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News Khabran / America's best college football stadiums
« on: November 27, 2011, 12:12:46 AM »
Fall is foliage season in Ann Arbor, but the colors that really get locals excited this time of year are blue and yellow -- for the University of Michigan's football team.
Every Saturday, millions of fans across the U.S. stream into college football stadiums like Michigan's Big House to chant, cheer, and stomp for the home teams. While winning helps, the best places to watch college football are based on more than any record. The stadiums must be outstanding, whether for their history or sheer size. Toss in rousing fight songs, stunts, and postgame hangouts, and you've got an experience worth traveling for.
The stadium attendance numbers speak for themselves. College football drew a combined 49.6 million fans in 2010 -- nearly three times as many as the NFL (17.4 million).
There's also a sense -- despite a few recent scandals -- that college football is much "purer" than the pro game. And college football is peppered with larger-than-life historic figures like coach Knute Rockne and running back Archie Griffin. But it's always ready for new legends. Join the game-day crowds at one of these top stadiums for that kind of exhilarating rush -- and maybe even history in the making.
BRONCO STADIUM: Boise, Idaho
Whether crashing the Bowl Championship Series (small schools just aren't supposed to be there) or asking your cheerleader girlfriend to marry you (on national TV) after upsetting Oklahoma in a bowl game, the Boise State Broncos like to make their own rules. Even Bronco Stadium's bright blue playing field -- sometimes called the "Smurf Turf" -- was the first non-green field in college football and remains the only alternative color in Division One. With a high-powered offense and a never-say-die attitude, little old Boise State is one of the NCAA's most entertaining teams to watch.
Team Tradition: The freaky blue turf.
Typical Chant: The call-and-answer, "And that's another Bronco" "First-down"
Biggest Rival: University of Idaho and, nowadays, anyone who says the Broncos don't belong with the big boys of college football.
Postgame Hangout: End Zone.
Stadium Capacity: Approximately 33,500; broncosports.com.
MEMORIAL STADIUM: Lincoln, Nebraska
The Nebraska Cornhuskers have sold out every home game since 1962, an ever-growing NCAA record of more than 300 consecutive full houses. It's now roughly 3.2 million people -- twice as many as currently live in the Prairie State. Erected in 1922 to honor Nebraska vets who fought in World War I, the Spanish American War, and the Civil War, the stadium is awash in red on game days as fans flood the stadium to cheer on their beloved Huskers and watch replays on one of the largest jumbotrons in college football.
Team Tradition: The dramatic "Tunnel Walk" and charging onto the field across the Big Red Carpet.
Typical Chant: Hus-ker Pow-er!
Biggest Rival: Oklahoma.
Postgame Hangout: The Single Barrel.
Stadium Capacity: Approximately 85,000; huskers.com.
ROSE BOWL: Pasadena, California
The Bruins haven't been a top team in years, but the laid-back southern California ambience still makes the Rose Bowl an appealing place for college football. It also helps that this nearly 90-year-old behemoth (opened 1922) is a National Historic Monument. Follow the lead of fans who tend to tailgate in leafy Arroyo Seco Park, watch the sunset over the hills behind the stadium as the game winds down, and then party hard in downtown Pasadena afterward.
Team Tradition: Cheering the bear mascots Joe and Josephine Bruin and, on occasion, vandalizing the Tommy Trojan statue on rival USC's campus.
Typical Chant: "U-C-L-A Fight! Fight! Fight!" (Bruin 8 Clap.)
Biggest Rivals: USC and Cal.
Postgame Hangout: Barney's Beanery in Pasadena.
Stadium Capacity: Approximately 94,000; uclabruins.com.
Travel + Leisure: America's coolest college towns
OHIO STADIUM: Columbus, Ohio
Game day here is a sea of scarlet and gray sweeping across the campus toward Ohio Stadium to see the Buckeyes vanquish yet another opponent. Despite recent NCAA violations and a head coach departure, Ohio State remains a national power with historic trappings: the Buckeye Grove of trees to honor OSU All-Americans, the victory bell that tolls after each game, and the sousaphone player dotting the "i" when the Ohio State marching band spells out the word "Ohio" at halftime.
Team Tradition: Decorating their helmets with buckeye leaves awarded for big plays.
Typical Chant: "O-H-I-O!"
Biggest Rival: Michigan.
Postgame Hangout: King Avenue Five.
Stadium Capacity: Approximately 102,000; ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
NOTRE DAME STADIUM: South Bend, Indiana
"Touchdown Jesus" and the famed golden dome loom above this storied stadium, where Joe Montana learned to throw miracles long before he was a 49er. It was constructed in 1930 after coach Knute Rockne threatened to resign if his Fighting Irish didn't get a stadium more befitting their national stature. The flag-waving leprechaun mascot and the Irish Guard precision marchers rile up the crowd, and the team still salutes the fans after every game (win or lose). And are those fans rabid: Fox Sports recently named the Notre Dame faithful the "most obnoxious fan base" in college football.
Team Tradition: Attending Mass and walking a gauntlet of fans outside the campus chapel right before every home game.
Typical Chant: "Go Irish!"
Biggest Rivals: USC and Michigan.
Postgame Hangout: Linebacker Lounge.
Stadium Capacity: Approximately 80,000; und.com.
BEN HILL GRIFFIN STADIUM: Gainesville, Florida
While much of the rest of the football world slogs through rain and snow, "The Swamp" in Gainesville is filled with sunshine and rowdy fans. Consider that over the past 20 years Florida has won nearly 90 percent of its home games (the best in Division One college football). When visiting teams are about to hike the ball, it gets so loud they often can't hear their quarterback's signal. But the highlight of any visit to The Swamp comes when the band breaks into the theme song from Jaws and Florida fans raise their arms for a collective Gator Chomp.
Team Tradition: The Gator Chomp.
Typical Chant: "Orange! Blue! Orange! Blue!"
Biggest Rival: Florida State.
Postgame Hangout: The Swamp Restaurant.
Stadium Capacity: Approximately 88,000; gatorzone.com/football/
Travel+ Leisure: America's best cities for pizza
KYLE FIELD: College Station, Texas
The Texas Longhorns may be the state's most renowned football program, but nobody does Saturday afternoon in the fall like the folks in College Station. With Texas A&M's long and strong Cadet Corps tradition, its games are akin to military academy sporting events. Aggie students, collectively known as the "12th Man," stand for the entire game. The 400-strong Fightin' Texas Aggie Band -- all of them cadets -- is the world's largest military marching band and known for its intricate precision drills. Midnight Yell pep rallies are a student staple before every home game.
Team Tradition: The Aggie Bonfire (before the Texas Longhorns game).
Typical Chant: "Beat the Hell Outta!"
Biggest Rival: University of Texas.
Postgame Hangout: The Dixie Chicken.
Stadium Capacity: Approximately 82,000; aggieathletics.com.
Every Saturday, millions of fans across the U.S. stream into college football stadiums like Michigan's Big House to chant, cheer, and stomp for the home teams. While winning helps, the best places to watch college football are based on more than any record. The stadiums must be outstanding, whether for their history or sheer size. Toss in rousing fight songs, stunts, and postgame hangouts, and you've got an experience worth traveling for.
The stadium attendance numbers speak for themselves. College football drew a combined 49.6 million fans in 2010 -- nearly three times as many as the NFL (17.4 million).
There's also a sense -- despite a few recent scandals -- that college football is much "purer" than the pro game. And college football is peppered with larger-than-life historic figures like coach Knute Rockne and running back Archie Griffin. But it's always ready for new legends. Join the game-day crowds at one of these top stadiums for that kind of exhilarating rush -- and maybe even history in the making.
BRONCO STADIUM: Boise, Idaho
Whether crashing the Bowl Championship Series (small schools just aren't supposed to be there) or asking your cheerleader girlfriend to marry you (on national TV) after upsetting Oklahoma in a bowl game, the Boise State Broncos like to make their own rules. Even Bronco Stadium's bright blue playing field -- sometimes called the "Smurf Turf" -- was the first non-green field in college football and remains the only alternative color in Division One. With a high-powered offense and a never-say-die attitude, little old Boise State is one of the NCAA's most entertaining teams to watch.
Team Tradition: The freaky blue turf.
Typical Chant: The call-and-answer, "And that's another Bronco" "First-down"
Biggest Rival: University of Idaho and, nowadays, anyone who says the Broncos don't belong with the big boys of college football.
Postgame Hangout: End Zone.
Stadium Capacity: Approximately 33,500; broncosports.com.
MEMORIAL STADIUM: Lincoln, Nebraska
The Nebraska Cornhuskers have sold out every home game since 1962, an ever-growing NCAA record of more than 300 consecutive full houses. It's now roughly 3.2 million people -- twice as many as currently live in the Prairie State. Erected in 1922 to honor Nebraska vets who fought in World War I, the Spanish American War, and the Civil War, the stadium is awash in red on game days as fans flood the stadium to cheer on their beloved Huskers and watch replays on one of the largest jumbotrons in college football.
Team Tradition: The dramatic "Tunnel Walk" and charging onto the field across the Big Red Carpet.
Typical Chant: Hus-ker Pow-er!
Biggest Rival: Oklahoma.
Postgame Hangout: The Single Barrel.
Stadium Capacity: Approximately 85,000; huskers.com.
ROSE BOWL: Pasadena, California
The Bruins haven't been a top team in years, but the laid-back southern California ambience still makes the Rose Bowl an appealing place for college football. It also helps that this nearly 90-year-old behemoth (opened 1922) is a National Historic Monument. Follow the lead of fans who tend to tailgate in leafy Arroyo Seco Park, watch the sunset over the hills behind the stadium as the game winds down, and then party hard in downtown Pasadena afterward.
Team Tradition: Cheering the bear mascots Joe and Josephine Bruin and, on occasion, vandalizing the Tommy Trojan statue on rival USC's campus.
Typical Chant: "U-C-L-A Fight! Fight! Fight!" (Bruin 8 Clap.)
Biggest Rivals: USC and Cal.
Postgame Hangout: Barney's Beanery in Pasadena.
Stadium Capacity: Approximately 94,000; uclabruins.com.
Travel + Leisure: America's coolest college towns
OHIO STADIUM: Columbus, Ohio
Game day here is a sea of scarlet and gray sweeping across the campus toward Ohio Stadium to see the Buckeyes vanquish yet another opponent. Despite recent NCAA violations and a head coach departure, Ohio State remains a national power with historic trappings: the Buckeye Grove of trees to honor OSU All-Americans, the victory bell that tolls after each game, and the sousaphone player dotting the "i" when the Ohio State marching band spells out the word "Ohio" at halftime.
Team Tradition: Decorating their helmets with buckeye leaves awarded for big plays.
Typical Chant: "O-H-I-O!"
Biggest Rival: Michigan.
Postgame Hangout: King Avenue Five.
Stadium Capacity: Approximately 102,000; ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
NOTRE DAME STADIUM: South Bend, Indiana
"Touchdown Jesus" and the famed golden dome loom above this storied stadium, where Joe Montana learned to throw miracles long before he was a 49er. It was constructed in 1930 after coach Knute Rockne threatened to resign if his Fighting Irish didn't get a stadium more befitting their national stature. The flag-waving leprechaun mascot and the Irish Guard precision marchers rile up the crowd, and the team still salutes the fans after every game (win or lose). And are those fans rabid: Fox Sports recently named the Notre Dame faithful the "most obnoxious fan base" in college football.
Team Tradition: Attending Mass and walking a gauntlet of fans outside the campus chapel right before every home game.
Typical Chant: "Go Irish!"
Biggest Rivals: USC and Michigan.
Postgame Hangout: Linebacker Lounge.
Stadium Capacity: Approximately 80,000; und.com.
BEN HILL GRIFFIN STADIUM: Gainesville, Florida
While much of the rest of the football world slogs through rain and snow, "The Swamp" in Gainesville is filled with sunshine and rowdy fans. Consider that over the past 20 years Florida has won nearly 90 percent of its home games (the best in Division One college football). When visiting teams are about to hike the ball, it gets so loud they often can't hear their quarterback's signal. But the highlight of any visit to The Swamp comes when the band breaks into the theme song from Jaws and Florida fans raise their arms for a collective Gator Chomp.
Team Tradition: The Gator Chomp.
Typical Chant: "Orange! Blue! Orange! Blue!"
Biggest Rival: Florida State.
Postgame Hangout: The Swamp Restaurant.
Stadium Capacity: Approximately 88,000; gatorzone.com/football/
Travel+ Leisure: America's best cities for pizza
KYLE FIELD: College Station, Texas
The Texas Longhorns may be the state's most renowned football program, but nobody does Saturday afternoon in the fall like the folks in College Station. With Texas A&M's long and strong Cadet Corps tradition, its games are akin to military academy sporting events. Aggie students, collectively known as the "12th Man," stand for the entire game. The 400-strong Fightin' Texas Aggie Band -- all of them cadets -- is the world's largest military marching band and known for its intricate precision drills. Midnight Yell pep rallies are a student staple before every home game.
Team Tradition: The Aggie Bonfire (before the Texas Longhorns game).
Typical Chant: "Beat the Hell Outta!"
Biggest Rival: University of Texas.
Postgame Hangout: The Dixie Chicken.
Stadium Capacity: Approximately 82,000; aggieathletics.com.