Top-10 College Football Traditions? Ranking Oregon Ducks’ ‘Shout’

Nearly every College Football program in the country has its own unique traditions that define its program, but which ones make up the top 10? The Oregon Ducks 'Shout Tradition' is one of the best. Can't forget the Colorado Buffaloes' "Ralphie Run" and the Oklahoma Sooners' "Sooner Schooner."

Sep 7, 2019; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks linebacker Troy Dye (35) dances dances to "Shout" against the Nevada Wolf Pack in the second half at Autzen Stadium. / Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

College football fans from around the country have a myriad of reasons to explain why they fell in love with the sport. Nearly every program in the country has its own unique traditions that define its program, but which ones make up the top 10?

10. Howard’s Rock – Clemson

In one of the more iconic satdium entrances in college football, Clemson football players and coaches rub Howard's Rock before running down The Hill. Legendary Clemson coach Frank Howard was gifted the rock from a friend who picked it up from Death Valley, California, and it was placed on a pedestal on top of The Hill in 1966. Supposedly, the Tigers rub the rock before the game because of its mystical powers.

9. Hawkeye Wave

Started in 2017, the Hawkeye Wave immediately won over the hearts of college football fans across the country. At the end of the first quarter, all 70,000 fans in attendance turn to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, waving to the pediatric patients and their families. It might be youngest tradition on the list, but nobody can argue with its impact.

8. Red Bandana Game – Boston College

The Runout. #ForWelles pic.twitter.com/poA5MLAUyR

— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) September 22, 2024

Each year, Boston College chooses a home game to honor the legacy of Welles Crowther, a member of BC’s graduating class of 1999. Crowther was working in the South Tower on Sept. 11, 2001 when United Airlines Flight 175 struck the building. According to survivors, he saved as many as 18 people that day. Experienced as a volunteer firefighter, Crowther led a group of survivors down 17 floors before running back up the stairs to find more people. Even as a little boy, he always carried a red bandana with him, and he tied his bandana around his face to protect himself from the smoke while helping others. His body was found in March of 2002 alongside a number of firefighters and emergency workers.

7. "Jump Around" - Wisconsin

In between the third and fourth quarters, the Wisconsin Badgers play “Jump Around” while 80,000 fans jump in unison. Although a decade older than Oregon’s “Shout,” the song has no connection to Wisconsin. The idea started as an attempt to excite the players and the fans, and a few members of the Badgers football team actually picked the song, creating one of the best traditions in college football.

6. “Shout” - Oregon

The Oregon Ducks’ tradition of playing “Shout” is another song played between the third and fourth quarters, and it comes in at No. 6. One of the newer traditions on the list, the Ducks are referencing a famous scene from the movie Animal House, filmed on Oregon’s campus. Accompanying the song is a music video that features Oregon legend Marcus Mariota and LaMichael James at a toga party, another allusion to the movie.

Marcus Mariota and The Oregon Duck in the a music video for "Shout." / Oregon Football / YouTube

5. Rolling Toomer’s Corner – Auburn

The Auburn Tigers fans have been known to cover Toomer’s Oaks with rolls of toilet paper after a win. The tradition originates from Toomer’s Drugs, a corner store founded in 1896, which reported the most up-to-date Auburn football news because the store had the only telegraph in the city. If Auburn won, they would throw the ticker tape over the power lines, and the tradition has since taken off.

4. Dotting the I – Ohio State

Arguably one of the best college marching bands in the country, the Ohio State University Marching Band script spelling of “Ohio” is a staple for Buckeye home games. A tradition since 1937, a fourth- or fifth-year sousaphone player gets the honor of dotting the “i” in “Ohio.” The chosen band member copies the drum major’s high strut before taking a bow, and the Buckeyes fans never fail to show their praise.

Sep 24, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State University Marching Band member Chris Cortese was the Script Ohio I-dotter before the NCAA Division I football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Wisconsin Badgers at Ohio Stadium. / Doral Chenoweth / USA TODAY NETWORK

3. Ralphie Run – Colorado

Another live mascot rounds out the top three, as the Colorado Buffaloes’ Ralphie Run is one of the more iconic traditions in the sport. Beginning in the 1960s, the Colorado football team is led out onto the field by Ralphie, the team’s mascot. Actually a female bison opposed to a buffalo, Ralphie runs in a horseshoe pattern across the field before finding her trailer.

2. Sooner Schooner - Oklahoma

The official mascot of the Oklahoma Sooners teams, the Sooner Schooner, first appeared in 1964. A replica of a Conestoga wagon from the 1800s, the Oklahoma spirit team rides the Schooner onto the field after every Sooner score. The wagon is carried by white horses named Boomer and Sooner.

Sep 9, 2023; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles symbols Chief Osceola and Renegade take the field during the game against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

1. Osceola and Renegade – Florida State

One of the most recognizable traditions across college football, Florida State’s pregame ceremony takes the top spot. Dating back to 1978, a student depicts the image of Osceola, a famous Seminole warrior, in regalia that has been designed and approved by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Osceola rides Renegade to the Florida State logo and plants a flaming spear into the field.

Honorable Mentions: "Enter Sandman" (Virginia Tech), Bayou Classic Battle of the Bands (Grambling State vs. Southern University), Sweet Home Alabama (Alabama), L.A. Memorial Coliseum Torch Lighting (USC), Running through the T (Tennessee)

MORE: How to Watch Oregon Ducks vs. UCLA Bruins: Channel, Streaming, Preview, Prediction 

MORE: Oregon Ducks Release Uniform Combination Ahead of UCLA Game: PHOTOS 

MORE: Oregon Ducks Recruiting 'Dark Horse' to Flip Ohio State Buckeyes Five-Star Commit

MORE: Los Angeles Chargers Quarterback Justin Herbert Gives Positive Injury Update: Return?

MORE: Oregon Ducks Quarterback Dillon Gabriel Addresses Oklahoma Brent Venables' Comments

MORE: Oregon Ducks' Terrance Ferguson: 'Sky Is Limit' For Oregon's Offensive Creativity

MORE: Oregon Ducks Recruiting: Coveted Prospects Visiting Rose Bowl for UCLA Matchup