College is where we go to learn and expand our minds, but for many of us it’s also about the campus experience. And when we say campus experience, we mean college sports.

If your prospective college student’s favorite day is always game day, USA today has some advice about which colleges they could attend for the best college sports experience. AND USA todayThe 2024 ranking of the 10 best colleges for sports fans has a couple of southern gems at the top. These Southern universities were chosen by a combination of USA today panel and reader votes:

No. 1, University of Tennessee in Knoxville: The Volunteers have one of the largest football stadiums in the country and are fierce rivals to Alabama and other SEC schools. “tailgating culture at UT, which is pretty legendary, it goes beyond the stadium parking lots and Circle Park; “The self-proclaimed ‘Vol Navy’ arrives at the stadium across the Tennessee River for a ‘sailboat’ session before each game,” USA today says.

No. 2, University of Mississippi at Oxford: The Ole Miss football team is a member of the SEC and basketball, baseball and track and field are also competitive. Additionally, “Every electrifying game day, students, families and fans flock to The Grove, which has been called ‘The Holy Grail of Tailgating.'” If you plan to book a tour, please see our list of best things to do in the charming university town.

No. 7, Texas A&M University at College Station: Aggies fans The football team embraces many traditions, including midnight scream before each home game, the Aggie War Hymn and a Spirit Walk down Houston Street. “Every game day, the Aggie faithful passionately show up to support their teams, making each event a memorable and loud experience.” Sounds like an epic game day to us.

The other schools on the list include Notre Dame, the University of Oregon, Indiana University, Ohio State University, the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin and the University of Connecticut.