Written by C Gally | 04 August 2009

Somehow, while compiling the 30 best college football traditions, NBC Sports failed to visit Blacksburg. Now I'm not saying we have the best traditions in the world of college football but they are better than some listed. Let's review our traditions:

• Best entrance in college football. Period.
  
• Forming the state of Virginia with our band.
• Touching the Hokie Stone at the exit of the tunnel.
• Skipper after every touchdown.
• The Walk.
• The Corps of Cadets doing all the stuff they do.
• Playing the Hokie Pokie at the end of the third quarter.
• and some other ones I probably forgot.

Now I know some of these are relatively new and some are not very "cool", but let's review what "traditions" beat ours out, at least according to NBC Sports.

1. "Jump Around"

   School: Wisconsin
   
   Tradition: Between the third and fourth quarters at every home Wisconsin football game, Badger fans jump up and down to the song "Jump Around" by House of Pain. The practice is said to be so raucous that it shakes the stadium.
   
   History: "Jump Around" started on October 10, 1998 against Purdue. After the team had failed to score for the first three quarters, the song was said to invigorate the student section and the team after Wisconsin came back to win.

2. "Take Me Home, Country Roads"

   School: West Virginia
   
   Tradition: The John Denver hit, which mentions West Virginia, became the school's theme song and has been played before every football game since the early 70's. After home victories, fans and players sing the song together.
   
   History: This tradition began in 1972 and reached a frenzied pitch when Denver performed the song in 1980 to dedicate Mountaineer Field under coach Don Nehlen.

3. Traveler

   School: USC
   
   Tradition: Traveler is a pure white horse that appears at all USC home games. Adorned by a Trojan warrior, the horse has been a fixture as USC's steady mascot for decades.
   
   History: After the schools earlier attempts at a mascot (a series of dogs named George Tirebiter) USC settled on Traveler after the horse's ride in the 1961 Rose Parade.

4. Rammer Jammer Yellowhammer

   School: Alabama
   
   Tradition: Among the school's famous cheers, the chanting of "Rammer Jammer Yellowhammer" is one of the best known. Normally used before and after games, it is set to the cadence of the Ole' Miss song "Hotty Toddy."
   
   History: The cheer is a combination of The Rammer Jammer, a student newspaper back in the 1920s and the Yellowhammer, the state bird of Alabama.

5. Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk

   School: Kansas
   
   Tradition: Chanting "Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk...KU," repeatedly (the first two times slowly, then building in speed) has been a tradition for more than a century and was recognized by Teddy Roosevelt as the greatest college chant in the country.
   
   History: A group of science club students at Kansas apparently created the chant back in 1886, with the original words being "Rah, Rah, Jayhawk...KU." But after replacing the Rah Rah's with "Rock Chalk" - a reference to chalk rock (limestone) which is common around the state - it was solidified as the university's official rally call.

6. The Gator Chomp

   School: Florida
   
   Tradition: Mimicking the chomping of a gator's mouth, the "Gator Chomp" is performed by fans during Florida sporting events by fully extending one's arm over the other and moving them together and back apart.
   
   History: It was said to first come to fruition on October 10, 1981 when the fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium performed the gesture in-time with the Gator's marching band during its rendition of the theme from Jaws.

7. Hook 'em Horns

   School: Texas
   
   Tradition: Hook 'em Horns are a gesture used by Texas fans and supporters made to look like the head and horns of the school's mascot - a longhorn steer.
   
   History: The hand-symbol was created by the school's head cheerleader in 1955. The cheerleader, Harley Clark, got the idea from watching a friend making shadow puppets on the wall of a building. (Ed. Note: HAHAHAHA...losers.)
   

I mean come on. How the hell is making a symbol with your hands even a tradition? And if you're going to put the stupid ass gator chomp in, how do you leave out the most annoying of the hand douchebaggery, the tomahawk chop of FSU? But seriously, no one in their right mind can honestly say that "Jump Around" is a better tradition than entering to "Enter Sandman" or doing the Hokie Pokie at the end of the third quarter.

NBC Sports of course, jerked off to Notre Dame in this list, but I guess the Irish Guard (even though they wear Scottish kilts) is an okay tradition. But you screwed up on the rest, NBC Sports! ESPN or some other large sports outlet should do a list where they objectively look at the real traditions and put it out for discussion. Because this pisspoor list does not serve as a comprehensive collection of the best traditions in college football. Not even close.

Oh and here's the link to the slideshow in case you wanted to see them all:

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/32239415/displaymode/1247/beginSlide/1/beginChapter/1/beginTab/1/

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