Fellow blogger Bruce Feldman’s latest entry ranks the top game day venues in college football, at least according to his experience.
For those who don’t have a password, here’s the rundown:
1) Tennessee: Awesome, all of it. The stadium. The Volunteer Navy. The Orange Stoli shooters. The scene. The barbecue at Calhoun’s. Gotta give it to them. The Vols do it right.
2) Texas: Best college town. Everything here is eye-poppingly spectacular and yet still charming at the same time.
3) Notre Dame: The campus and ND Stadium more than live up to the massive hype. Even a skeptic would have to smile. Every football fan should go just to check it out.
4) Wisconsin: The Camden Yards of College Football.
5) Florida State: A great place for a football weekend. Tallahassee is a great mix of folksy and cool, and games at the Doak are always a good show.
6) Georgia: I haven’t been to Ole Miss for an actual game (only spring ball) so I’m defaulting this place as the best “scene.”
7) Ohio State: The Horseshoe, the dotting of the “I” . . . the whole place just feels like big-time mid-western college football. (Growing up watching the great OSU-Michigan games on TV, I had to have one of these tradition-rich places on here, and OSU wins out because it is louder. Much louder.)
Florida: I think the Orange Bowl is louder and nastier, but just for the FSU game. This place seems to be like that every Saturday.
9) UCLA: Yes, other spots are more rowdy and have a more collegiate feel, but the place the Bruins call home truly has to be seen to be appreciated. The drive through Pasadena to the jewel that is the Rose Bowl is unmatched in the sport. It’s stunning.
10) Nebraska: The see of Red deserves special recognition as perhaps the game’s most gracious fans.
11) Washington: Rivals the Orange Bowl and the Swamp on the noisemeter, and Seattle is one of the most picturesque cities on the beat. Husky Stadium had a personality all its own. Or at least it did till the program fell off the map.
Just missed the cut: Michigan, Va. Tech, BC, Army and Oregon.
Given that list, here’s ours from our admittedly very limited experience:
1. Notre Dame: If you love college football, this is your mecca and you must make a pilgrimage once in your life. There is nothing like it.
2. Washington: When that stadium is rocking, don’t bother a-knocking. Something about the color purple is very intimidating (and it makes a decent movie, too). That damn siren they play when the Huskies score makes you feel like all hope has left the earth.
3. Auburn: You can practically walk from Toomer’s corner to Jordan (pronounced Jur-den) Hare Stadium without setting foot on the ground, there’s so many RVs tailgating.
4. BYU: If you love being around thousands of belligerent, irrational and very sober fans, you’ll love seeing the Cougars play in Provo. The stadium is set amidst some really tall mountains, which is just breathtaking.
5. USC: There’s something magical about sitting in a stadium that has been the host to two Olympics. If that Coliseum peristyle could talk, it’d have some amazing stories. The pageantry is also top notch, with Traveler, the Trojan marching band and the USC Song Girls all doing their part.
6. UCLA: The Rose Bowl is another lovely venue, as Feldman describes it. It’s probably the finest grass field in the country. Another great place to tailgate.
7. Cal: An outstanding stadium in which to watch football. Still, would love to do it ‘Bezerkeley Style’ and see a game from ‘Tightwad Hill’ one day.
Top 10 Places I Want To Visit, based on what I’ve been told:
1. LSU on a Saturday Night. I wanna get my drink on and act a fool. With enough bootleg whiskey in my system, I should be able to convince myself that the SEC is the best conference on God’s green earth before I pass out. I actually have been to Baton Rouge, but never for a football game. Hopefully, a bug doesn’t fly in my ear like the last time. Bonus: La Quartiere Francaise is just an hour away.
2. Ole Miss. Being an elitist myself, I’m sure I’d feel right at home at The Grove.
3. Penn State. Gotta see Joe Pa chase down an official just once before I (and Joe) die.
4. The Swamp. Again, I’ve been to Gainesville, but not for football. I hear it’s loud….
5. Nebraska. The story I always heard was how the Big Red crowd applauded Washington in 1991 after the Huskies whipped the Huskers. That’s class.
6. Georgia. Oh, if only I could go to that Boise game…..
7. Tennessee. My Georgia friend tells me that Tennessee fans are the most ignorant in the SEC. I’d like to find out if that’s true. Anyone?
8. Ohio State. Might as well see the ‘I’ dotted.
9. Wisconsin. I want to hear the ‘Fifth Quarter’ in its natural habitat.
10. Texas A&M. Not a military school, yet our entire military always appears to be present for the games there. If we ever get successfully invaded, it will be because our armed forces are too freakin’ busy watching the Aggies play.