspo today. He said he played the greatest and most coveted position in sports.

That’s one of those things that make me go “hmm.”

Because is he right?

And I think he probably is. Which made me think about what else it could be, and I could only come up with one option: a HOSS of a starting pitcher. For some reason, these two positions seem to have the most aura to me in sports. And yes, nobody really knows what “aura” means when the youths say it, but you’ll catch my meaning as you read.

I don’t think anything in basketball or hockey comes close. Maybe this is too American of me, but I don’t think a striker in soccer does either. I also think you could maybe say MLB shortstop, but I think that’s only because we grew up enamored by a kid from Michigan who played that position for the New York Yankees when they still had aura.

So, because I’m the most type-A person you’ll ever meet, I decided to make lists. I literally live my life in lists and spreadsheets. It feels like the only way I can organize my mind, and today I share that chaos with all y’all.

Without further ado, I bring you the list of HOSSES, NFL Quarterbacks, and the non-those two things of individuals with the most aura. Remember, these are not the best, they are the ones who have that aura that makes kids (and adults, let’s be honest) want to be LIKE them.

MLB Hoss of a Starting Pitcher (with Beks Commentary)
1. Nolan Ryan – Nolan Ryan has 5,714 career strikeouts. That is more than EIGHT HUNDRED more than the guy in 2nd. To PUT that into perspective, Tarik Skubal has played for 6.5 years and won the last 2 Cy Young’s. He just this week got his 1,000th strikeout. Nolan Ryan threw seven no-hitters. He threw 222 complete games, more games than some greats win in their whole career. But does anything describe a HOSS more than a gray haired man in his 40’s whaling on an idiot who rushes the mound? Some of these guys have super model wives, movie star good looks, or ooze Fonzie coolness. But Nolan was 1-of-1. He had the longevity and talent few others did. I’d bet there is no pitcher kids imitated in the backyard for longer than that guy Nolan Ryan. And my mom, who saw him pitched dozens of times and was there for his 5,000 strikeout (and also quite the pitcher in her own right), swears nobody made that catcher’s mitt pop the way he did.
2. Roger Clemens – Nicknamed “Rocket,” Roger Clemens was really something. He won 7 Cy Young’s with 4 different teams and recorded more than 350+ wins with more than 4,500 strikeouts. But the thing that gave him aura to me was how he commanded and sucked up all on the energy on the field. When he pitched, the spotlight was on him and it seemed like there was nobody else on the field. He had two games with 20 strikeouts, the only pitcher ever to do that. He got thrown out of games for yelling at umpires, loved a pitch high and inside, and yelled at hitters from the mound. He was a baller, plain and simple. (No steroid talk necessary for this post)
3. Justin Verlander – My all time favorite baseball player. And it’s not close. Yes, JV is married to a super model. But in his prime, there was no pitcher like him. He got stronger as games went on, often pitching deep into the 8th inning and hitting 100+mph for the first time on his 95th pitch of the night. As he lost some velocity, he developed more pitches and somehow even better command. He has THREE elite pitches, probably each of which would be top-5 on lists on their own: a wicked fastball, a NASTY 12-6 curveball, and a dirty slider. The Tigers social media team back in the day killed it when they said a night Verlander was pitching was “Must See JV.” A guy who is must watch every time he takes the mound has aura, man. ❤
4. Randy Johnson – Growing up, my family would try to visit new ballparks on vacation. In 2004, we went to Colorado. The Rockies were playing the Diamondbacks when we were in town. I don’t know if we decided when to go to the game based on when the Big Unit was going to be pitching, or if we were just blessed to see him, but we ended up at Coors Field when Randy Johnson was taking the mound. He threw a perfect game just a few months before we saw him. We were sitting down low for batting practice when he ran out of the dugout. My dad pointed him out to me, and I remember being amazed at how HUGE he was. My dad decided to keep score in case Johnson threw another perfect game (which is kind of a hilarious thing to think, right, I mean what are the odds?). Second batter up? Bloop single. Bummer, not another perfect game. What happened next? Johnson retired the next six hitters and ended up striking out 14 guys in the game. This was another guy that soaked up all the energy on the field. He freaking killed a bird that got in his way with that legendary fastball. Aura.
5. Greg Maddux – Part of a team that should’ve won 10 World Series, Mad Dog Greg Maddux was the king of the staff that might have been the best starting pitching squad of all time. He won 15 games for 17 straight seasons. Throwing a “Maddux” is throwing a complete game while throwing less than 100 pitches. To me, his aura is strong because he was so private. He was always professional in interviews, and seemed shy. He wasn’t cocky and loud like Clemens, but he was a beast we saw little of during his off days which allowed all of us to create the legend of Mad Dog in our own minds and backyard wiffle ball games.

Listen. Is there maybe some recency bias in my list? Yes, but I don’t care, it’s my list. I watched all of these guys pitch, and so I remember their aura. And while guys like Walter Johnson and Cy Young have some of the most insane stats you’ll ever see, they don’t make the cut because this is about aura.

NFL Quarterbacks (with Beks Commentary)
1. Tom Brady – Seven Super Bowls. A supermodel wife for most of his career. Movie star good looks. It has been said that Tom Terrific probably had three separate HOF careers if you broke his 23 years down into 8-year groups. When he had the ball in his hand with his team down late in the 4th quarter, you knew he would carry them. His aura came from the way he seemed to put his team on his back. Need proof? He almost single-handedly brought the Patriots back from 28-3 at halftime to win another Super Bowl. Brady is the best of all time. Every kid for the last THIRTY YEARS has imitated Tom Brady. Not bad for a kid drafted in the 6th round. GOAT aura.
2. Peyton Manning – As much as I loved Tom Brady, and I did, I am a Peyton Manning girl. Peyton Manning was in every commercial, is objectively hilarious and lovable, and had a play-calling style that we have never seen before and probably will never see again. If you close your eyes, you can see Peyt at the line of scrimmage wiggling his arms, waving his hands, and yelling in that southern accent. The word “Omaha” is first associated with Manning (instead of, you know, being a big city). Peyton is kind of a goof, but his aura comes from his relatability. Brady has the Super Bowl rings and longevity, but Manning redefined the position.
3. Troy Aikman – The Dallas Cowboys in the 1990’s were probably the coolest teams of all time. Aikman had (has tbh) the good looks for the ladies and the toughness of a bulldog for the gents. For all of his faults, Jerry Jones built a team that was beloved by America, and Aikman was a big reason why. Aikman won three Super Bowls and is still loved here today. He’s part of the best announcing team in the game, and still takes over a room when he walks in.
4. Joe Namath – A guy nicknamed “Broadway Joe” has to be on the list of guys with aura. He guaranteed a Super Bowl win, and then followed through. He wore a fur coat on the sidelines as a player, a move now banned (lame move by the NFL btw). He had long hair, good looks, and dated Raquel Welch. He was famous beyond the football field and might have been the first “cool” quarterback we had.
5. Patrick Mahomes – I know Patrick is still young (homie is only 30 lol), but he is reshaping the position forever. Mahomes does things we’ve never seen before – throwing angle, unbelievable no-look passes, and a clutch gene that makes you surprised when he doesn’t pull off the comeback. Technically, since Mahomes became the starter for the Chiefs, he has never started a game with the Chiefs eliminated from the playoffs. He is still so likable despite leading a dynasty. He seems like somebody that could live next door to you, but who happens to be one of the best QB’s of all time. Give him a few more years and Pat might just be at the top of this list.

Honorable mention has to be my boy Johnny Manziel. If Johnny would’ve made it in the NFL, it really would’ve been something. I was blessed to go to A&M with Johnny, we were the same age. And Johnny was magical. He really was. He doesn’t make the list because he didn’t have an NFL career worth remembering, but if I made a list of college QB’s, he’d be at the top. (And Vince Young would be right behind him. Aura.)

And P.S. I think Joe Burrow ends up on this list before he’s done. Joe Brrr

Other Position Athletes (with Beks Commentary)
1. Deion Sanders – Name a cooler athlete ever. I’ll wait. Deion is probably the greatest corner of all time, but he eluded swag in everything he did. Nobody was cockier, flashier, or more glamorous. And he’s still like that today. You’re drawn to Deion. You don’t know what it is, but you either love him or love to hate him. People forget he also played in the MLB. He talked trash with the best of them, but always backed it up. He has a dazzling smile that still catches your attention. There is no better nickname for him than Prime Time. Everything he did deserved to be on your TV when it mattered most. Aura.
2. Michael Jordan – Jordan was a special kind of clutch. He stuck his tongue out when dunking, had the swaggiest sneakers of all time (and still does), and has countless iconic moments. Jordan was ruthless. He complained Scottie Pippen was weak because his play was struggling when he had a migraine. He could stare through a brick wall. He said “There’s no I in team, but there is in Win,” which is kind of an amazing quote. He is probably the most clutch athlete sports have ever seen. Kids today never saw him play, but they SITLL imitate him. And if you haven’t watched The Last Dance, you should.
3. Derek Jeter – DJ won 5 World Series for the most famous team in the world. He played the most glamorous position, and deserved the nickname Captain Clutch. His flip jump throw is probably the single most imitated play on ball fields around the country. His 3,000th hit was a home run. His last game at Yankee Stadium ended when he of course hit a walk off making me and thousands of other people get a little teary. Everybody hates the Yankees, but pretty much everybody respects (dare I say loves?) Derek Jeter.
4. OJ Simpson – Listen. Before all of the stuff with OJ Simpson, he was undebatably (is that a word?) one of the greatest football players of all time. He is the only running back to rush for 2,000 yards in 14 games. Guys don’t do it in 17. He also won the Heisman at USC (its own kind of aura) and made running look easy. People loved him so much that he easily transitioned to a very public career off the field. EVERYBODY knew who OJ was, not just sports fans. This is a list about athletes with aura, not a list about their lives outside of sports.
5. Michael Irvin – A guy nicknamed “The Playmaker” has to be on the list. Irvin played the best when the lights were bright. He had that giant smile, and was outwardly emotional which was somehow relatable. He dressed with so much swag, laughed in a way that made you want to laugh, and played in a way that demanded your attention. He was a showman, but he was clutch. He spoke trash with the best of them, but he was better than almost all of them. It’s no coincidence that three guys from those Cowboys teams are on these lists.

I feel like Kobe Byrant should be in here somewhere, but I just don’t know where. I loved the Mamba though. Who else did I forget? Let me know in the comments!