ACC might be basketball league but it has some significant college football traditions

Our series ranking college football traditions continues its run through the Power Five with the Atlantic Coast Conference. Historically, the league is perhaps more closely associated with its prowess on the hardwood, but there’ve been plenty of fall highlights for conference members over the years as well with both Clemson and Florida State winning national titles recently.

Again, we’re quite sure that if you’re a fan of a particular school you won’t be in wholehearted agreement with these tiers – unless you’re at the top of course – but they’ll provide debate fodder for you before the season revs up in a few weeks.

Tier 1: Grand entrances

Every campus has its pregame hype routine, but some programs have more iconic rituals than others.

Florida State

Planting the spear – This pregame opening is hard to top. The sight of Chief Osceola riding Renegade to the 50-yard line and planting a flaming spear into the Doak Campbell Stadium turf is guaranteed to fire up the crowd in Tallahassee. The practice came under fire for a time, but the ceremony has the endorsement and participation of the Seminole Nation.

Clemson

Howard’s Rock – As the story goes, legendary Tigers’ coach Frank Howard was once given a rock picked up by a friend from the original Death Valley in California. The stone is now mounted on a hill just outside the stadium, also known as Death Valley, and is rubbed by every Tigers’ player for good luck before the team runs down the hill and enters to raucous cheers.

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Virginia Tech

Enter Sandman – The Hokies had been making their entrance to Metallica’s hard-rock classic since 2000. But the importance of the tradition was driven home in 2021, when Virginia Tech hosted one of the first nationally televised games with a full stadium after the pandemic. The roar from the crowd actually registered on the seismograph in the school’s geology department, an earthshaking confirmation that college football was really and truly back.

Georgia Tech

The Ramblin’ Wreck – Even if the Yellow Jackets’ on-field fortunes have suffered in recent years, the antique Ford Model A present at all the games is immediately recognizable. The Wreck is maintained and driven by a student group, proof that engineering knowhow is indeed required at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Miami (Fla.)

Smoke Tunnel – The whole smoke thing isn’t unique to the Hurricanes, but they were among the first to utilize it dating back to the 1950s when they played their home games at the Orange Bowl. Miami also has the incomparable Sebastian the Ibis leading the team out of the fog.

Virginia

Mounted Cavalier – FSU isn’t the only school in the conference with an equine themed pregame arrival. The Cavalier’s ride is dubbed Sabre, and his game-day presence is also a nod to Central Virginia’s long-standing  tradition of horse breeding.

Tier 2: Annual events

This one gets a tier all to itself. In fact, we strongly considered putting it at the top due to its significance well beyond football.

Boston College

Red Bandana Game – One of the more enduring tales of heroism to emerge from the horror of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks was of a man wearing a red bandana, as described by multiple witnesses, who helped rescue a number of people from the burning World Trade Center and went back in to try and help more before the towers collapsed. He was later identified as Welles Crowther, a 1999 Boston College graduate working in New York as an equities trader and volunteer fire fighter. Starting in 2014, the Eagles’ football team designates one home game each season to honor Crowther’s memory with red bandana inspired uniforms. This year’s Red Bandana Game will be the Sept. 16 contest against Florida State.

Tier 3: Victory celebrations

Most fans have their own ways of expressing appreciation after a win. Often, the schools themselves get involved as well.

Pittsburgh

Cathedral of Learning Victory Lights – The 42-story tower on Pitt’s main campus in the Oakland neighborhood is always quite visible. It’s even more so when the upper portion of the building is illuminated by golden amber lights following Panthers’ football wins or other significant athletic achievements.

Wake Forest

Rolling the quad – Draping celebratory streamers isn’t unique to Wake Forest, but gathering on the central quad to decorate the trees following football wins has been a big part of campus life for Demon Deacons’ students for decades. There was little danger of causing a TP shortage in residence halls in past years, but the team has been winning with more frequency in the 21st century.

North Carolina State

Ice cream? – To be honest, a lot of Wolfpack accomplishments of late have been tempered by disappointment, as when the cancellation of the Holiday Bowl following the 2021 season robbed them of a chance for their second 10-win campaign in program history. But the university has retained some of its roots as an ag school, so there are plenty of places around the campus to find high-quality ice cream on game days.

Tier 4: Fan participation – or lack thereof

Some of the allure of attending games live is the feeling that you’re part of the action. Some fan bases are more effective at making their presence felt – for better or worse – than others.

Syracuse

Third down keys – Making noise when the visiting team faces third down is standard practice for home crowds. But in the confines of the Carr – sorry – JMA Wireless Dome, the jangling of keys by Orange faithful gets amplified even more.

North Carolina

Hell’s Bells – You’ve undoubtedly heard the opening bells of AC/DC’s heavy metal anthem blasted over numerous loud speakers at events you’ve attended. It’s a regular feature at UNC’s Keenan Stadium heading into the fourth quarter.

Louisville

Throwing up ‘L’s’ – While we get that ‘L’ is indeed for Louisville, and the letter is easy to form by hand as a recognizable shared gesture among fans, there’s no denying that ‘L’ is also, well, the opposite of ‘W.’ It’s therefore a fairly easy taunt utilized by followers of the Cardinals’ opponents, and it can also be altered by inversion – think Horns Down.

Duke

Leaving early – They’re trying. While the Cameron Crazies are ubiquitous during the colder months, the Blue Devils’ students have historically been far less interested in the football product, so much so that the section has largely emptied out after halftime. That is beginning to change thanks to rapid on-field progress under coach Mike Elko and concerted efforts from the school’s marketing department, but there’s still a way to go.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ACC college football traditions include Clemson, Florida State