Exploring the 10 best college football fight songs of all time
The best college football fight songs are sometimes as effective as any other player on the field. And as avid football fans, we should know this. The right fight song pre-game can even provide a tangible boost to the team playing on the field. As for the fans, going raucous when they hear the song is another immense bonus.
That said, we're here to take the 10 best college football fight songs ever and see which ones get everyone hyped the most.
#10. "Fight On" - USC
Hearing this fight song will make you imagine troops marching into battle. And that's probably what every USC fan hears whenever "Fight On" is played.
Those powerful trumpet salvos, the thundering drums, and the overall sound are reportedly so pump-up-worthy that the song was said to have been played to troops fighting in the Pacific Theater of WW2. Whether that's true or not, nobody knows.
#9. "Fight On, State" - Penn State
Combine this song with the intimidating visage of Beaver Stadium during a White Out game, and you're in for a battle as a member of the visiting team.
Composed in 1915, "Fight On, State" has likely helped the Nittany Lions have the ninth-best all-time win-loss record. It's certainly one of the best college football fight songs out there, and it's worth a listen.
#8. "Tiger Rag" - Clemson
Clemson's "Tiger Rag" just never lets up. As soon as it starts, it does not give you a chance to slow down. And maybe it does help since it's been historically tough to beat Clemson at home.
The Tigers are 72-11 at Memorial Stadium since 2011, which is an insane level of success with the band backing up the boys on the field. You wanna talk hype songs? Now, this is a hype song.
#7. "Texas Fight" - Texas
As the Aggies' biggest in-state rival, the Longhorns' "Texas Fight" is almost entirely a direct poke at Texas A&M. The history of the song even proves it. One of the writers, Colonel Walter S. Hunnicutt, said he wrote it to "counteract the songs and yells of the Texas Aggies."
And if you listen to the two hymns closely, "Texas Fight" does sound like a direct response to the "Aggie War Hymn." This is probably the only reason it's ranked lower than its rival on this list.
#6. "Aggie War Hymn" - Texas A&M
The "Aggie War Hymn" is all about the school's long connection to the US military. It basically sounds like a military cadence, and the over 102,000 fans at Kyle Field singing it in unison make it sound like an actual army is singing.
Hearing that as a visiting team must be nerve-wracking.
#5. "Buckeye Battle Cry" - Ohio State
"Buckeye Battle Cry" was written to help mark the opening of the new Ohio Stadium way back in 1919.
It features a serious drumline beginning, which crescendos into a high-energy finish, echoing the pride that Columbus has for their Buckeyes.
#4. "Yea Alabama" - Alabama
Alabama's fight song makes it clear to opposing teams: as soon as we see any weakness in you, we'll go for the kill.
The song even specifically calls out two of the Crimson Tide's biggest rivals, Georgia Tech and Georgia. To say that "Yea Alabama" can pump up the crowd is a massive understatement.
#3. "Rocky Top" - Tennessee
In truth, "Rocky Top" is not the actual fight song of the Volunteers. But it's been a big part of the school's culture, that it deserves a high place on any "best college football fight songs" list.
The whole of Neyland Stadium rocking out and jumping to this 1967 classic is more than enough to intimidate any opposing team. It's even popular enough to be the only college football fight song to be on the Country Top 100 Charts.
#2. "Victory March" - Notre Dame
College football analyst and historian Beano Cook believes that Notre Dame's "Victory March" is the fourth most well-known song in the US. The other ones? "White Christmas," "Happy Birthday" and "The Star Spangled Banner," per CBS Sports.
One thing is for sure: That is more than enough to make this one of the best college football fight songs ever.
#1. "The Victors" - Michigan
The Wolverines are the winningest team in college football history. Period. And this song perfectly encapsulates the school's winning ways.
"The Victors" is a bold, commanding and powerful hymn that has spurred many a Wolverine on the field against their toughest adversaries. Former President Gerald Ford loved it so much that he requested it be played during his funeral procession.