Top 10 College Football Destinations

Feel the game day rush with the hometown fans in each of our Top 10 college football destinations. With live mascots and massive stadiums, these spots know how to give us football fever.

University of Texas - Austin, TX

Steeped in tradition, Longhorn fans are the heart of Austin during football season. The school’s Torchlight Parade and Rally is their annual spirit event held on campus to show support for the team as they leave to play the Sooners in the Red River Rivalry. After every victory, the school’s tower is lit in orange and white lights.

Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge , LA

LSU fans are cajun-cookin’, crawfish eatin’, tailgating champions. Tiger fans begin arriving on campus as early as Wednesday before a home game. By game day, parking lots are crowded with tents and RVs and campus is packed with fans. Tailgating here has become an art so big they are dubbed “Tailgaters of the Game” and are featured throughout each quarter on the big screens.

Notre Dame - South Bend, IN

For the Fighting Irish, football is a religion. Before every game, the football players partake in Catholic mass at the university’s basilica. Afterwards, the student body forms a line from the basilica to the stadium to cheer on the players who, dressed in coats and ties, march proudly past their fans.

University of Southern California - Los Angeles, CA

USC’s mascot, Traveler, is a popular fixture at home games, as he gallops around the field when USC scores. During the week prior to the traditional USC-UCLA rivalry football game, the bronze Tommy Trojan statue in the middle of campus is covered in duct tape for good luck and to prevent the spray-painting of UCLA colors.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, MI

Go blue at University of Michigan. Known as “The Big House,” Michigan Stadium is the largest American football arena in the nation. The Big Ten Conference team is on a streak of 40 non-losing seasons. Let’s just say, the Wolverines know how to bring home a win.

Ohio State University - Columbus, OH

At the southwest corner of Ohio State’s stadium is Buckeye Grove, where a buckeye tree is planted in honor of each Buckeye named All-American. Inside the Horseshoe (a.k.a. Ohio Stadium), Block O, the official cheering section, keeps the sea of scarlet active on game days with chants and card stunts.

University of Miami - Miami, FL

It is a running joke that University of Miami Hurricanes are taking over the NFL. With records like most players selected in the first found of a single draft (six in 2004), it’s easy to see why. At the beginning of the fourth quarter of each home game, Hurricane fans hold up four fingers. The gesture tells the opposing team, “Miami will own the fourth quarter.”

University of Tennessee - Knoxville, TN

The Pride, University of Tennessee’s marching band, is one of the school’s oldest institutions. At every home game, the Pride performs a parade to the stadium and then a pregame show. The show concludes with the football team running onto the field through what is known as the “Opening of the T,” which is one of the most photographed moments in football.

University of Colorado - Boulder, CO

Join the University of Colorado herd, including the live buffalo mascot Ralphie, at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo. Just be sure not to call the school “UC.” University of Colorado historians blame the letter flip-flop on “Midwestern casualness.” CU rival University of Nebraska does the same thing (NU). The two teams battle it out annually in a post-Thanksgiving Day showdown.

University of Oklahoma - Norman, OK

Powered by matching ponies named Boomer and Sooner, the OU Sooner Schooner is a covered wagon reminiscent of the mode of travel used by pioneers who settled Oklahoma Territory during the Land Run of 1889. Every time OU scores a point, the school’s fight song plays while a cannon blasts and the Sooner Schooner races across the field.