15 Stadiums I'd Like to Visit To See a Game

I've not been out much, at least in the football sense. I've been to one and only one true college stadium (Dolphin Stadium for the Orange Bowl didn't count), and that's Beaver Stadium in State College, PA. I suppose that if I've seen a game there (and I've seen plenty), it's not really worth going to a game anywhere else. Nothing but disappointment awaits. Beaver Stadium hosts the "Greatest Show in College Football", a statement agreed to by many major publications and networks. In the nearly 20 years I've been going to games there I've seen not only opposing players, but opposing fans rattled by the volume and size of the place. I remember Ohio State players being interviewed after their loss to Penn State in 2005, basically admitting that the crowd disabled them and they were taken out of the game. And in my sophomore year, Penn State hosted bitter rival Pitt, bringing a hearty contingent of fans on the 150 mile trip to the center of the state. A few of them, Pitt students, sat in the row behind me in the student section, and marveled over and over at the sheer size of the place, in comparison with whatever paltry stadium they were playing in at the time; and through the game continued to marvel at the noise and level of craziness in the atmosphere. It was clearly a step up in class for them.

So Beaver Stadium will always be #1 for me, but there are a list of places I'd like to go that fall into that "second class". I'll likely never get to all, or even most, of these places, due to the fact that a) I'm not a man of great means, and b) have many other things that are higher on the "to-do" list. But if I were to have some significant coin fall into my lap accompanied by a whole autumn with nothing to do on Saturday afternoons, here's where I'd go (in this order).

1. Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA (LSU)

Legends of fan-created earthquakes and the mystique of LSU in their white jerseys for a night game surround Tiger Stadium, or "Death Valley". Clemson's stadium is called "Death Valley" too, but there's no disputing which place is more deserving of the title. They care a little too much about football in the South, and this is the rowdiest, most intimidating place in that college football-crazed land.

2. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field, Gainesville, FL (Florida)

It's a good thing this place has the short and catchy title of "The Swamp", because it has the most cumbersome actual name of any stadium in college football. The Swamp is a close second to Death Valley for rowdiness, noise, and intimidation factor, and another place where lubed-up Southerners take their football a wee bit too seriously.

3. Michie Stadium, West Point, NY (Army)

A curious choice at #3, and probably the best bargain on the list. The U.S. Military Academy sits at one of the most beautiful spots of land in the East, where the Hudson S-curves into a gorge on its way to New York City and the Atlantic Ocean. Atop a bluff overlooking the vast river sit the imposing grey buildings of the Academy, and amidst them a small, historic old stadium. But it's not the setting or the facility that would make seeing a game here worth it - it's the tradition and military pageantry of the place. The marching of cadets, the knowledge that football is a very fleeting and easy battle compared to what these men will one day face, and the military precision and discipline that hover over the place make it a perfect Saturday setting in the Fall.

4. Kyle Field, College Station, TX (Texas A&M)

Speaking of tradition, no school has as much of it as Texas A&M. From the 12th Man tradition of a walk-on donning the number 12 to represent the student body to the Yell Practice that occurs at midnight before each home game, Texas A&M drips with tradition. And the Yell Practice must work, because the fans make Kyle Field a rather imposing place. That, and there's a Texan/military insanity about them that is difficult to understand for those of us who aren't Aggies. Now, if they only had a team that could come even close to excellence, they'd really have a home field advantage.

5. Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, VA (Virginia Tech)

There's a little bit of military craziness here too. In spite of its smallish size, Lane Stadium is known to pack a noisy punch. And I've heard the tradition of the team entering during a particularly powerful part of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" gets fans pretty jacked up.

6. Memorial Stadium, Berkley, CA (California)

If you were to hear the names "Strawberry Canyon" and "Tightwad Hill", you'd assume someone referencing a kid's fantasy novel, yet these are the real places where the University of California plays their football games. Hardly intimidating, but very gorgeous. And free too, if you sit high enough on Tightwad Hill and peer down into the stadium, nestled in Strawberry Canyon below. Then take the long way to your car after the game through the Gumdrop Forest to get a sip of the Licorice River.

7. Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH (Ohio State)

The Horseshoe is another tradition-filled place, and despite the Buckeyes status as rival to my Nittany Lions, it would be pretty cool to go to a game in a structure on the National Register of Historic Places, watching some tuba player or celebrity dot the i in Script Ohio. The Big Ten rivals the SEC in football zeal, and the state of Ohio is particularly crazy about their Buckeyes. But they lose points for scattering the students around the place rather than going for the concentrated noise of keeping them all together.

8. Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN (Tennessee)

The biggest of all the SEC stadiums, which is saying something in the South. Hearing "Rocky Top" over and over again would get annoying, as would that shade of orange in that volume, but it has to be cool to be able to come to the game in a boat on the Tennessee River.

9. Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR (Oregon)

It's gained a reputation of being one of the nation's most intimidating venues, but I'd be more interested to play "see how many Nike swooshes you can count before halftime".

10. Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN (Notre Dame)

The only reason this stadium sits so low on the list is because I really don't like Notre Dame. But a trip around the venues of college football would be incomplete without a visit to old Notre Dame stadium. No matter how you feel about the Irish, any fan of the game would appreciate the history and greatness of the players who played on that field. When you're the sports premier program for the better part of 50 years, you tend to accumulate some of that. 

11. Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati)

It's historic, old, and charming. And it gives the Big East a spot on the list.

12. Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA (Washington)

Another place where boating is viable means of transportation to the game, via Lake Washington. It's also the place where the Wave was invented, so you know the fans are creative. And copied thousands of times over.

13. Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI (Wisconsin)

Wisconsin has one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, and spending a Fall Saturday there isn't a bad use of your time. You also would be able to experience the tradition of House of Pain's one hit wonder "Jump Around" playing between the third and fourth quarters, during which everyone does just that. Seems like fun.

14. Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field, Atlanta, GA (Georgia Tech)

I've mentioned before that I have a bit of a Georgia Tech fascination, the only reason this stadium makes the list. There are some cool sidetrails and things to see while you're there too - most notably the "Rambling Wreck" (just as it sounds - and old car) leading the team onto the field and a mandatory trip to the Varsity for a burger after the game.

15. Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI (Michigan)

Only to witness firsthand how, in spite of being 2 or 3 thousand seats larger than Beaver Stadium, it still manages to be so much quieter and more dull. It's basically a big underground bowl.

Next week: an imaginary trip around the 15 college basketball venues I'd like to see