The Seven Wonders of the College Football World

Several weeks ago, I was tucking my oldest daughter, Ella Joy (11), into bed when she asked me about the Seven Wonders of the World. She had read something about them and was quizzing me on how many of the Wonders I could name.

Admittedly, I had to google it to get them all right. And as I dug into the subject, it came to my attention that there are actually two different lists of “World Wonders” … the original list consists of seven ancient Wonders. And in 2001, a Swiss corporation, New7Wonders Foundation, compiled a list of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World, which includes the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal.

Right around the time that our deep dive had ended and Ella was all tucked in for the night, I was hit with this thought: What are the Seven Wonders of the College Football World?

My second thought was this: As unique as the Aggie game day experience is, would Texas A&M — featuring the 12th Man, the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band and Kyle Field — make the list?

With that thought, I decided to reach out to over a dozen friends who cover the sport around the country. I got nine responses back from media friends all over the college football landscape (literally from New York City to Los Angeles). Olin Buchanan and I decided to play along to see how different each of our lists were to that of the broad media scope that we had compiled.

The replies and votes were all-encompassing, but according to our panel of ten, the answer was clear regarding Aggie Football on game day. It not only belongs on the list but near the top of the list of the Seven Wonders of the College Football World.

Here’s the full list of the top seven, plus the next three that just missed the cut:

TexAgs

Here’s a full breakdown of how each of our 10 media panelists voted…

Gabe Bock - TexAgs
1. 12th Man/Aggie Band (Midnight Yell)
2. Rose Bowl Game
3. Night Time in Death Valley (LSU)
4. Ohio State Band (Dotting the 'i')
5. War Eagle at Auburn
6. The Grove at Ole Miss
7. Kinnick Wave at Iowa

Olin Buchanan - TexAgs
1. Ralphie the Buffalo Entering Stadium at Colorado
2. 12th Man/Aggie Band (Sawing Varsity's Horns Off)
3. Vol Navy
4. Ohio State Band (marching images)
5. The Swamp (singing I Won't Back Down)
6. Kinnick Wave at Iowa
7. Calling the Hogs at Arkansas

Bruce Feldman - Fox Sports TV / The Athletic
1. Kinnick Wave at Iowa
2. Army-Navy Game (post-game solidarity)
3. Rose Bowl Game (sun setting over mountains in 2nd half)
4. Enter Sandman at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium
5. Ohio State Band (Dotting the 'i')

Tom Hart - ESPN / SEC Network
1. 12th Man/Aggie Band
2. Ohio State Band/ROTC (raising the US Flag during Anthem)
3. Running Through the 'T' at Tennessee
4. Michie Stadium at West Point
5. Kinnick Wave at Iowa
6. Rose Bowl Game (sun setting over mountains in 2nd half)

Cole Cubelic - ESPN/ SEC Network
1. War Eagle at Auburn
2. Howard's Rock/Running Down the Hill at Clemson
3. The Grove at Ole Miss
4. Atmosphere in the Vicinity at BYU
5. Night Time in Death Valley (LSU)

Aaron Torres - FOX Sports Radio
1. Split Crowd at OU vs. Texas in Cotton Bowl
2. Howard's Rock/Running Down the Hill at Clemson
3. Whiteout at Penn State
4. Miami Running Out of the Smoke
5. Enter Sandman at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium
6. Night Time in Death Valley (LSU)
7. War Eagle at Auburn

Kayce Smith - Barstool Sports
1. Army-Navy Game
2. 12th Man/Aggie Band (drumline entrance)
3. Jump Around at Wisconsin
4. Night Time in Death Valley (LSU)
5. Kinnick Wave at Iowa
6. The Big House at Michigan / Michigan helmets
7. "Boomer! Sooner!" at Oklahoma

Mike Huguenin - Formerly of The Athletic/Yahoo!
1. The Iconic Rivalries
2. Ohio State Band (Dotting the 'i')
3. Touchdown Jesus at Notre Dame
4. Night Time in Death Valley (LSU)
5. The Big House at Michigan / Fight Song
6. Army-Navy Game (post-game solidarity)
7. Keith Jackson's Voice (even old clips conjure college football memories)

Braden Gall - Athlon Sports/SiriusXM
1. Whiteout at Penn State
2. The Grove at Ole Miss
3. Rose Bowl Game (sun setting over mountains in 2nd half)
4. Night Time in Death Valley (LSU)
5. Ohio State Band (Dotting the 'i')
6. The Original Cotton Bowl/OU vs. Texas
7. Jump Around at Wisconsin

Lyn Scarbrough - Lindy's Magazines
1. War Eagle at Auburn
2. Ralphie the Buffalo Entering Stadium at Colorado
3. 12th Man/Aggie Band (Midnight Yell)
4. "Boomer! Sooner!" and the Sooner Schooner at Oklahoma
5. Army-Navy Game (pre-game march-in)
6. Howard's Rock/Running Down the Hill at Clemson
7. Wisconsin (The 5th Quarter with Band)