10 Ways You Know It's Gameday In Norman

By Alexander Gebert, Chat Sports Brand Ambassador at the University of Oklahoma

Football down south of the Mason-Dixon line isn’t just a sport - it’s a religion, and a way of life. In the city of Norman, there are always plenty of ways you can tell it’s gameday.

There's a lot to be excited about when you’re rooting for the #7 NCAA program in all time wins, and the only Coach/Team to ever win all four BCS Bowls (Orange, Sugar, Rose, and Fiesta). True Sooners take pride in rooting on the #1 ranked team in just about every category of college football’s modern era (beginning in 1946):

- #1 in wins and winning percentage (598 and .746, respectively)

- #1 in weeks ranked #1 in the country

- In the top 5 of the AP Top 25 Poll (101 weeks at #1 and 383 in the top 5)

- #1 in weeks ranked #1 and in the top 5 of the BCS rankings (20 weeks at #1 and 48 in the top 5)

- Most consensus All-Americans (75)

- Owner of the nation's longest winning streak at 47 games (spanning from 1953-1957)

- Most NCAA recognized national titles at 16, and second in AP National Titles (7) only to Alabama with 9.

1. The Buzz On Campus

In Norman, the buzz starts during the week. There are two kinds of weeks during football season on campus at OU: weeks with a home game, and weeks without one...and the difference in student morale is night and day. As students walk to their respective classes on campus, you can always hear Boomer Sooner playing on the bell tower (an urban legend says you should never walk under if you want to graduate on time).

2. The Mont

A gameday in Norman isn't complete without the obligatory pilgrimage to the Mont for a swirl and some queso. It truly is one of the best places to sit back, relax on the patio, and enjoy a heavenly concoction of frozen goodness while experiencing the sights and sounds of gameday on campus. No one knows the secret formula for this drink, but I assume it's guarded about as carefully as the president's nuclear launch codes.

Related: The 5 Best Places To Eat After an Oklahoma Football Victory

3. Legends Lobby and Heisman Park

You know its game week when people flock to the Legends Lobby inside the Barry Switzer Center, as well as the Heisman Park adjacent to Gaylord-Memorial Family Stadium. Legends Lobby is a three-story museum of all that is Oklahoma Football - memorabilia, trophies, videos and displays line the walls top to bottom with all of the legendary players, coaches, and performances that went down in Oklahoma folklore.

Heisman Park sits just outside the stadium, and features the bronze statues of the Sooners who won college football’s greatest individual achievement - the Heisman Memorial trophy. It features statues of 1952 winner Billy Vessels, 1969 RB Steve Owens, 1978 RB Billy Sims, 2003 QB Jason White, and 2008 QB Sam Bradford.

There are also statues outside of the Bud Wilkinson Dormitory for the four most notable football coaches in Oklahoma’s storied history - Bennie Owen, Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer, and eventually Bob Stoops.

4. Tailgating

Tailgating is a major part of many college gameday atmospheres, and Norman is no different. A sea of Crimson and Cream rolls into town, with everyone ready to lose their voices yelling Boomer Sooner. Getting a prime tailgate spot isn't easy - people come as early as mid-week to reserve the spot for their RV’s, Tents, Grills, etc. Some students sleep overnight in order to set up shop for their campus or Greek organization in the prime tailgating real estate located on the corner of Lindsey St. and Jenkins Ave.

Music blares, drinks flow (OU becomes a wet campus only on game days), and the Boomer Sooner chant can be heard by anyone passing by. ESPN seems to think the OU experience is one of the best, as they've chosen Norman as the spot for their College Gameday broadcasts 28 times. This is third behind only the University of Florida in Gainesville, and Ohio State University in Columbus. OU is 19-9 in those games.

5. Traffic

With OU conveniently located off Interstate 35, the Sooner fanbase that doesn't live in Norman still travels well to campus. People come from all over the state of Oklahoma to visit one of the most beautiful college campuses nationwide. This causes quite a logjam for most areas of Norman - some people see this as a negative, but I disagree. While gameday traffic can be frustrating, it's an opportunity to roll your windows down and just listen - hearing fans cheering and people talking makes it hard not to enjoy the ambiance. Even if you're stuck in traffic, take the glass half-full way of looking at it.

6. The Walk of Champions

New for 2014 is the introduction of a Walk of Champions tradition. A few schools such as Clemson and Ole Miss have iconic Walk of Champions rituals, and OU was looking to write their own page in the schools history.

Starting two hours before the game, the team arrives at the epicenter of the OU Tailgating Experience at the corner of Lindsey Street and Jenkins Avenue. It all starts with a blast from the RUF/NEKS (we'll get to them soon). The team exits the buses and - accompanied by past legends - proceeds to walk into the stadium with the sides of the street lined by cheering fans.

7. The Sooner Schooner, Ruf/Neks, and the Pride of Oklahoma

Once inside the stadium, the show begins even before the players take the field. A storied football program such as Oklahoma doesn't come without long-standing traditions - the Sooner Schooner is the school's official mascot, and it comes blazing on to the field at the beginning of each home game.

A replica of the Conestoga wagon (commonly referred to as a Schooner), similar models were used by the original “Sooners” who snuck into the Oklahoma Territory before it was officially supposed to be settled. Pulled by two white ponies named Boomer and Sooner, the wagon is driven by the RUF/NEKS, an all-male spirit organization that dates back as far as the 1910s. It's driven onto the field in an arc and a member of the RUF/NEKS hangs off the back of the wagon waving an OU flag.

The Pride of Oklahoma is the student marching band that dates back to its inception in 1904. They come onto the field playing Boomer Sooner and the alma mater, and form an interlocking OU. Of all the Pride of Oklahoma’s traditions, arguably the most notable is the Drum Major coming out with the OU twirler, complete with the Drum Major’s iconic strut down the field and “power point”.

8. The Intro Video

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPkkaX_MhLc[/embed]

Once the band has played and the Drum Major has strutted, it is time for the team to take the field. Like a boxer entering the ring for a heavyweight fight, no entrance is complete without a proper introduction.

This is where one of my personal favorite traditions comes in. All 85,000 fans in attendance are directed to the massive high-definition scoreboard screen, and the Sooners' iconic annual hype video plays. You know it's game time when the video fades out, and the players’ storm down the tunnel. Guns blast, Flags wave, and the stadium goes absolutely nuts with cheers, chants, and yelling.

It can get absolutely deafening, and it sets the table perfectly for the game. If it doesn't give you goosebumps, you should probably find a new team to cheer for.

9. Campus Corner

The party doesn’t stop when the game is over - especially when celebrating a Sooner win. The Campus Corner area of restaurants and bars is where many fans head after the game, and Sooner fans can celebrate the big win (while opposing fans can drown their sorrows) at places like the Mont (again), Seven47, Chimy’s, O’Connell's Pub, Logies, and the Bob Stoops owned-Louie’s.

Occasionally after big games or on alumni weekends, you can rub elbows with notable recent alumni like Blake Griffin, Barry Switzer, Adrian Peterson, DeMarco Murray, Roy Williams, Jason White, or - if you're lucky - you could run into the legend himself, “THE BOZ” (Brian Bosworth).

10. Kickoff

The culmination of all of the hype, excitement, and buildup for the game finally reaches a pinnacle. You hold up one finger (the school's hand signal that signifying There’s Only One Oklahoma) as the alma mater “Oklahoma Hail” plays, and you know you made the right choice of school, whether you're a current student or an alumni.

OU’s famous Stripe the Stadium against Notre Dame in 2012 made for one of the most picturesque moments in college football, and one of the best representations of OU’s storied program and its rich tradition.

There are many college football programs across the multiple divisions of NCAA athletics, but there truly is Only One Oklahoma - the championships are unrivaled, the fanaticism is unmatched, and the tradition is incomparable.

Boomer Sooner!

-Alex Gebert