Favorite FBS Stadiums Visited

Favorite, non Big Ten: Husky Stadium, Washington. Big, intimdating, lud as hell, and a super-pretty location on Lake Washington.

I'll admit I like Iowa (the fans in IC are much less annoying than the ones that make the trip to Minneapolis), but the folks at Nebraska made it my favorite league destination.

Camp Randall was better when the weather was warm. Been there in September and October, and the place didn't smell like a stale duck slough.

Unimpressed: Neyland Stadium at Tennessee. Maybe it was because Auburn was stomping the tar out of them, maybe because there wasn't an open bar within a mile of the stadium. Michigan: Quietest 100K I've ever seen. Also unimpressed with DKR Memorial at Texas. Crowd sat on their hands for 3 1/2 quarters until they started to rally.

1. Penn State (03, 09)- Simply put, the friendliest fans on the planet. Great tailgate setup. Everyone will invite you to join their party.
2. Wisconsin (00, 02, 04) - Great atmosphere, horrible fans.
3. Michigan (04) - Went there before the renovations. I enjoyed the tailgating. Fans were friendly but felt entitled.
4. Ohio State (02) - See Wisconsin
5. Indiana (07) - Agree with the person who called it the hidden gem. It's a great campus and tailgate setup. Friendly fans too. Stadium is an ugly concrete monster though.
6. Iowa (01, 09, 12) - Great tailgate and with the exception of one year, great fans. But it's uncomfortably packed. Don't even think of going to the bathroom or concession stand once the game starts.
7. Northwestern (09)- Stadium sucks but I enjoyed the laid back tailgate (free parking on campus) and leisurely walk through the neighborhoods to the game.
8. Illinois (03) - This was before the renovations. The Illini were terrible and it was cold/rainy, thus their fans were lousy and it was a depressing atmosphere. I would go back and re-grade.
9. Turdue (08) - Didn't enjoy the trip but I didn't really get to mill around much before the game. Would need a 2nd experience to know for sure.

FireDaveLee said:

In all honesty, it was the GREATEST thing I have been to. The entire day, you wake up super early (remember that the parade is starting Pacific time), it's awesome, then people going to the game migrate down to the stadium, quite a bit of room to tailgate (don't know if that's still the case), plenty of time in between the two events, then the 2nd half is as picturesque as it gets; the lights shining on the field, but it's not dark yet, sun slowly going down & reflects off of the mountains in the background.

Anybody who wonders why the Big Ten & Pac Ten are so gung-ho about keeping the Rose Bowl as theirs & not wanting to share it simply needs to go to one & they'll know why the conferences don't ever want to give it up!

Click to expand...

It's just like it always was. Tailgating as far as the eye can see on the surrounding golf course. The best is the local pro tailgaters who get there at 4am when the lots open. Was next to one that had a full breakfast bar, satellite with 4 TVs, etc. Amazing stadium, venue, and experience. The sun setting over the mountains at the start of the 4th quarter is picturesque.

The 05 national championship in the rose bowl remains the best game experience I've ever had in any sport

1) Nebraska- everything about the city of Lincoln and the campus there screams college football heaven. We had plenty of Husker fans socialize with us in the tailgate, and even after the Gophers were victorious, we had fans coming up to us thanking us for making the trip. Not one bad word to say about the Huskers in two trips to Lincoln.

2) USC- it was exactly how I wished the tailgate atmosphere would be here on campus. Obviously in an urban location, fans could wheel a cooler up to any patch of grass and tailgate. It was a beautiful setting walking through campus, although we didn't dare getting to far from the action. The stadium itself seemed to be rundown, and the atmosphere wasn't as good as most B1G stadiums I've been to.

3) Wisconsin- We tailgate a couple blocks from the stadium each trip we make, so I may be a bit biased over someone that doesn't know where to go. The stadium is pretty meh, as it's essentially a concrete mess. This past year they really seemed to blast the music and didn't let their band participate much at all. The fans were much better this past year, and they mentioned that they understand Kill has us on the right track and their dominance will be ending (hopefully starting this year!)

4) Iowa- Overall a pretty nice trip, but as many people mentioned, it's about as crammed as I've ever been while watching a game. Their fans seemed to be pretty into it, as we couldn't sit the entire game last time we were there.

5) TCU- Stadium itself was nothing to write home about, but the fans we talked to were very knowledgeable, and we had a blast at the tailgate. Would love to get back there again in a game that's close to see how rowdy that place can really get, but ya can't blame their fans for checking out in the 2nd half as they were walking away with the victory.

6) Purdue- Looks like I had a better time than most in Purdue, but that's likely due to the fact that we were in college and stayed with people we knew. We had a blast the whole weekend, and their pregame setup was crazy, with all the kids being dressed up in Halloween costumes as early as 5am (even though it wasn't Halloween- it's apparently something they do every week) The stadium atmosphere was pretty bland, as the fans were pretty down on the team.

7) Arizona State- Beautiful setting next to a mountain, but the atmosphere was pretty stale. Not much for tailgating around the stadium, and the crowd support was pretty bleak once the game started.

8) UNLV- Absolutely nothing nice to say about UNLV. There was about 14 Rebel fans there, and the ones we encountered had no idea what they were talking about. Stadium is equivalent to a D2 stadium around here, and the tailgate was a mess. We were told we couldn't walk in with beer. Could only bring in drinks if you brought it in with a car (which we didn't have as we cabbed out there). Stadium is also in the middle of nowhere.

Bowl Games Venues
1) Orlando- Had a great time in Orlando this past year. Tailgated 2 blocks from the stadium and had plenty of room to play beanbags, etc before the game. Just had redone the bottom levels of the stadium, and sight lines were pretty good as we moved throughout the concourse at halftime and before the game.

2) Nashville- Haven't been since the win over 'Bama, so my views might be a bit outdated. Fun city, although I wasn't of drinking age at the time, but would love to get back now that I am! Enjoyed talking football with many of the locals, and the Bama fans were great to talk to after the game. Easy to see why they have such a great following, as they had about 65,000 show up to a game in a season when they were .500

3) Houston- Had a decent time, and the stadium itself is pretty nice. Nothing really happening around the stadium makes for a dull tailgate if you aren't in the right spot. If the place was packed, I'd likely have a much different view.

Overall, many of the stadiums are generally close overall, as some stadiums focus on different things. Really though, Lincoln is an easy #1 for me, and UNLV is an easy dead last.

1. LSU at night, nothing beats it. You are in the Bayou and all that mojo. They have Mike The Tiger housed just outside the Visitors locker room. The Saturday Night game tail gate begins on Thursday and goes on as rigs arrive from New Orleans and points unknown. If Minnesota would take a page out of this play book open the lots or the fairgrounds on Friday and let the party begin.

2. Jacksonville, Fla for the Georgia v. Florida game. They abandon the open bottle law and the largest cocktail party is not to be missed. Just look up a video of this.

3. The LA Coliseum. The size, the show. The cheerleaders, dance line, Fight On and the horse. The sheer scope of the coliseum.

4. Texas Memorial Stadium. The burnt orange, hook'em horns and yet another live mascot. Bevo the longhorn. When I was there they were chasing a National Championship, not so much right now. But Austin is a town where you can find just about anything you want.




All had live mascots
All have parking, or boat access, Two of the three have great tailgating. What we should do, and what we are allowed to do are two different things.

First expand tail gaiting both in dedicated space, and time availability. Expand the experience don't restrict it. Survey tail gaiters, what do they want. More do it yourself space, maybe a space for catering, when would you like to set up and when would you be able to pack up and leave? From the U's point what is maxium use for tail gaiting. Would the U open Northup Mall ala the grove at Mississippi? If tail gaiters preference is to park and party on Friday night, could it would it be obliged by whomever? Maybe a select area for this. Fairgrounds. I would have to rate tail gaiting as job number 1 in increasing fan experience.

As a long time Gopher rube. I went to games at Memorial stadium and yes, it has awesome tradition and atmosphere! I can remember the marching band coming down University ave, the streets lined with students and alumni and the rugby club matches outside the stadium before the game, etc, etc. then inside the stadium with passing students down & up the sections. Well you get the point. That being said, we are building a new tradition, the atmosphere that spontaneously occurred for a night game against Syracuse was great. We need better music, some old school 70's are in order! But it is getting better every year under Kill at the BANK!


RostovGold

Roughly in order of best to least impressive.

1. Rose Bowl - a golf course north of the stadium where people park. Great atmosphere, beautiful, loved it.
2. U of AZ - really liked the atmosphere of the night game.
3. Cal - nice setting for a stadium
4. USC - thought I would get mugged on the way back to the car.
4a. Arizona State - nice setting but the stadium was in decline.
5. USC - Columbia, SC - tail gating is pretty much on the fairgrounds. The lots are surrounded by cyclone fences and its not a pleasant setting. But I have actually played on this field, OK it was an intramural championship game, but it was still cool. Also everytime the Gamecocks are on TV is ask my wife, "have I ever told you that I have played on that field?"
6. BYU - have never seen people get that mad and not swear.
7. Boise State - the smurf turf is not anything special
8. North Texas, TCU, SMU, UNLV, Colorado State, Mich State, - all fairly boring.

USC
Penn State
Cal
Illinois Great historic unique stadium
Michigan State NIce place, good sightlines, good town, atmosphere in and out
Iowa No room, but retains some charm, fans not all idiots like a UW, or Iowa fans in MN
Indiana great sightlines,
Sun Bowl (UTEP)
Sun Devil Stadium
Wisconsin any historic character destroyed or hiidden, no room, dumb people, sort of annoying, probably deserves better, but I do not like it, but like Madison
Michigan like a church fully of annoying people, tight seats, dull, full of selves
Tulsa nicely improved since Marone ran wild there
UnLV
MTSU Murfeesboro
Kent State
Northwestern

This is a fantastic thread!

In the B1G i like ohio stadium best but my top 3 total experiences are nebraska, wisconsin and penn state. Whoever posted about colorado's field is spot on too. Not that the stadium is that great but it's just cool, and what a setting and view.

Out of the box stadiums I have been to include Miami Colorado State and Oregon State.
Miami is nice and the parking lot is set up for good tailgating but its 45 minutes north of Miami. CSU is a smaller stadium but beatiful sitting right at the base of the rockies. Set up for tailgates too. OSU is cool too but there is nothing around it.

FireDaveLee said:

I also have been to the Rose Bowl, 2008, when USC destroyed Illinois.

In all honesty, it was the GREATEST thing I have been to. The entire day, you wake up super early (remember that the parade is starting Pacific time), it's awesome, then people going to the game migrate down to the stadium, quite a bit of room to tailgate (don't know if that's still the case), plenty of time in between the two events, then the 2nd half is as picturesque as it gets; the lights shining on the field, but it's not dark yet, sun slowly going down & reflects off of the mountains in the background.

Anybody who wonders why the Big Ten & Pac Ten are so gung-ho about keeping the Rose Bowl as theirs & not wanting to share it simply needs to go to one & they'll know why the conferences don't ever want to give it up!

Click to expand...

I went to the Rose Bowl when Penn State polished off its unbeaten 1994 season against Oregon and had all of the same experiences you did. It's almost magical, and absolutely makes the Rose Bowl the premier event in sports, as far as I'm concerned. The day the Gophers play in Pasadena, I guarantee I will be in a daze the entire time.

FireDaveLee said:

I also have been to the Rose Bowl, 2008, when USC destroyed Illinois.

In all honesty, it was the GREATEST thing I have been to. The entire day, you wake up super early (remember that the parade is starting Pacific time), it's awesome, then people going to the game migrate down to the stadium, quite a bit of room to tailgate (don't know if that's still the case), plenty of time in between the two events, then the 2nd half is as picturesque as it gets; the lights shining on the field, but it's not dark yet, sun slowly going down & reflects off of the mountains in the background.

Anybody who wonders why the Big Ten & Pac Ten are so gung-ho about keeping the Rose Bowl as theirs & not wanting to share it simply needs to go to one & they'll know why the conferences don't ever want to give it up!

Click to expand...

Rose Bowl is my favorite too. When we were there it was not to long after it rained. That meant the skies were clear. The San Gabriels were right there and beautiful. Washington State was playing UCLA. If the Bruins had won, USC would go to the Rose Bowl. That resulted in a big chunk of the USC team coming in right before kick-off to "cheer" for UCLA. The crowd went nuts when they walked in. Mostly by booing them by the way.

The Cougars won so they went to the Rose Bowl. Mixed feelings among the crowd.

Of places I’ve visited during a game:

1. Kyle Field (post 2014): Homer choice, but it is hard to beat a place where up to 110,000 have watched a game together. Easy access to seats using ramps, escalators, stairs, or elevators, and wide concourses with quality food selections. Great views from every section, seating butting right up next to the sidelines for an intimidating venue, the height of a 17-floor building, amazing suites (not that I can afford to sit there), and a classy brick exterior. Also, you can’t find a student section of 30,000+ anywhere else. Throw in a 3-inch M102 field gun (cannon) for good measure. Tailgating spread across the entire campus.

2. Bryant-Denney: Imposing venue, a must-visit destination for college football. Great tailgating in the Quad and elsewhere, statues in the front make for a great photo opportunity. However, it is an absolute mess to get into.

3: Williams-Brice: Cockabooses, need I say more? Fun atmosphere, especially during Sandstorm.

4. TCF Bank: Great view of downtown through open end, new, modern, and clean. Easy to get in and around, and there is no doubt whose stadium this is with the giant MINNESOTA on the seats. Goldy makes the gameday fun no matter what.

5. Ford Stadium: This place is absolutely tiny and there is zero student section. However, you feel very close to the game and it was essentially a home game for us with the number of our fans there. Located in the middle of campus made it cool, although a bit inconvenient from parking or tailgating. I guess I just like it because we had packed out the visitors’ stadium and made it our own.

Middle of the pack choices here

99a. DKR Memorial Stadium: A venue this large should be way louder and way more imposing that it actually is. Apathetic fanbase, everything is about money or advertisements.

99b. AT&T Jones Stadium: Great façade on the press box areas, but it’s a free-for-all mayhem in and around this area. Fans thrive on being jerks and who want to be unwelcoming.

99c. Floyd Casey: Absolute dump, located in a sketchy neighborhood, with ZERO tailgating.

Of places I’ve visited outside of a game:

1: Sanford
2: Spartan
3: Autzen
4. Memorial (Clemson)
5. Davis Wade

Many others go here...

99. McLane: Looks like a cheap knockoff of TCF Bank

I've been to Iowa and Wisconsin and if you want to count the Citrus Bowl and insight.com Bowl.

I think Iowa is great. My dad and I parked 1-2 miles from the stadium and people were hanging out, socializing, and tailgating the entire way to the stadium. They had food stands set up in various locations. I also think Kinnick is a great stadium. I am not sure when it was remodeled, but the stadium was very nice. Scoreboards seemed extra small, but that happens when you sit two sections away from the huge TCF Bank Stadium scoreboard week in and week out.

Wisconsin was fun also, but felt like it was a clear step or two behind Iowa. I also was unimpressed with Camp Randall. It was not as well kept up as Kinnick was. I had the feeling that more tailgating was done at bars in Madison (could have been just my experience) but didn't see people out moving around. Jump Around was one of the coolest things I have seen at a football game.

Sun Devil Stadium almost had a U of M feel to it. They had a train system right outside the stadium, close to Mill Ave, tons of bars and entertainment. Unfortunately I spent the first half looking directly into the Arizona sun. I would like to attend a Sun Devil game.

The Citrus Bowl was remodeled and lower level was nice. Lots of open lots for tailgating... I wish I would have known this prior to the game. We did Ihop next to the hotel and rolled over to the stadium. Lots of people milling around... could have been because we were all on vacation.