College Football Traditions: Bands, Mascots and Pregame Rituals

By 4Football Staff · October 9, 2026 · 10 min read

A tour of what happens before kickoff on a college Saturday: marching band entrances, live animal mascots, team walks, student chants and the rituals that make each campus feel different.

Two hours before kickoff, a college campus starts to behave differently. Streets close, people in school colors fill sidewalks, a drumline echoes somewhere out of sight, and a crowd gathers along a path to wait for a team bus. Nobody has thrown a pass yet, but the day is already unmistakably game day. College football is as much a ritual as it is a sport, and each school's rituals reflect its own history, geography and quirks.

This guide takes you through the common elements of a college game day: the marching band, the mascot, the pregame sequence on and off the field, the chants and the superstitions, and how all of that fits together. It uses well-known examples to illustrate the patterns, and it flags those that are local legend, because college traditions are often a mix of documented history and good storytelling. Traditions also change, so confirm the details of a particular school's game-day schedule with its athletic department.

Why traditions matter in college football

Professional teams have rituals too, but college football is where tradition carries the most weight. A few reasons explain why.

• Students make the atmosphere. A college stadium has a built-in group of young fans who organize themselves, create chants and carry on customs from one class to the next.
• The schools are old. Many programs have played for over a century, and traditions pile up over time.
• Identity is local. A school's colors, mascot, songs and rituals set it apart from the school across the state.
• Alumni return. Graduates come back for games and bring their memories, which keeps customs alive.
• There is time. Unlike a professional team with a long schedule and many travel days, college teams play roughly once a week with home games concentrated on Saturdays, so the ritual is built around a single day.

The result is a day that feels like a festival. Our guide to tailgating culture in college football covers the parking-lot half of that festival. This article focuses on the performances and rituals that surround the game itself.

The marching band

If one thing defines the sound of a college game day, it is the band. Marching bands have been part of football since the early decades of the sport, and many have their own signature moves and songs.

What a band does on game day

A typical game-day schedule for a marching band includes:

• A march to the stadium, sometimes a parade through campus with fans lining the route.
• A pregame show, which has its own structure at many schools. The band takes the field in formation, plays the school's fight song and other traditional pieces, and often forms letters, symbols or logos while marching.
• Stand tunes during the game. The band plays short songs in the stands after scores, during timeouts and between plays.
• A halftime show, usually a longer performance with a theme, new music and intricate formations.
• A postgame performance, often a final song or two for fans who stay.

The band is made up of students, and its members rehearse extensively, often several times per week in the fall. They are also a core part of the identity of the game.

Signature band traditions

Many bands have a signature moment. A few widely known examples show the variety.

• Script Ohio. The Ohio State marching band forms the word "Ohio" in cursive script on the field, with a sousaphone player "dotting the i." The dotting of the i is considered a high honor. The formation dates to the 1930s.
• The pregame entrance. At many schools, the band enters through a tunnel or down a ramp, to a drum cadence, and fans cheer. The sequence is known to alumni, who can often sing along from memory.
• Fight songs. Nearly every school has one. Fans clap, wave pom-poms and sing along. See fight songs and alma maters: the music of Saturday.
• Student-created chants and cheers. Some bands are known for call-and-response patterns with the crowd.

Bands at historically Black colleges and universities have their own tradition of high-energy performance and dance, which is described in our guide to HBCU football traditions.

Mascots

The mascot is the face of a school's spirit. Mascots come in several forms, and a school may have more than one.

Live animal mascots

A small number of schools bring real animals to games, and these are often the most famous mascots in the sport. A few well-known examples, with caveats about changes over time:

• Uga, the English bulldog of the University of Georgia. A line of white bulldogs has served as the school's mascot since the 1950s, with each Uga succeeded by a relative. Uga attends games on a bed of ice in hot weather.
• Bevo, the longhorn steer of the University of Texas. Bevo has attended games for over a century and has been an iconic part of the school's identity.
• Ralphie, the buffalo of the University of Colorado. Ralphie runs the length of the field before home games, with a team of handlers, and the run is among the most dramatic pregame moments in the sport.
• Traveler, the white horse at the University of Southern California, ridden by a costumed Trojan after touchdowns.
• Mike the Tiger, the live tiger mascot of Louisiana State University, who lives on campus in a dedicated habitat and has historically been brought near the stadium before games.

Live mascots require expert care. Schools invest in veterinary care, trained handlers and carefully designed habitats, and they have rules for the animals' welfare. Over time, practices have changed as understanding of animal care has improved. Some schools have changed how animals appear at games or have retired certain practices. Treat any description of a live mascot's routine as something that can change.

Costumed mascots and spirit squads

Costumed mascots are the more common form. Students inside the costumes perform in the stands and on the field, appear at community events, and often compete in national mascot competitions. Cheerleaders and dance teams add choreography and energy, and many schools also have flag teams and pom squads. The history of cheering at football games is told in the history of cheerleading and football.

A note on names and imagery

Team names and mascots sometimes involve imagery connected to Native American peoples or other groups. These choices have been the subject of debate for decades. The NCAA adopted a policy in the mid-2000s regarding "hostile and abusive" Native American mascots and imagery, and many schools have changed their names or imagery, either because of that policy or on their own. Others have worked with tribal governments to receive permission to use a name. The topic is ongoing, so it is better to look up a specific school's current situation than to assume.

Pregame rituals on the field

Before the game begins, a school's team and band follow a sequence that can be as ordered as a theatrical performance.

1. The team walk. Some schools hold a team walk, in which players and coaches walk from a nearby building or parking area to the stadium, passing through a crowd of fans. The idea is to connect the team with the community. Tennessee's "Vol Walk" is one well-known example.
2. Locker room traditions. Teams have private rituals, such as touching a symbol on the way out, listening to a speech or a song, or praying together.
3. Touching a sign or object. At Notre Dame, players have long touched a "Play Like a Champion Today" sign on the way to the field, a custom that has been in place since the 1980s.
4. The tunnel entrance. Teams run out of a tunnel, often with a flag, a smoke machine or a special entrance. Fans wait for the moment the team appears.
5. The band's pregame show. The band performs, often with a flag raised or an alumni group honored.
6. The anthem and flyover. The national anthem is sung or played, and many stadiums add a military flyover or a color guard.
7. The coin toss. Captains meet at midfield with the officials, as at every level.

Some pregame rituals involve the whole stadium. At Iowa, for example, fans turn toward a children's hospital that overlooks the stadium at the end of the first quarter and wave to patients, a tradition that began in the 2010s. At many schools, fans perform a coordinated motion, such as holding up keys, forming a sign or doing a specific cheer, at a set point.

Student sections and chants

The student section is often the loudest and most coordinated group in the stadium.

• Coordinated outfits. Students may be asked to wear a specific color, or the whole stadium may turn out in one shade for a designated game.
• Call-and-response chants. One side of the stadium calls and the other responds, or the students chant a school-specific phrase.
• Traditions at scores. After a touchdown, students may do push-ups, shout the score or sing a particular song.
• Third-quarter customs. Many stadiums have a break, a song or a mass movement between the third and fourth quarters.
• The 12th man. The idea of the crowd as an extra player appears at several schools; at Texas A&M, the student body stands for the whole game as a sign of readiness. The tradition began as a story about a student who stood on the sideline, and it has since been woven into the school's identity.

For another look at how student sections build atmosphere at the high school level, see student sections and spirit.

Superstitions and little rituals

Rituals extend to the smaller scale.

• Players' habits. Many players have personal routines, such as a particular order for taping, a favorite song or the way they enter the field.
• Coaches' routines. Staffs sometimes follow the same pregame meals or travel schedule.
• Fans' rituals. Many fans have lucky shirts, favorite seats or a set sequence of events on game day.
• Campus customs. Some campuses have a landmark students touch for luck, a statue or a plaque.

The rituals are not magic, and most fans know it. They are a way to feel connected to the team and each other.

How traditions begin and change

Many traditions seem ancient, but they started somewhere. Some were created by a coach to build team spirit, others by students, and others by accident. A popular chant can start in one game and become permanent within a few years. A school may add a new tradition, such as a special entrance or a charity gesture, and it can become beloved.

Traditions also end. Some are discontinued for safety reasons, because of changing standards, or because they no longer fit the school's values. Some are replaced by new versions. A sensible rule for fans is to treat any "we've always done this" claim with curiosity: ask the school's athletic department or historians when it started.

Experiencing a college game day

If you are visiting a campus for the first time, a few tips help.

1. Check the schedule. Many pregame events have set times, such as band marches, team walks and mascot appearances. The athletic department's website usually lists them.
2. Arrive early. The atmosphere builds in the hours before kickoff.
3. Learn the basics. Know the fight song, the main chant and the colors. You will feel more welcome.
4. Respect the traditions. Standing at the right moments, singing along and following the crowd's lead are signs of respect.
5. Follow stadium rules. Bag policies, re-entry rules and alcohol rules vary. Check before you go.
6. Stay for the end. Many traditions, including alma maters and postgame band performances, take place after the final whistle.

You can see the full range of programs on our college page, find stadium information at stadiums, and follow game results on the scores page. For a different angle on the day itself, read game day behind the scenes at a college stadium.

The short version

• College football's traditions grow from student culture, long histories and local identity.
• Marching bands drive the sound of game day, with pregame shows, stand tunes and halftime performances.
• Mascots include costumed characters, spirit squads and a small number of well-known live animals, such as Uga, Bevo and Ralphie.
• Pregame rituals include team walks, tunnel entrances, touching a sign or symbol, the band's show, the anthem and the coin toss.
• Student sections add chants, coordinated outfits and scoring traditions.
• Traditions mix documented history with legend, and they change, so confirm details with the school.
• Naming and imagery issues are ongoing, so check a specific school's current approach.