A list of the 25 best college football bucket list items every fan of the sport has to experience in their lifetime.
Everyone has a list of things they’d like to see, do, experience, or accomplish in their lifetime. We call this a ‘bucket list’ in honor of the movie of that name featuring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson as a pair of senior citizens who made a list of the things they wanted to do before they kicked the bucket.
We won’t get that morbid on this list of the best college football bucket list items, but we will explore the best of the best that every fan of the greatest sport in the world has to experience.
This list will include attending rivalry games, experiencing some of the greatest pregame and in-game traditions in the sport, and won’t be limited to only FBS schools as we look at the Ivy League on down to the Division III level.
After reading through the list of the bucket list items, please leave your thoughts, reactions, opinions in the comments section
Without further ado, here are the 25 items that should be on every college football fan’s bucket list.
25. Visit the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta
This could just as easily be number one on this list, but it deserves getting the first mention because if you can’t do any of the other things on the list, this one will cover a lot of ground for you.
The College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia is nirvana for any college football fan. They have interactive exhibits, including some virtual reality, and everything from the Heisman Trophy to the Goodyear Blimp is celebrated here.
You can literally walk through history any day of the week.
The hall also has rotating exhibits when big events are taking place such as the national championship game or current member inductions into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There’s literally something for every fan, regardless of which team you cheer for.
With a fully-stocked gift shop within its walls and a Chick-fil-A restaurant right next door, it’s hard to say this shouldn’t be on any fan’s bucket list.
24. Take in The Rivalry between Lehigh-Lafayette
Continuing with bucket list items from the lower levels of college football, every fan of the sport should do everything in their power to head to eastern Pennsylvania to witness the oldest rivalry in the sport.
Lehigh and Lafayette first met on the football field back in 1884 and have played at least once per season every year since, with the exception of 1896. In total, the two schools that are separated by 17 miles in Lehigh Valley, have played far and away the most in college football.
The game is sold out months in advance so if you want to make the trek to Lehigh-Lafayette you better make plans early to see The Rivalry.
Sometimes the small-school rivalries offer a view few fans ever get to see, but there’s no denying the passion and steel-jawed animosity between these two schools and fanbases.
23. Roll Toomer’s Corner at Auburn
Auburn is home to one of the coolest post-game traditions in college football with the celebratory rolling of the oak trees at Toomer’s Corner.
The famous oak trees would get decorated with one roll of toilet paper after another as hundreds and thousands of Tigers fans would descend upon the popular area on campus after big wins.
Sadly, the trees were poisoned by Alabama fan Harvey Updyke after the Iron Bowl a few years ago after Cam Newton led Auburn to a comeback win against the Crimson Tide en route to winning the national championship.
Despite the trees needing to be cut down, the Auburn fans continued the tradition nonetheless by rolling the Toomer’s Corner oaks before they were removed and turned into sawdust. Two fully grown trees have since been planted to replace the famous oaks, and once again it has become a gathering place after an Auburn win.
Make sure you bring some Charmin and go to a game that Auburn should win so you can partake with the natives.
22. Ring a cowbell at Mississippi State
Easily one of the loudest traditions in college football is the practice of clanging cowbells at Mississippi State sporting events. The cowbell clangers are supposed to ring responsibly at certain times during games, but rules are meant to be broken, just like records, and the fans in Davis Wade Stadium are known to ring their bells throughout home games.
State fans have decorative cowbells they’ll bring into the stadium and most fans have a shelf full of them at home and have certain bells for certain games and opponents.
They’re passed down from one generation to the next but just make sure you bring your earplugs so you don’t leave Starkville with any hearing loss.
21. Call the hogs at Arkansas
Woo Pig Sooie!
If crowd participation is what you’re after when you’re crossing items off your bucket list, then look no further than Fayetteville, Arkansas.
At Razorbacks games and throughout the state, you get the privilege of calling the hogs and you better make sure you have plenty of lung capacity to perform the call to perfection.
The woo is supposed to last six seconds and your volume is supposed to increase each second while your arms are raised and your fingers are wiggling up and down. You bring your arms down during the pig and you make a fist pump with the climactic, Sooie. After the third call of the hogs, Razorbacks is added with two more joyous fist pumps
Woooooooooo, Pig ! Sooie!
Woooooooooo, Pig ! Sooie!
Woooooooooo, Pig ! Sooie!
Razorbacks!
20. Sing John Denver at West Virginia
The John Denver song, Take Me Home, Country Roads is played before every West Virginia Mountaineers home game since 1972 and has since been the school’s theme song.
After every home win, the fans, team, and coaches all sing the song together as thousands and thousands of Mountaineer fans belt the lyrics to one of the most recognizable songs of all-time.
Even if you aren’t a WVU fan it’s hard not to get choked up and join in the chorus of a beautiful song such as this. It’s truly a unifying experience for anyone in attendance and will have you leaving the stadium with a whistle and a smile.
Almost heaven, West Virginia.
19. Attend Midnight Yell at Texas A&M
Texas A&M is home to the 12th man, but before 100,000-plus people flock inside Kyle Field on Saturdays, about 25,000 students meet the night before at midnight for yell practice.
This tradition features five appointed Yell Leaders who line up in front of the stands and begin leading the crowd in yells using hand signals. The people lean forward to make sure their volume is ratcheted up as loud as they can go as they practice the Aggie War Hymn and Spirit of Aggieland.
Afterward, the Yell Leaders will tell a tale about how the Aggies are going to beat their opponent the next day.
The coolest part of this tradition is when the lights go out and everyone in attendance leans over to kiss his or her date. If you’re there without a date, you spark your lighter, a practice called, “flicking your Bic” so singles can find each other easily in the dark Kyle Field.
18. Attend Red River Rivalry at State Fair of Texas
Come see Big Tex at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas is home to some of the best and unique deep-fried eats like deep-fried Coke, Twinkies, s’mores, and Oreos. But it’s also home to a 212-foot Ferris wheel, dog and pig races, BMX bike show, puppet shows, and storytime for little kids.
But the main attraction is the rivalry game between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners. The Red River Rivalry or simply, the Texas-OU game, is played at the Cotton Bowl at Fair Park and is the biggest game of the year for the two longtime rivals.
The rivalry game would be enough to merit inclusion on a bucket list for college football fans but when you can ride a Ferris wheel while eating fried foods and can watch two of college football’s best programs of all-time, this is a trip you can’t afford to pass up.
17. Howard’s Rock and Clemson run down the hill
The rock was given to former coach Frank Howard who initially used the rock as a doorstop in his office before it found its permanent home at the top of the hill where fans and players rub Howard’s Rock for good luck.
Clemson football players rub the rock immediately before they come running down the hill and onto the field in one of the coolest introductions in college football.
I don’t know how some of these players don’t get tripped up and the players pile up on top of each other, but it’s so cool to see them get off the busses together and come funneling out of the tunnel, rub Howard’s Rock and charge onto the field.
Try to watch this moment and not get your adrenaline pumping. It’s impossible.
16. Tailgating at the Grove
If it’s not the best place in the world for tailgating, I’d like to see what’s better than mingling with the fine folks in Oxford, Mississippi where Ole Miss is home to The Grove. You walk around a picturesque
You walk around a picturesque tapestry with Magnolia trees surrounding you, lovely young ladies dressed to the nines and dudes decked out in seersucker and bow ties.
Tailgating is a fancy event at Ole Miss where chandeliers are hung inside the tents and strangers like this Yankee from Chicago writing this bucket list was met with so much southern hospitality I felt like I was at a family reunion with people I’ve known my whole life.
Whether Ole Miss is a contender or not, their fans know how to throw a winning tailgate, and it’s an experience every true college football fan should take in.
15. Jump Around at Wisconsin
From one massive group of humanity at The Grove at Ole Miss to another mass of humanity in Madison where the Wisconsin Badgers know how to pump up Camp Randall for the fourth quarter.
Before the final quarter kicks off at home games for the Badgers the loudspeakers inside the stadium start blasting the famous song from House of Pain, Jump Around, which has become a stadium institution for the masses.
The fans do as the song says and they jump up, jump up and get down. You can literally feel the entire stadium shaking and moving as 80,000 pairs of feet come down in unison to the urging of the song.
Make sure you fill up on brats and some quality Wisconsin beer, I recommend Spotted Cow, and make sure you leave all inhibitions at the door and jump like no one is watching.
14. Watch Ralphie’s Run at Colorado
There aren’t many places you can watch a 1,500-pound buffalo run wild. But one of those places is at the University of Colorado where the Buffs have a real-life Buffalo mascot named Ralphie who gets to take a jaunt across the field during games with the help of a handful of wranglers who make sure Ralphie doesn’t run too wild.
This tradition began in 1967 when Ralphie took her first sprint around the field during the homecoming game against Oklahoma State.
A real-life Buffalo running at top speed and watching students try to keep up with her and keep her in line is worth the price of admission. Often, Ralphie’s Run has been the main attraction, and from time to time, Ralphie gets the best of his handlers.
Always fun to see, and Folsom Field is quite a picturesque setting as well.
13. See a game at the Rose Bowl
Whether you’re going to see “The Granddaddy of Them All” in the Rose Bowl Game, or you’re just taking in a regular-season home game for the UCLA Bruins, visiting the photographically perfect stadium in Pasadena is a must.
The oldest bowl game in college football, the Rose Bowl Game. –whose first game was in 1902 — traditionally pits the Pac-12 champion against the Big Ten champion, although the BCS and College Football Playoff have provided with some non-traditional matchups as well.
The fact remains the historical significance of the stadium and game and the beautiful Pasadena, California backdrop with the San Gabriel mountains gives fans a scenery that is unrivaled in any sport.
New Year’s Day wouldn’t be what it is without the Rose Bowl Game and prior to the game is the famous Tournament of Roses parade that makes for an all-day event for those crossing this item off on their bucket list.
12. Sit in the Sea of Red at Nebraska
You can’t have a college football bucket list without making a trip to Lincoln, Nebraska to see the Cornhuskers in action.
Tickets will be hard to get through because they have an NCAA record with now 375 consecutive sellouts (and counting) which began in 1962. Let that sink in for a second. Every single football game Nebraska has played since John F. Kennedy was President of the United States has been played in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Memorial Stadium.
If you’re lucky enough to get tickets and can sit among the Sea of Red, consider yourself lucky to be in the stadium that has seen some of the best football teams in college football history and where legendary coach Tom Osborne once paced the sidelines.
Go Big Red!
11. Bring a Sign to ESPN College GameDay
This isn’t specific to a team so you have some freedom when it comes to picking when to go to ESPN College GameDay, but every college football fan should see Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, and the boys from ESPN’s pregame show at least once.
The ESPN flagship pregame show travels to a new destination each week to take in the best game or the best atmosphere for that given Saturday. I’d recommend going early in the season before the possibility of inclement weather can alter your plans, but make sure you get out and make sure you make a creative and humorous sign so you can get on TV.
The show has blown up in recent years and makes the old studio show they had in its infancy look like a low-budget public access show by comparison. ESPN leaves no stone unturned when it comes to their production value for GameDay and it’s one way to relive your youth and get hammered on Natural Light before you’ve had breakfast.
10. The Vol Navy
Forget about tailgating on solid ground for a minute. Have you ever tailgated from a boat with hundreds of your best friends? Well, you can at Tennessee where the Tennessee River runs outside Neyland Stadium and the Vol Navy sets up shop before home games.
You can experience an aquatic tailgating scene at Washington as well so if the Pacific Northwest is easier on your travel plans, you can head out there too, but for my money, I’m headed to Knoxville where I can get some of the best ribs in the world from Calhouns and enjoy the sights the Tennessee River has to offer.
Just make sure you have your sea legs underneath you before you begin your pregame revelry.
9. Ring the Chapel Bell and Visit the Uga memorial at Georgia
One of the most storied and tradition-rich programs in the country, there’s a lot to see in and do in Athens, Georgia, and the university it contains. But for college football fans, ringing the famed chapel bell on campus and visiting the “Tomb of the Ugas” inside Sanford Stadium are musts.
The chapel bell on the north campus is not only beautiful but also quite the attraction. Fans and students line up to await their turn to ring the huge brass bell after a Georgia win. The sound can be heard all over campus.
Arguably the most famous and beloved live mascot in the nation, Georgia’s beautiful line of English Bulldogs simply named “Uga” has become an important part of the college football landscape.
Every past and now deceased Uga is forever enshrined in a tomb near one of the stadium’s main gates. There is a huge bronze English Bulldog in front of the memorial, and the years and team record for each pup can be seen.
8. Pray to Touchdown Jesus at Notre Dame
A college football bucket list would be incomplete without a trip to South Bend and the campus of Notre Dame where you’ll walk into a cathedral.
It’s the University of College Football in America and the number of iconic players and coaches who have set foot on that campus is insane to think about. Notre Dame Stadium and the surrounding campus are littered with history and statues that can make any college football fan feel wistful.
The Word of Life Mural (more commonly known as Touchdown Jesus) is attached to the Theodore M. Hesburgh Library just outside the stadium and is as beautiful a sight as you’ll ever see in person, particularly in the fall.
From all the Heisman Trophy winners to Knute Rockne to Joe Montana to Touchdown Jesus, visiting Notre Dame is a must, even if you’re a fan of Michigan, USC, or Stanford.
7. Go to a White Out game at Beaver Stadium
As if getting to see Penn State play and visiting beautiful Beaver Stadium wasn’t enough for any college football fan, add the added bonus of the famed White Out game, and you’ve hit the trifecta.
The games are planned in advance so that fans can have their all-white attire at the ready, and it’s one of the most incredible sights you’ll ever see in a college football stadium. But if you plan on attending a White Out game, as the commercial says “bring your Visa card” because these games rank among the most expensive regular-season games in the country.
All White Out games include a huge fireworks display and plenty of crowd-friendly activities before the game.
If you want to really see what a White Out game is all about in Happy Valley, plan on attending one when the Michigan Wolverines or Ohio State Buckeyes are coming to town. Hooooo, boy!
6. Night game at LSU
Not that there is anything wrong with going to an LSU game in the afternoon, but if you want to do it right, you have to experience Tiger Stadium at dark.
Death Valley is where dreams go to die, but it’ll be a dream atmosphere for college football fans to witness the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes you can experience at Tiger Stadium.
Before the game kicks off in primetime, you have to tailgate with the masses and experience Cajun cuisine as you’ve never had before. Pay a visit to Mike the Tiger, the school’s official mascot who may or may not attend the game depending on his mood. Drink as much as you can tolerate. Make friends for life. Pick up a Cajun accent. Do it all.
This is all before the game starts! When the game begins you take all these people who have been outside in the Louisiana sun all day and the in-game atmosphere is so loud it’s not impossible to trigger seismographs.
5. Watch Virginia Tech come out to Metallica
The Metallica rock anthem, Enter Sandman, may be synonymous with former New York Yankees future Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera, but for the folks in Blacksburg, Virginia the Metallica song is all about their Hokies.
Rivera had it first but since 2009, Virginia Tech has entered the field to the classic metal song to the delight of their loud and passionate fans that reach a whole new level of loud when that first note is played over the loudspeakers.
It’s hard not to get goosebumps when you watch the scene on the television, so prepare for whole-body chills when you experience it in person.
While this is traditionally a pregame ritual, the Hokies have been known to cue up the heavy metal mid-game in an attempt to amp up the fans even further, as demonstrated in the above video.
4. Attend The Game to see Ohio State-Michigan
Whether you catch The Game at the Horseshoe in Columbus or at The Big House in Ann Arbor, this rivalry game between two Big Ten powers and college football bluebloods is a must-see event. It’s one thing to watch the game on television but it’s a completely different animal when you’re sitting among 100,000-plus people in Maize and Blue or Scarlet and Gray.
If you’re in Columbus you can see the famous Buckeye marching band perform Script Ohio and ‘dot the i’ and if you’re in Ann Arbor you can watch the Wolverines run out onto the field under the Big Blue banner.
Records don’t matter. Who the coaches are doesn’t matter. All that matters is that these two teams and their fans quite literally despise each other, and it all comes to head one weekend per year.
On Thanksgiving weekend, there are few better places to enjoy the holiday than with the Buckeyes and Wolverines.
3. Attend the Iron Bowl to see Auburn-Alabama
There is no love lost when the Auburn Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide meet. The two rivals absolutely hate each other and it’s even resulted in blood being spilled. Good luck to the people who marry someone on the other side of the rivalry because you’ll be sleeping on the couch during game week.
The games usually bring out the best from each side so you’re likely to see an entertaining game no matter what year you visit Jordan-Hard Stadium in Auburn or Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. But you should make a trip soon to see Nick Saban and the dynastic run he’s on with the Crimson Tide.
Listen to the War Eagle chants and the Yellow Hammer Rammer Jammer ring out from each fan base and try to avoid getting in between any Auburn-Alabama hostiles because Harvey Updyke may poison you.
2. Go to an Army-Navy game
This bucket list has highlighted a few rivalry games already but there’s nothing quite like the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen continuing their classic rivalry. Regardless of which team comes out on top you can’t beat the pageantry and significance of these two teams meeting on the field.
From before the game, the sights you see of all the cadets marching into the stadium in their uniforms is reason enough to attend this game. But after the two teams do battle for four quarters they sing each other’s alma maters as they come together in front of their fans.
And for the cadets and midshipmen, sitting is not an option. All in attendance must stand throughout the game (not that any of them really want to sit).
This is what it’s all about because they’re teammates in the game of life and after this game, many of them will be heading off to a life of service to keep us free and safe.
1. The National Championship Game
What would a college football bucket list be if it didn’t include the game that decides the champion of the sport? It would be incomplete, so naturally, attending a National Championship Game has to be on our bucket list.
Regardless of how the game participants are decided, fans owe it to themselves to take in a national title game and enjoy the pageantry and spectacle surrounding this event. There’s always more than just the game, with FanFests, meet-and-greets, and other events designed to make it a special weekend.
If your team is lucky enough to make it to the final contest of the season, even better. There’s nothing like getting to cheer on your home team with everything on the line. Win or lose, it’s something you’ll never forget.