The best football tradition for each Top 25 team

Almost didn't click because of the article's VERY WEIRD picture on the home page.









9. LSU

There's Garth Brooks' "Callin' Baton Rouge." There's Mike the Tiger. There's so much that goes into an LSU football game, you can't fit it into a confined space. But peak LSU is LSU at night, and the thing that sets it up every time are the words repeated by public-address announcer Dan Borne: "Ladies and gentlemen, the sun has found its home in the western sky, it is now Saturday night in Death Valley!" You know how Star Wars fans go gaga over the opening crawl, with its iconic music and signature typography? Borne's prologue to an LSU night game is the closest thing college football has to that moment. -- Scarborough

The best football tradition for each Top 25 team



A couple of LSU's lame opponents:

11. Texas

Live mascots are one way college football distinguishes itself from other sports. And Bevo, a longhorn steer, is among the best. He actually set the tone for last season's Sugar Bowl, ferociously charging Uga the bulldog during pregame festivities. Uga escaped the incident. But the Longhorns went on to roll over Georgia on the field. -- Trotter

12. Texas A&M

Most football traditions belong to game day, from the pregame walk to tailgating to the traditional cheers shouted in unison during games. But Texas A&M couldn't wait. It gets going early -- as in, the night before, at the Midnight Yell. The night before every home game, thousands of fans pack Kyle Field, where the yell leaders lead everyone in cheers and the singing of the "The Aggie War Hymn." What started out as a way to practice yells for newcomers has become a time-honored tradition. -- Scarborough