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The 20 US colleges where sports are a way of life

From Clemson to Syracuse to UConn, here are 20 schools in the US where students love their college sports teams.

Rabid college sports fans know every word to their fight song, bleed their school colors, and rarely miss a game.

Sound familiar? You just might be a graduate of one of the schools Princeton Review tapped as having the most popular sports teams.

The ranking, called "Students Pack the Stadiums," was compiled using survey responses from more than 140,000 students who answered the questions, "How popular are intercollegiate sports at your school?"

From those results, the company determined the schools with the most popular sports teams in the US.

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Read on for the 20 colleges with the most school spirit.

20. University of Southern California — Trojan pride is lively and infectious. One student says, "There is absolutely nothing that can top watching our unbelievable football team throttle the competition."

19. University of Louisville — Cardinal pride is universal at Louisville. Students from all corners of campus come together to support their student athletes.

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18. Florida State University — "Sports is basically your whole life here," says one student about FSU. A student body of 40,000 comes together for football games every fall to cheer on the Seminoles.

17. University of Iowa — Hawkeyes take Saturday game days seriously. According to one student, "There is just a sea of black and gold swarming toward the stadium. Nothing can really compare to 70,000 Hawkeye fans in one place.”

16. University of Wisconsin at Madison — At UW football isn't just a game, it's a way of life. Before a Badgers game even begins, "attendees share brats, offer up beers, and join in singing some of [their] most memorable chants."

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15. West Virginia University — Mountaineers love WVU for its balance of academics and athletics. One student describes it: "[It's] only something you can feel at a football game singing 'Country Roads' with 50,000 of your closest friends."

14. University of Arizona — Wildcats love tailgating and attending football and basketball games to the tune of "Bear Down, Arizona," U of A's popular fight song.

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13. University of Nebraska at Lincoln — Students attending NU love the fact that its a Big Ten school. The school's strong sense of community shows at football games when students throw on their corn hats and root for the Huskers.

12. University of Kansas — Basketball at KU is a way of life. Jayhawk pride is such a tradition that many students even plan their social schedules around games.

11. United States Air Force Academy — USAFA students are "driven" and "super smart," which is why one student describes the Air Force Falcons as, "the smartest offensive line in the NCAA."

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10. Pennsylvania State University at University Park — With over 100,000 seats, Penn State's Beaver Stadium has the second-highest seating capacity of any stadium in the country. Students say, "game days are super exciting and unifying for the student population."

9. Gonzaga University — Basketball is a "way of life," according to students at Gonzaga. Bulldogs say one of the largest social experiences on campus is waiting in line to buy tickets and going to the games.

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8. Xavier University —"All for one. One for all," is the motto at Xavier. Its students love to cheer on the Musketeers, especially at the men's basketball games and soccer games.

7. University of Connecticut — UConn's first-rate athletics are considered legendary. Students love to root for the Huskies at sporting events like football and both men and women's basketball. One student states, "the celebrations after victories are unlike anything I've ever experienced elsewhere."

6. Marquette University — The love for basketball is strong at Marquette. Every game, students don blue and gold to cheer on the Golden Eagles in downtown Milwaukee.

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5. University of Oklahoma — Attending football games and other athletic events is one of the most popular ways students have fun at OU. Over 80,000 students pack the university's Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to cheer on the Sooners.

4. Auburn University — Football reigns supreme at this big-time Alabama school. Auburn students say Tigers football games, "drive a ton of campus life and help unite the student body."

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3. Kansas State University — Sports are a key part of the social life at KSU. Tons of students leave their Saturdays free to watch their beloved Wildcats play football.

2. Clemson University — Students from all backgrounds are bonded by their "sheer love of Clemson." School spirit is a color at Clemson, and you can see it on 80,000 fans on game day cheering on the Tigers at the school's stadium, aka "Death Valley."

1. Syracuse University — Students at 'Cuse bleed orange. Their school spirit is felt far and wide, and it is always evident at jam-packed football and basketball games.

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Tanza Loudenback and Alexa Pipia contributed to a previous version of this story.

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