Two of college football’s most recognizable traditions belong to the Lonestar State.
The Texas A&M Aggies and Texas Tech Red Raiders earned spots on our ranking of the sport’s top 25 traditions, showcasing the distinct ways those programs make fall Saturdays their own.
Both bring something distinct to college football’s game-day landscape.
Texas A&M and Texas Tech have built rituals that are instantly recognizable, tied to the identity of each program and passed down through generations of fans.
One tradition is built around a dramatic pregame entrance. The other leans on the role of its student section and the idea that every fan can be the 12th Man. Both represent different flavors of what makes college football unique.
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 how Texas A&M and Texas Tech fared in our rankings, followed by the rest of the top 25.
No. 22: The Masked Rider, Texas Tech
Texas Tech doesn’t simply bring its mascot onto the field — it makes an entrance.
The Masked Rider became the university’s official mascot on New Year’s Day 1954, when Joe Kirk Fulton rode onto the field at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, on a black horse named Blackie, before the Red Raiders faced Auburn.
“You hear so many stories and how much these people value the position, and it really does remind you that you are part of a legacy so important to so many people,” former Masked Rider Ashley Winters said.
The spectacle is unmistakable: a masked rider on horseback leading the team onto the field, with the kind of entrance that makes an opponent’s arrival look positively ordinary.
What started as a dramatic football tradition has grown into one of Texas Tech’s most recognizable symbols, with the Masked Rider representing the university year-round.
No. 23: The 12th Man, Texas A&M
The story of the 12th Man began in 1922, when Texas A&M student E. King Gill was called from the stands during a game against Centre College.
With injuries depleting the Aggies’ roster, Gill suited up and spent the rest of the game ready to take the field if needed.
“I can tell you there is not a better feeling than running out of the tunnel onto Kyle Field in front of the 12th Man. Our atmosphere is the very best in the country and our fans are smart and loud,” former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel said.
More than a century later, the tradition is still about being ready to serve the team.
On game days, the student section stands for the entire game, turning a story about one Aggie stepping up into a defining part of the Texas A&M identity.
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
READ MORE: The most memorable college football mascots and the stories behind them
READ MORE: 25 rivalries that define college football: Pick your favorite
READ MORE: College football’s best pregame entrances: 5 traditions that stand out
READ MORE: The ultimate college football bucket list: 15 trips every fan should take
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.