Ranking the 18 Big Ten Fight Songs From Bottom to Top

Nothing captures the environment of a college football Saturday quite like the band playing the school’s fight song. Whether it’s at a pregame pep rally, during a game at a stadium or through a television set, the tones of the winning team’s fight song become synonymous with the game itself.

For a successful team, the song initiates a celebration after each scoring play. On the other side, fans of the losing team quickly grow tired of the opponent’s miked-up band performing the same tones after every score.

As we’ve outlined over the past few weeks, the 18-program Big Ten Conference boasts some of
college football’s oldest and most famous venues
,
its best uniforms
and
some of its classic helmets
. The conference’s fight songs are no exception. Other than
Tennessee
‘s “Rocky Top,”
Notre Dame
‘s “Notre Dame Victory March” and
Texas A&M
‘s “Aggie War Hymn,” there’s an argument the Big Ten boasts nearly all of the sport’s top tunes.

For specifics, here is a full ranking of the Big Ten’s 18 fight songs, ordered worst to best.

18.
Northwestern Wildcats
: “Go U, Northwestern”

Northwestern begins our ranking with a strong fight song, displaying the conference’s depth in this regard. Since the lyrics are mostly similar throughout, this ranking only focuses on the tune. Does it fulfill the criteria of classic and catchy? This one at least does OK with the latter.

17. Indiana Hoosiers: “Indiana, Our Indiana”

Indiana’s fight song isn’t memorable. The football program might be to blame for that reality. While the song has a strong tune, it hasn’t correlated to much success over the last three decades or ever.

16. Nebraska
Cornhuskers
: “Hail Varsity”

Nebraska’s fight song leaves much to be desired. It blends in with many others in the conference and across the sport. That doesn’t make it a bad song.

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15. Maryland
Terrapins
: “Maryland Fight Song”

As noted previously, this slot does not argue that Maryland has a bad fight song. It just doesn’t compare favorably to others across the conference. It is downgraded for not having a real name, which is an important data point.

14. Iowa Hawkeyes: “Iowa Fight Song”

Iowa’s fight song is also downgraded due to the lack of a unique name. It is a bit more catchy than Maryland’s song, though it isn’t as exciting as other top songs in the conference.

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e

13. Washington
Huskies
: “Bow Down To Washington”

Washington’s song is unique. Its pacing differs from the large group of songs in this ranking that all sound similar. The Huskies deserve credit in that regard. Still, it has a ways to go before it becomes a Big Ten classic.

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e

12. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: “The Bells Must Ring”

Rutgers has one of the slower fight songs in the Big Ten. That works well for those trying to learn the words, although it doesn’t generate the post-score excitement that some of the conference’s other top songs do.

11. Illinois Fighting Illini: “Oskee-Wow-Wow”

The song name is certainly unique. While this ranking works to ignore the specific lyrics, these must be mentioned. The song takes jabs at the others throughout the conference, noting that every other fight song uses the same cliché sayings.

10. Oregon Ducks: “Mighty Oregon”

Oregon has a solid fight song. However, it faces an uphill battle as a new Big Ten member. A three-syllable ‘Oregon’ fits well into the song’s pacing and tone.

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9. Penn State Nittany Lions: “Fight On, State”

Penn State’s song is fast-paced and great for a post-touchdown celebration, which the program is familiar with. The slowed middle and quick finish are both big positives. This is a really strong fight song.

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8. Minnesota Golden Gophers: “Minnesota Rouser”

Minnesota’s song fits its name. The tune is quick, catchy and upbeat. It’s a song that fans can easily sing along to, even if they don’t know every word.

7. UCLA Bruins: “Sons of Westwood”

UCLA’s fight song has a simple and catchy tune that is easy to catch on to. All the song is missing is placement on a national stage, where a College Football Playoff or big-game broadcast ensures the band is miked up for every score.

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6. Purdue Boilermakers: “Hail Purdue”

Purdue has a fantastic fight song. The problem is the program hasn’t been able to play it much over the last few seasons. The slower middle section gives the song a strong pace, complementing a rousing chorus.

5. Michigan State Spartans: “Victory For MSU”

Michigan State starts the Big Ten’s elite tier of fight songs. The song’s unique start blends well into the steady tune, giving fans a second or two before joining along. Like with some other top songs, a slow middle verse is a strong complement to the fast-paced chorus.

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4. Ohio State
Buckeyes
: “Buckeye Battle Cry”

Ohio State’s fight song is hard to forget, due to the program’s annual place atop both the conference and the entire sport. The song itself falls far behind the conference’s top three. It doesn’t pick up until the chorus starts at the 0:40 mark.

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Buckeyes Wire

3. USC
Trojans
: “Fight On”

Some others may put USC’s fight song at the top of this list, partially due to its placement with some of the sport’s biggest moments. The song itself is a classic. Its unique statement-and-response form is what leads it to this top-tier ranking. However, it still feels more like a Pac-12 song than a Big Ten staple.

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2. Wisconsin Badgers: “On, Wisconsin!”

Wisconsin’s fight song is only No. 2 due to the top-end success of the top program on this list, which makes its fight song one of the sport’s classics. ‘On, Wisconsin!’ is not far behind, however. The song is unique, catchy and upbeat. It represents what a great college fight song should sound like.

1. Michigan Wolverines: “The Victors”

Michigan’s fight song will likely hold the No. 1 spot on any sport-wide ranking. It’s unique, catchy and, due to the program’s success, an absolute classic.

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