Traditions are woven into the fabric of college football, and the ACC is home to some of the most recognizable game-day rituals.
Four of the conference’s programs have pregame spectacles that made our ranking of the 25 best traditions in college football.
Built around stadium entrances, each reflects the personality of the school behind it and has become a signature part of the Saturday experience.
They are loud. They are theatrical. They have been around for generations. And they all turn the few minutes before kickoff into an event of their own.
Ranking college football traditions is, of course, subjective — and that’s part of the fun. We expect fans to debate what belongs higher, lower or maybe not on the list at all.
Here’s a closer look at the four ACC traditions that made the list, followed by the rest of the top 25.
No. 3: Enter Sandman, Virginia Tech
The school first played Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” as its entrance song in 2000, replacing “Sirius” by the Alan Parsons Project.
It didn’t take long for the song to become much more than a walkout tune. It became the soundtrack to one of the loudest, most chaotic entrances in college football.
“It’s just a different type of feeling. I get chills every time I think about it — the stadium actually shakes,” former Hokies receiver Ali Jennings said.
And that pretty much sums it up. The song hits, the smoke rolls in, the fans start jumping and Lane Stadium turns into a sea of noise.
With roughly 60,000 people losing their minds at once, it’s hard to imagine a more raucous way for a team to take the field.
READ MORE: Tradition Tuesday: The story of Virginia Tech’s iconic ‘Enter Sandman’ entrance
No. 4: Running Down the Hill, Clemson
There’s nothing subtle about Clemson’s pregame entrance. Players have been making their way down the hill at Memorial Stadium since the 1940s, with the tradition taking its familiar form in the 1960s when Howard’s Rock became part of the ritual.
“If you are lucky enough to ever witness this, you will not forget it. It is perhaps the greatest entrance in sports,” ESPN’s Chris Fowler said.
The players gather at the top of the east end zone, touch Howard’s Rock, wait for the cannon and then take off down the hill into a wall of orange.
It lasts only a few seconds, but there’s a reason Clemson fans still talk about it like it’s an event unto itself. When that cannon goes off and the players start running, Death Valley comes alive.
No. 5: Osceola and Renegade, Florida State
FSU introduced Osceola and Renegade in 1978, bringing a Seminole warrior and his Appaloosa horse into the pregame ceremony.
Nearly five decades later, the arrival of the pair at Doak Campbell Stadium remains one of the most anticipated moments on game days in Tallahassee.
“I may be biased, but this is probably one of, if not the greatest, tradition in college football. And not just because it represents FSU, but because it represents the Seminole Tribe as well,” said Lincoln Golike, who served as Osceola for four years.
“It goes deeper than college football tradition. The roots run deep.”
It’s easy to see why the moment gets such a reaction. A rider on horseback enters the stadium carrying a flaming spear, then plants it at midfield.
It’s unmistakably FSU and unlike anything else you’ll see on a college football Saturday.
No. 13: Entering Through the Smoke, Miami
Miami’s smoke entrance dates to the 1950s and became a defining part of Hurricanes football during the program’s more theatrical rise in the 1980s.
“Sometimes, I even get emotional running through the smoke because it’s a dream come true. … Actually being able to run through the smoke is very humbling. It’s one of the best feelings in the world,” former UM receiver Xavier Restrepo said.
For players who grew up watching the Hurricanes, there’s an added layer to it. They’re not just running onto the field. They’re stepping into one of the images that helped define Miami football.
The smoke, the swagger and the attitude all arrive at once.
And somehow, it still feels like a big deal every time.
The top 25
- 1. The Hawkeye Wave, Iowa
- 2. Jump Around, Wisconsin
- 3. Enter Sandman, Virginia Tech
- 4. Running Down the Hill, Clemson
- 5. Osceola and Renegade, Florida State
- 6. Ralphie’s Run, Colorado
- 7. White Out Game, Penn State
- 8. Dotting the “i,” Ohio State
- 9. Play Like a Champion Today, Notre Dame
- 10. Touching the Banner, Michigan
- 11. Running Through the T, Tennessee
- 12. 2001: A Space Odyssey, South Carolina
- 13. Entering through the smoke, Miami
- 14. Army-Navy joint postgame alma maters
- 15. The Sooner Schooner, Oklahoma
- 16. War Eagle, Auburn
- 17. Traveler and Tribute to Troy, USC
- 18. Country Roads, West Virginia
- 19. Calling the Dawgs, Georgia
- 20. Gator Chomp, Florida
- 21. Callin’ Baton Rouge, LSU
- 22. The Masked Rider, Texas Tech
- 23. The 12th Man, Texas A&M
- 24. Rammer Jammer, Alabama
- 25. Wabash Cannonball, Kansas State
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Mike Garbett is a content specialist working with McClatchy’s Content Innovation Lab.
This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.