I've been to many college football venues, 28 to be exact and I've had some very different experiences at each. It may be due to weather, enrollment size, when the stadium was built, and the surrounding area. I thought it might be good to start a thread to discuss other people's impressions of some of these stadiums.

Last year I had the chance to check out the newly renovated Texas Memorial Statium at University of Texas in Austin. It is definitely making my top 5 list. Nevermind that Austin is one of the most fun cities in the entire US. Nevermind that the weather was perfect. Nevermind the state-of-the-art Jumbotron. Nevermind the hot girls. On second thought, mind them very close because it is something to behold!



The fans were generally pretty cool to this Yankee. They certainly looked down on Big 10 football, which was surprising to me (especially losing to the Buckeyes earlier that year). I sat near some knowledgeable fans, but I'd say by-and-large that the student body was chok full of meatheads. But at least they turned out to support their team in full force.

The game itself was lame. We saw the Longhorns dismantle Baylor. I have a good amount of respect for Texas football. I had a great time in Austin. It is definitely a sports fan desitination. Lots to do with the lakes and bars on sixth street. Great music too. [/img]

Duke football is understandably the ugly sister of the sports program. The football stadium was mainly concrete bleachers with weeds poking through some of the concrete. The wood portions needed repainting. There was no enthusiasm for the team. It was a bad experience, but I was not really there for football. One thing that I did like is entering the stadium at grade level and walking down to the seats.

Recommendation: Don't bother even if you are lost and happen to end up in Durham (which is a dive in itself)

Maryland was a rather nice stadium with fans who are suprisingly into it. Again I was there for other reasons, so I did not concentrate all that much on football. It is a nice campus, especially if you are into the fraternity row type of look.

Recommendation: Not bad entertainment if you are in the area for an extended period of time. It is certainly not a destination, but it is a nice experience to pass the time.

Nebraska is like going to cult meeting. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is dressed in red. Lincoln and its infrastructure are not really capable of handling the onslaught that occurs 6 times per year, so get there early. The stadium is unremarkable but solid. The fans are courteous and fiercely loyal. They would be shocked to learn they are not at the center of the football world. The town turns into a large tailgate on game day. There is lots of fun to be had even if you are beyond your college years.

Recommendation: while the stadium is not one of the shrine's of college football, the team is historically significant. I wouldn't put it in my things to do before you die list, but if your team is playing there, it is worth the road trip.

Michigan- the Big House is all it is made out to be. It is a huge stadium, but the sight lines are suprisingly good even from the top rows. The interior is beautiful. The exterior is not all that special. I happen to love Ann Arbor and the campus. The crowd is hostile to visitors. The crowd has a little Cubbie frat boy feel to it.

Recommendation: Definitely a go to place. It's easy to get to for half the country and worth the visit.

Notre Dame- as much as I hate to admit it, going to a game at ND is what college football is all about. The entire campus seems to devote itself to these football games. The circuses before and after the game would satisfy anyone nostalgic for what they think life used to be like. The stadium is beautiful and well located. The typical fan is a cross between Judge Smails and Ned Flanders. They are arrogant but harmless. False piety meets you from the moment you set foot on campus and see people praying at the grotto until the rush to squeeze into an architecturally overrated chapel at the end of the day.

Recommendation: This is the MUST see place for any football fan. You are sure to enjoy yourself.

Northwestern is a worn down stadium that is 3/4 filled with visiting fans. There is no need to go unless your school is having an alumni event on NU turf.

St. Joseph's (Ind.) College- This place has not changed one bit in 30 years. There is wood bleacher seating on the home side with a small section of seating on the visiting side. You can sit on the grass on the sideline if there is not enough room in the stands. Food is incredibly cheap to the point that prices seem like a misprint. The fans were friendly with the game being a precursor to drinking at night. I don't think the town likes the school all that much. THis is understandable considering the radically different demographics of the populations. I've heard Rensellear was a Klan stronghold in the 60's whose focus was on Catholics. There is still a townie v. student feel when off campus.

Recommendation: If you like high school football, this is probably up your alley. Take a nice ride in the country, stop at farmstands along the way and enjoy a football game while you are at it.

I'm terribly biased, but I haven't been to a stadium yet (this includes the Big OutHouse, the Shoe and Camp Randall (though that is close)) that tops

Purdue- An improving stadium and when the renovation is complete, it will be very nice. The new press box is really nice. The view from just about anywhere is nice(no obstructed views) but obviously along the sidelines is better. It can get pretty loud, though I'm sure not as loud as other venues with more people.

Indiana- No electricity and an average stadium at best. Really not much to say about it besides the fact that Purdue beat them down. More students tailgating in the parking lot than going into the game.

Notre Dame- A really nice stadium and campus but overhyped. It is kind of like wrigley. If you didn't know about the tradition, you wouldn't think it's that great. I personally like seeing replays on a jumbotron while at a game even if it does take away from the traditional atmosphere. The campus is nice, the ushers treat you well, the fans treat you nice but have a certain arrogance to them that gets annoying(it was gone after the game I went to!). It was good to see and I plan on going back for another game at some point but I was under the impression that it was going to be the greatest college football experience I have ever had and I didn't. That's even with Purdue winning big. Maybe it's because I'm not that religious.

Illinois- Very much in need of renovation, which I think is currently going on. Obstructed views can be annoying. It seems that Illinois made the same mistake that Purdue did in letting the facilities get outdated.

Now that I've been out of college a few years, I can start making my way to every Big Ten stadium except Wisconsin. I have no desire ever to deal with those fans again, especially on their home turf.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

GD,
I agree with what you say on the Big House. I absolutely love it. Perhaps it was because the first time I was there was when NU upset Michigan in 1995. Surprisingly though, Michigan is not as intimidating as the Horshoe. Since it is not as steep, the sound does not get captured as well as at the Shoe. It's a much more comfortable stadium, but not nearly as loud as some others. I like Ann Arbor much more than Columbus. While the bars may not be as plentiful, the fans seem to handle themselves better.

Mud's ranking of Big Ten venues
Michigan - see above
Wisconsin - Mad-town is fun and the stadium is electric... JUMP AROUND JUMP AROUND JUMP UP JUMP UP and GET DOWN
Ohio State - Loud loud loud. And hostile (I'd never take a young kid there)
Penn State - in the middle of a cornfield, but it is electric. I could do without the Cat roar after ever play
Iowa - Great fans, great refurbished stadium... a pleasant surprise despite its rural location
Michigan State - Good fans, decent stadium, but East Lansing is a little boring
Northwestern - Can't disagree with GD's assessment of being 3/4ths filled with visiting team. It is lacking all the bells and whistles... despite being updated in the late 1990's. But great location near the greatest city in the world. And there is not a bad seat in the house.
Purdue - Decent stadium, nice campus... but a little forgetable.
Illinois - Such a stark contrast between the Basketball venue and the Football venue
Indiana - The Rock? If a rock falls in Bloomington, but no fans are there to hear it, does it really make a sound? I was thinking of ranking it above Illinois because the campus is so beatiful... perhaps the best in all the Big 10.
Minneapolis - Somewhat forgetable. Fans are nice enough, but football is meant to be played outside..

Boilermaker Rick,
You gotta go to Madison. Camp Randall is a blast to see a game. The fans are tough. I got called an asshole several times for wearing my NU Tyrell Sutton jersey. However, my wife calls me that all the time, so it kinda bounces off me!

I'm sure it is a fun atmosphere but if there were as many problems dealing with their fans when they were heavily outnumbered I can only imagine what it would be like if I was outnumbered. I know every fan bases has assholes, but either every one of Wisconsin's asshole's made the trip to West Lafayette or it's the fan base.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Your experience with the Badgers sounds like my experience with THE Ohio State university nuts. However, I'd say 90% of the horrible things that have occurred to me with the Bucknuts are a result of the redneck population around Columbus who NEVER attended the school.... rather they view dOSU as their "pro" team.

Don't you get that at every Big Ten school? There's always a group of townie hangers-on, although I think that at more isolated schools like OSU or Illinois that's more understandable, since it's the only game in town. And like mentioned above, most Nebraska fans never went to the school and are merely townies from Lincoln or Omaha, but they don't act like complete jerks. I've never noticed the townie asshats to be any worse than the student asshats from Wisconsin or Michigan or (__________).

I think the fans' obnoxiousness is directly tied to the success the school has had over the past 20 years or so. Indiana fans- not so obnoxious. OSU and Michigan fans... whoo boy.

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Fire Phil Emery

Again, terribly biased, but Iowa fans tend to be among the best behaved around. Sure, they like to tailgate and typically the women are not among the hottest, but they love their team and don't feel the need to shit on other fans in the process. I can't remember a time in one of the tailgates I have been to over the years where a rival fan was given a real hard time compared to what I have seen at other schools.

Has anyone been to Texas A&M? I'm told it is a religious experience.

Nice stadium but your right the fans are really goofs. Nothing like a game before, during and after at Camp Randall. There are no bars around the BIG HOUSE so be prepared to tailgate with the Craze Maze and Blue Fans.

Knoxville is another place that brings out the party in Vol Fans. Stadium is old but the electricity is something to experience. Bars and shops are plenty and the fans are friendly too.The entire town closes down once the game starts. It's really something.

U of I - please! Hopefully for the fans the renovation will help. But it's drab and dull otherwise as I'm sure most of you know.

It's very difficult to go elsewhere once you've been to Madison for game day. Nothing like it! Oh by the way, check out Mickey's Dairy Bar across from Camp Randall on Sunday morning for breakfast and a hangover shake. But get there early or you'll stand in line and wait.

My five favorites:
5. Iowa City
4. Madison
3. Austin
2. Knoxville
1. Baton Rouge

And the absolute WORST place for a visiting fan to see a game is Gainesville. And 2nd isn't even close. Gators fans will throw wiskey bottles at you, hit you, punch you, and have even peed on visiting fans sitting below them from the stands above. Complain to a cop about the abuse and they will laugh at you. Never, ever, ever wear opposing colors to Gainesville. You are putting your life at risk.

I am hoping like heck that the neighbors (who are Badger alums) drag my sorry Hawkeye ass to Madison for the Badger/Hawkeye tilt under the lights in a month. I might be one of the few opposing fans that actually likes to go to Madison, but that's mostly because I dig the city.

Totally agree about Mad-town (#2 on my list), but I still got to put the Big House as number one. Maybe I would've preferred Madison when I was "boot and rally" stage of my life, but as a Dad now (and obviously much more lame) I still love the Big House. Michigan fans treated me much better than the Badger fans... that's probably what pushed Camp Randall down to #2 for me. Madison the town is phenomenal... blows away Ann Arbor. Doesn't it frequently end up as one of the top places to live in the country?

by the way... here's my shit hole. It doesn't rank in terms of the "religious football experience" category... but I call it home.