There are so many great traditions in college football, a sport which cherishes them and depends on the to keep school spirit alive. It is part of the unique beauty of the game that it inspires passions because of its association with a larger community. Human beings create rituals and practices which carry from one generation to the next. Few sports do this better than college football. As the first full Saturday is right around the corner, let’s look back at some of the best traditions in the game.
The Dotting Of The “I” In Script Ohio
The Ohio State University Marching Band is regarded as one of the best marching bands in the United States. At home games, the band forms the word “Ohio” in cursive style. One of the profound honors for any member of this marching band is to be the person who dots the “I” as part of “Script Ohio.” The honor is especially profound in the years (every other year) when Ohio State hosts arch rival Michigan. Players and coaches take great memories from college football games and seasons, but band members and cheerleaders and fans share a lot of moments which go beyond the action which occurs while the scoreboard clock is running.
Georgia And Florida Playing In Jacksonville, Oklahoma and Texas Playing In Dallas
The pressure to make money is intense in college football. Schools fight for larger television contracts and bowl appearances in what is a billion-dollar industry. Every last bit of money is valuable and is pursued with great fervor. In light of the need to schedule as many home games as possible, one might think that big schools such as Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas would not play neutral-site games well into the 21st century… but they do.
Instead of playing home-and-home series in their own campus stadiums, these four schools have maintained neutral-site games at specific places. Florida and Georgia stage “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” in Jacksonville, Florida, while Oklahoma and Texas play “The Red River Rivalry” in the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas. Fans love these games, in which half the stadium is filled with supporters of one team, and half-filled on the other side with opposing fans. The schools care about maintaining this practice instead of breaking with tradition. It still matters to uphold traditions in college football.
Rivalry Game Trophies And Names
The Little Brown Jug. Floyd of Rosedale. Paul Bunyan’s Axe. The Victory Bell. The Old Oaken Bucket. The Apple Cup. The Civil War. The Bronze Boot. The Iron Bowl. The Egg Bowl. The Land Grant Trophy. These are just some of the names or trophies attached to a lot of college football games. Teams that win trophy games – such as the Paul Bunyan’s Axe game between Minnesota and Wisconsin – will often rush to the bench where the trophy is stashed and parade the trophy around the field right after the game in a rush of euphoria. The NFL simply doesn’t have this kind of youthful excitement and passion. Rivalries make college football what it is… which leads to one final tradition.
Army-Navy
This is a rivalry, but it is unlike all the others. Two military academies produce student athletes not for the NFL, but to serve the United States on a much more important level. These players play for love of the game and love of school, not for any paycheck they can pull in on Sundays in pro football. Army-Navy is always one of the most emotional sporting events of the year, especially for the seniors who know it is their last Army-Navy Game and their last time to experience one of the most unique occasions in sports. The winners gain the memory of a lifetime. The losers know they fought with all their might. Both teams sing their alma maters after the game, the losing team first, the winning team second. “Singing second” is the goal of every Army and Navy player and coach every year.
There is nothing like the Army-Navy Game anywhere else on Earth.
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