Whether it's rubbing rocks or ringing cowbells, these are just some of the great traditions in college football.
Cowbells
The ringing of the cowbells has become such a nuisance for visitors to Davis Wade Stadium that the Southeastern Conference banned artificial noisemakers until 2010, but it didn't deter Mississippi State fans from helping the Bulldogs with their greatest home-field advantage. Late head coach Mike Leach encouraged fans to drown out Texas Tech's bell during the 2021 Liberty Bowl. The Bulldogs lost 34-7, but there was never any doubt for whom the bell tolls.
Howard's Rock
Arguably one of the most iconic scenes in all of college football, Clemson players rub Howard's Rock for good luck before they race down the hill and onto the field at Memorial Stadium before every home game.
Jump Around
Wisconsin players and fans have been bouncing up and down at Camp Randall Stadium since 1998, when the tradition of playing House of Pain's anthem "Jump Around" between the third and fourth quarter of every home game was born.
Osceola and Renegade
The tradition of Osceola planting a burning spear at midfield while riding his Appaloosa horse, Renegade, before every Florida State home game began in 1978. Conceived by Florida State alumnus Bill Durham, the pregame ritual of Osceola and Renegade is a reason for fans to get to their seats before kickoff. The tradition is so revered that the school fought the NCAA in 2005 after it added Florida State to a list of colleges whose sports teams used "hostile or abusive" Native American names and mascots.
Sooner Schooner
Pulled by two white ponies named Boomer and Sooner, the Sooner Schooner became the official mascot at Oklahoma in 1980. The Sooners received a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after the wagon wheels of the Sooner Schooner became stuck on the field in front of the opposing team's bench during a re-kick attempt in the 1985 Orange Bowl.
