Six Big Ten college football traditions make the top 25. Here’s where they rank

If you’re looking for the heart of college football tradition, start with the Big Ten.

The conference doesn’t just have a strong presence on our list of the sport’s 25 best traditions, it owns the top two spots.

Moreover, six Big Ten traditions made the ranking, including five of the top 10.

There’s a little bit of everything in the conference’s showing, from traditions rooted in history to moments that have become defining parts of the modern college football experience.

They are emotional. They are loud. They are iconic.

They span generations, bring entire stadiums together and, in some cases, have become must-see moments even for fans who don’t wear the school’s colors.

They are what makes a Saturday in the Big Ten special.

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 six Big Ten traditions that made the list, followed by the rest of the top 25.

No. 1: The Hawkeye Wave, Iowa

It started in 2017 with a simple Facebook post encouraging Iowa fans to wave to the patients and families watching from Stead Family Children’s Hospital, which overlooks Kinnick Stadium.

What began as an online idea quickly became one of college football’s most beloved traditions.

At the end of the first quarter, players, coaches and more than 70,000 fans wave toward the hospital, creating a moment that has become a unique part of fall Saturdays in Iowa City.

“That wave tradition that they started is the best thing in college football right now, it’s awesome. It is little stuff like that that can change someone’s life or have an impact on someone’s day,” former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley said.

It’s simple, heartfelt and completely unique — proof that sometimes the most powerful college football traditions have nothing to do with the scoreboard.

No. 2: Jump Around, Wisconsin

It started in 1998, when Wisconsin began playing House of Pain’s “Jump Around” between the third and fourth quarters at Camp Randall Stadium.

Before long, the song became a signal that it was time for Badgers fans to turn the 80,000-seat stadium into one giant dance floor.

When the opening notes hit, Camp Randall starts bouncing.

“Thank you for keeping the song alive,” House of Pain lead singer Everlast said.

It’s one of those traditions that doesn’t need much explanation: Turn up the music, get everyone on their feet and let the entire stadium have a blast.

No. 7: White Out Game, Penn State

It started in 2004, when Penn State students were encouraged to wear white for a game against ninth-ranked Purdue.

The student-section idea grew into something much bigger, eventually turning into one of the most anticipated spectacles on the Nittany Lions’ schedule.

Today, Beaver Stadium can be transformed into a sea of white with more than 100,000 fans creating an atmosphere that has become famous far beyond State College.

“It’s really nothing I’ve ever experienced before. You don’t get that anywhere else. You can’t emulate that environment, that type of noise and that type of energy. It’s the loudest thing I’ve ever heard,” former Penn State linebacker Dan Connor said.

It’s a simple recipe: Wear white and make as much noise as possible. But the finished product is one of the most intimidating scenes in college football.

No. 8: Dotting the “i,” Ohio State

It started in 1936, when the Ohio State marching band first performed Script Ohio.

A year later, the band added the finishing touch: a sousaphone player stepping forward to dot the “i.”

That seemingly small moment quickly became the part of Script Ohio that everyone inside the Horseshoe waits to see.

“As a sousaphone player, dotting the ‘i’ is the highest honor one can achieve. It’s a dream many of us have for years, one that we work hard for each day as a member of this band,” former Ohio State band member Nick Pisanelli said.

The entire performance is impressive, but that final step is what turns a marching band formation into a Buckeyes game-day ritual generations of fans have grown up watching.

No. 10: Touching the Banner, Michigan

It started in the 1960s, when Michigan players began touching the Go Blue banner before taking the field.

There’s no elaborate production or complicated choreography — players simply reach out and touch the banner as they run onto the field at the Big House.

But for generations of Wolverines, that small gesture has become a connection to everyone who wore the winged helmet before them.

“(It) always gives you chills (because) it’s what all the legends did before us and it’s great. You’re no longer wearing your jersey and winged helmet just for yourself,” former Michigan defensive end Rashan Gary said.

It’s a blink-and-you-might-miss-it moment that carries decades of Michigan history with it. And that simplicity is exactly what makes it work.

No. 17: Traveler and Tribute to Troy, USC

It started in 1961, when Traveler first appeared at USC games as the Trojans’ live mascot.

More than six decades later, a long line of white horses has carried on the tradition, with Traveler becoming one of the most recognizable symbols of USC football.

Then comes the music: “Tribute to Troy” fills the Coliseum as Traveler makes the entrance, giving the Trojans one of the most distinctive pregame scenes in college football.

“There’s a power, a mystique — it exemplifies the tradition of the football program at USC. (Traveler) is part of the game, part of our homefield advantage,” former USC head coach Ted Tollner said.

A white horse, the Coliseum and that unmistakable fight song make it feel less like a normal kickoff and more like USC is putting on its own Hollywood premiere.

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

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.