Dennis Dodd from CBS Sportsline is running down his top ten list. So far SEC dominates:

10. Georgia's Sanford
9. Auburn's Jordan-Hare
8. Alabama's Bryant-Denny
the rest to come daily until July 4th.

Which stadiums should fill out the list? Criteria are: Atmosphere, History, Tradition,
Fans, and Architecture.

No doubt N.D., Tennessee, LSU, Nebraska. What about A&M, Florida ... Don't know about Pac 10 ones.

From the Big Ten, I'd add the Horseshoe and gotta throw in Camp Randall, but I'm biased! I think the Big House is, well, Big, but that's about it ...

Nebraska should defintely be on the list. The crowd there is great.

Gotta think Michigan will be on the list.

Mmmmm...smells of barbeque, beer, bourbon, and sweat stewing in thick humidity...exhaled through a filter of adrenaline...multiplied by 90,000 and sent up to the heavens on a wave of thudding drumbeats and collective joy and despair. Welcome to The Swamp.

GO GATORS!

sounds like a bath house steam room to me gj.

In an orange-and-blue kind of way... :cool:

[I can't believe I'm saying this...]

Florida Field will definitely fit in there. The crowd really is great, but the best part about the stadium is how the seats are so incredibly close to the field... even the upper deck. The fans are intimidating because they are right there on top of the players.

I'd guess on tradition that Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan will all make it.

For architecture, have you all seen Harvard Stadium? Easily the most gorgeous stadium out there. And this year is the stadiums 100th anniversary. Yep, built in 1903. I guess that counts for tradition also.

Jim

[ June 25, 2003, 02:56 PM: Message edited by: BikeJocks ]

Hopefully, and most likely, the writer should put my university, Texas A&M, in the top 5. Kyle Field is one of the most intimidating places to play for opponents--just ask Oklahoma or Texas. The students stand the entire game, and we have "yells" the entire time, such as "Beat the hell at outta t.u.!" and tons more. It is an incredible atmosphere. You do NOT miss football games if you go to Texas A&M!

Bucky, of course Nebraska's Memorial Stadium should be #1. It is the best place I have seen games, and the sea of RED is incredible, not to mention the hospitality of the fans and the stadium's architecture.

If it weren't for tradition and history, I'd say South Carolina's Williams Brice Stadium. Great atmosphere, lots of tailgaiting with lots of good souther cooking, liquor, beer, live music every where, but then again what else is there to do in Columbia, SC? I can say that, I grew up there.
I think Michigan, LSU, Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Tennessee will be on the list. Clemson has alot of rabid fans with a good atmosphere, but the stadium itself sucks for the fans. It goes straight up and has alot of bad seats. FSU has a pretty intimidating setting, but I don't know much about the stadium other than it looks very old from the outside. Florida's stdium also has been a very intimidating place to play within the SEC.

I forgot Notredame.

Today Mr. Dodd weighs in with his #7 -- Felony State's Doak Campbell Stadium.

(hmmmm ... 4 stadiums all within a couple hundred miles of each other -- this guy needs to travel more!)

[ June 26, 2003, 09:20 AM: Message edited by: DCBucky ]

Jim, you have both taste and class. Not bad for a Nole! But I'm wondering if your opinion was skewed by the idea of being "on top" of Ingle Martin. Hmmm...

I'll return the favor and agree that the old Doak deserves to be in the list. Though way back in my day, it was a tinker-toy stadium with open bleachers in some parts (not to mention that stupid flaming arrow), they've done a great job of blending the renovated Doak into the rest of campus and making it look "classic."

Funny Doak story - once my ex (a former chief) and I were in Tellahussy for a game while on vacation (we were living in Hawaii) after graduation. We pulled up to the wooded dirt lot that's right across the street from the stadium & kitty corner to the baseball stadium - prime parking and you've gotta be a big $$ nole to get in. We were in ex's dad's car - a freakin' battleship of a Buick or somethin - and told the security dyke at the gate that we were "with the Alumni Band." She looked puzzled, but let us right in.

It wasn't even alumni band day... wink

Gay Goters!

gj

Memorial Stadium in Berkeley--how many other stadiums have an earthquake fault running through them?

you can actually see the fault line while you're climbing up the stairs from the outside of the stadium

pretty cool actually

One that sticks out in my mind is Folsom Field in Boulder.Incredible view of the foothills of the Rockies-I remember it as awe inspiring.Never actually been there for a game,just stopped to take photos when I visited with some friends on a college roadtrip.Of course we were high at the time- probably explains why the imagery is so vivid in my mind. :cool:

Jamie,

The OLD Doak does not deserve to be on the list, but the new one does (I didn't mention it earlier because I didn't want to seem like too much of a "homer").

Before they built the University Center around the stadium, you're right, it was tinker-toy city. Until then, it was the largest portable stadium in the world. Having no facade on the outside meant that if necessary, the whole structure could be disassembled and moved. (No, I don't have any idea why anyone would have thought that might be needed.) The girders were painted yellow, hence the "tinker-toy" moniker. You could see all the details of the construction.

The new outside of the stadium is really just a building built around the outside of the existing stadium. (They have painted the yellow girders gray now.) It matches the brick architecture that is the norm on the rest of the campus. Instead of concrete, the original seats (more or less between the goal lines) are on metal, so foot-stomping can create quite a rumble. Obviously, it is no longer a portable stadium anymore.

Oh, it wouldn't be Ingle Martin. Sorry, but his photo on the gatorzone website makes him (and most of the rest of the team) look like a total goofball. I'll take LB Todd McCullough. Looks like a nice, solid piece of prime beef. [Slurp]

And Jamie, I appreciate the "class and taste" comment. But now realize that I will never, ever, let you forget that you've said that.

Jim

Okay, after making that post, I went and checked the CBS website that Bucky got this whole thing started off with.

So far...
10. Georgia's Sanford
9. Auburn's Jordan-Hare
8. Alabama's Bryant-Denny
7. Florida State's Doak Campbell
6. Nebraska's Memorial

I swear I didn't go there until just now, so I'm real proud that "The Doak" (as in "The Choke at Doak") made the list. 10 years ago, it certainly would not have.

Predictions for that last 5? I'll guess Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Florida and Tennessee.

Jim

I'm with y'all on the old Doak. I remember going there in 1987 and sitting in metal bleachers in the endzone! eek!

I haven't been to the new one...but hopefully, we'll be down there playing again one day.

Glad to see that Jordan-Hare was on the list. It's a great place and with the new changes in traffic flow...it's going to be a much better tailgate venue.

I'm partial to watching college games at the Rose Bowl, especially during a Santa Ana wind incident---you can actually see the brown layer of smog haning in the air. A true LA experience! At some point, I want to travel to Happy Valley for a game..

~Adam

I want to see a game in the Rose Bowl.

The next selection:

10. Georgia's Sanford
9. Auburn's Jordan-Hare
8. Alabama's Bryant-Denny
7. Florida State's Doak Campbell
6. Nebraska's Memorial
5. Louisiana State's Tiger

Of course I'll not forget! A Nole who's feasted on Gator tail can't be all bad. Remember: "you are what you eat"

Gator "Member of 'I Eata Chief'" Jamie

Yep, GJ -- The Swamp appears as today's entry on the list.
Jamie could have written this article

This from a Georgian: "The loudest, most obnoxious and notorious piece of real estate in all of college football."

Ahhh, yes. But...how could a Georgia fan know anything about The Swamp? We usually play each other in Jacksonville, except for a 1-and-1 switch when the Gator Bowl was renovated into AllTel Stadium.

Sorry, but you could make the same bitter remark about any stadium in the South, where college football is more popular than the Baptist Church (did she just go there? oooohh, yes, she did).

And that is exactly why so far all but one of the selections so far are from the South. Remember that great North/South fans thread from last year?

Jim

p.s. I wonder if after he posts #1 he will post the entire list. Any guesses on what will get the nod as the WORST football stadium in the country?

[ July 01, 2003, 05:10 PM: Message edited by: BikeJocks ]

Lists come out every year trying to rank college football stadiums. You just can't do it. Everyone is heavily biased, if not by individual school, then by conference or region. It's worse than trying to rank the best inter-collegiate rivalries (which can be ranked with at least SOME objectivity).

Yes, I'm biased. The horseshoe at Ohio State, originaly built in 1922 with 66,000 seats and expanded over the years has recently undergone an awesome renovation and now seats 101,000. But believe it or not, IT STILL HAS BAD SEATS with obstructed views. It used to be alot worse, but if you're sitting on B deck (the extension of A deck that's covered by the upper deck, C deck), you can get stuck behind a support beam, and with tickets costing $48 bucks a pop, that's a bit of a ripoff. Architecturally, I'd say the shoe is in a class by itself, but all those bad seats!! OUCH. Michigan, on the other hand has no seats with obstructed views, and it's kind of neat how it looks as though it was dug right into the ground. Penn State's stadium looks like a space ship. And it's big, but they should stop with this one-upsmanship that they are playing with Michigan to have the biggest stadium in the Big Ten. Michigan will always have the biggest stadium in the Big Ten, so the Penn State people should just cool it. You all haven't even been in the conference that long and your record against OSU and Michigan has been mediocre. Washington Huskies have a cool place, with that roof that sticks out, and the view of Peuget (sp) Sound. I'd be interested in knowing when the Nebraska stadium was built. It looks alot like the horseshoe with those towers in the open end of the stadium. I wouldn't be surprised if they had the same architect. Now that I live in ACC territory, I've seen the lame stadiums they have here at Maryland and UVA. They're small, but then again, these are good schools where people go to get an education, not go to watch football games.

I've been to an event at Maryland's Byrd Stadium. And wouldn't you know it my ticket was the top row of the upper deck. That deck is so tall and steep we called it Mt. Byrd.

As a Buckeye and OSU grad have to agree with DC Buckeye...Horseshoe has a lotta bad seats even now after the re-do's; fortunately was always on the sideline or in the pressbox for games, so never had to experience those awful views; it's the atmosphere in Columbus and at the Shoe that makes THAT the experience...

Can't believe I'm saying this (being the Buckeye that I am) but having seen many games in AA at the Big House, Michigan has the best vantage points for fans...as BIG as it is, the House has an intimate "feel" and doesn't appear to be as large or mammouth as it is...

And DC...it IS a big hole in the ground; it doesn't just look that way...that's the cool thing about it; when you're walking up to the stadium for a game, you don't even realize that you're near the place until you get there and walk into the stadium; THEN you know you've arrived!..Even if you hate Michigan, you gotta see a game here....

#3 is Neyland - Tennessee...

The Orange Bowl. It's big (like that means anything - it rarely if ever sells out), and it's a pit.

I've heard that the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, while not big, is also a pit. The best thing said is that it's "historic"

Hmm....

Okay, hate to say it, but I always ALWAYS had a good time when I went to PSU games in Happy Valley. As much as I cheered against PSU (for the most part), I had to admit, I love their stadium's atmosphere. Beer, BBQ, and never a kind comment to be found... oh yeah baby.... rabid fans always make the game more fun....

I have yet to get to U of MD stadium, but all the seats look like nose bleed seats.... wink

But I'm willing to go to a game and truly see what Terrapin fans have to offer.... "Fear the Turtle"? Well, let's see....

later all,

pittkid

These topics are always great! I don't know if the question is about atmosphere or best actual stadium or some combination of both. The atmosphere at Nebraska's Memorial Stadium and Texas A&M's Kyle Field are great, but the stadiums themselves are pretty ugly and not user friendly. Kyle Field is pretty absurd, really, with a huge luxury section in the end zone.

Colorado's stadium is not that great either but the location is awesome. DKR-Memorial in Austin is beautiful and very user friendly, but does not usually have the same intensity as Kyle Field. Maybe it's too comfortable!

Today: Notre Dame.

Tomorrow: Michigan? Ohio State? Rose Bowl?

Haven't been to any of these, so I can't hazard a guess...

gj

The final list: (Top 25)

1. Kyle Field / Texas A&M Univ.
2. Notre Dame Stadium / Notre Dame Univ.
3. Neyland Stadium / Univ. of Tennessee
4. Florida Field / Univ. of Florida
5. Tiger Stadium / Louisiana State Univ.
6. Memorial Stadium / Univ. of Nebraska
7. Doak Campbell Stadium / Florida State Univ.
8. Bryant-Denny Stadium / Univ. of Alabama
9. Jordan-Hare Stadium / Auburn Univ.
10. Sanford Stadium / Univ. of Georgia

11t. Michigan Stadium / Univ. of Michigan
11t. Beaver Stadium / Penn State Univ.
13t. Autzen Stadium / Univ. of Oregon
13t. Los Angeles Coliseum / Univ of Southern California
15t. Michie Stadium / Army (West Point)
15t. Memorial Stadium / Clemson Univ.
15t. Rose Bowl / Univ. of California at Los Angeles
18t. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium / Univ. of Texas
18t. Husky Stadium / Univ. of Washington
20. Falcon Stadium / Air Force Academy
21. Camp Randall Stadium / Univ. of Wisconsin
22. LaVell Edwards Stadium / Brigham Young Univ.
23. Bulldog Stadium / Fresno State Univ.
24. Folsom Field / Univ. of Colorado
25. Memorial Stadium / Univ of California at Berkeley

[ July 04, 2003, 11:27 AM: Message edited by: BikeJocks ]

I saw the list and I was wondering why any team from California was on the list. Clemson was on the list, (booo!), Fresno State??? Why wasn't Ohio State on that list? Who made up that crock?

DC Buckeye:

Memorial Stadium in Lincoln opened in 1923. The South and North stands weren't completed until the 1960's, when the stadium became a true "bowl." The new press box increased capacity slightly (to approximately 78,000 or so). I couldn't find any info on the architect, but it looks like OSU's and Nebraska's stadiums were built about the same time.

Thanks for the info., Husker.

As for Ohio State not making the final list. There are probably a few reasons. Like I said in my earlier post, there are lots of bad seats in Ohio Stadium, and believe me, that's no fun when you've just missed the last second winning touchdown against MICHIGAN because of a support beam blocking your view. Also, the recent renovations made the inside of the stadium totally top notch with luxury boxes, restaurants, etc.. (except for some bad seats), but the outside is now so ugly and fake looking. It used to be limestone with the natural arch effect that you would see in a Roman aqueduct, but in order to add more seats on top (extending outward), they added a whole new support system outside of the old limestone and they basically just plastered it over with gray metal sheets that ARE PAINTED TO LOOK LIKE the old limestone arches. If any gays at the architectural firm were involved with THAT design, then they need to have their gay card revoked. So if outward appearance had anything to do with the final rankings, then I agree with the judges on leaving Ohio State out. There's a website that has pics of all the stadiums. I think it's worldstadiums.com. Pretty cool site.

The football played there is not great and the fans/atmosphere are the notorious "wine and cheese" variety most of the time, but UNC's Kenan Stadium is a beautiful place to watch a college football game.

Kenan Stadium

[ July 11, 2003, 01:59 PM: Message edited by: NeilatUNC ]