Sports Travel: College Football Must Sees

As promised, here's the other Death Valley domicile on our list. The first things that someone notices on their way to the Clemson stadium are the paw prints. Just follow the orange paw prints on the rural roadways and you'll find yourself in the frenzy that is Clemson football.

When you arrive at your tailgate, no matter what team's gear you're wearing, just mention something derogatory about the University of South Carolina and you'll be in. The Southern hospitality is overwhelming no matter what, but the one thing that Clemson has a passion for is beating the Gamecocks.

The tailgating is spread out all over the surrounding areas of Memorial Stadium and the fun and food are in good supply. On my trip, I met a fan who turned a fire truck into a giant beer tap. On the back of the truck were three tap handles and each one dispensed ice cold beer. He told us to help ourselves any time we were thirsty. Now that's hospitality.

When you make your way into the game, be sure to get yourself ready for "the most exciting 25 seconds in college football." The entrance made by the Clemson players on their way into Memorial Stadium was born out of necessity. Clemson players used to walk from their locker room outside of the stadium and run down the hill in the end zone simply to get to the field.

Now, the players actually take a bus around the stadium to be dropped off at the top of the hill to carry on the tradition. Placed atop this hill is Howard's Rock. The white flint rock was brought back by a loyal Tigers fan from Death Valley, Calif.

The rock was placed atop the hill and players now rub it on their way into the stadium as cannons fire, the band starts up "Tiger Rag," and the giant orange paw flag races down the field. This kicks off the madness as a blinding amount of orange-clad fans create an enormous amount of noise for the defense and then turn it off like a switch when the scoreboard commands "Silence. Offense at work."

That's the end of this slideshow, here are a few more you might like...

• 

  The 10 Key Plays That Decided The BCS Championship Race This Year

  College football is a huge game. Millions of people watch over 100 teams compete every weekend. There are injuries, blocked field goals, batted fourth down attempts, tearing runs and fumbles recovered in the endzone all across the country...

• 

  The Decade's Most Overrated College Football Programs

  We are less than two months away from the dawn of a new decade. The past ten years have brought to our attention a new outlook on life. The Southeastern Conference is as dominant as ever while the Big Ten continues to buoy in mediocrity...

• 

  Top 16: A Few of My Favorite Georgia Bulldog Players

  You know how you have those "all-time", "greatest ever", "best of the best" lists filled with stats, historical notations, and what-not? Well, this isn't one of those kinds of lists...