http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCL/is_4_32/ai_94123522
A COLLEGE FOOTBALL FAN'S life spans three acts.
Act I: You grow up cheering for your favorite team. Let's say it's Ohio State. Every Buckeyes victory makes your week complete. And your whole winter can be destroyed by a single loss to Michigan. If you're lucky, your parents are fans, too. The first time you enter Ohio Stadium, you're struck by its sheer enormity, blinded by the color red, and deafened by the roar.
Act II: You enroll at Ohio State, and for four (or five) years, the Horseshoe is the center of your social life every fall. The beer, the Buckeyes necklaces--it all creates something truly special. Time flies by in a blink.
Act III: You're one of those old farts in the parking lot, drinking imported beer and reliving college glories. You notice the little things, like the way campus police have engineered game-day traffic to an exact science. You also notice, with equal parts pride and sadness, how many of the best moments of your life came in this stadium--how through all three acts of your life, the players and coaches and friends came and went, but the stage remained the same.
As a tribute to sports' most cherished stages, we have ranked the top 10 college football stadiums, based on fans, tradition, and overall appearance. These findings are very unscientific and most definitely are open to debate among the old farts who are drinking imported beer.
1. Ohio Stadium, Ohio State
The single greatest tradition in college football is the dotting of the script "i" in "Ohio." And thanks to a recent $194 million renovation, the single greatest place to watch that tradition--and college football, period--is Ohio Stadium. Known for its classic, double-deck horseshoe design, it is hard to imagine Keith Jackson yelling "Whoah, Nelly!" at any other venue. With the third-biggest stadium in the nation, Ohio State has led the nation in attendance 20 times since 1922. The tailgating scene combines the perfect mix of Midwestern hospitality and pseudo-irrational student exuberance. With "Hang On, Sloopy" blaring at every tarn, you've got the best Saturday party in the country.
2. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Florida
The Swamp has earned a reputation as the most intimidating place to play in the nation, and rightfully so. As Peyton Manning and some pretty good Tennessee teams found out, the distractions are overwhelming. The deafening student section, the Chomp, Steve Spurrier. OK, Spurrier's gone, but he'll forever be known as the man who gave BHG Stadium its current moniker. "The swamp is where Gators live," Spurrier once said. "We feel comfortable there, but we hope our opponents feel tentative. A swamp is hot and sticky and can be dangerous." The question is, though: Can the Swamp maintain its aura now that Spurrier has moved on?
3. Michie Stadium, Army
The Black Knights might not be much on happy endings these days, but the awesome manner in which they start each home game is unparalleled. After cadets partake in a full-dress parade on The Plain before the game, skydivers jump into the stadium and deliver the game ball just before kickoff. The pageantry and school spirit are unmatched. Members of the Corps of Cadets jump from the stands to do pushups following every Army score, matching the Knights' points total. The scenically located stadium rests hard by the Hudson River, nestled against the rolling green of West Point.
4. Beaver Stadium, Penn State
In an era when athletic departments preach the tired Gospel of a schoolwide "football family," it was heartening to see Nittany Lions fans boo their troubled brothers in 2000. The booing was such a shock that the faculty senate passed an anti-booing resolution, embarrassing the school but drawing attention to the fact that Penn State's fans are among the best in the nation--very supportive during good times and willing to voice their displeasure when things are going poorly. With 107,282 seats, Beaver Stadium ranks second only to Michigan in total size, and those seats always are filled--win or lose, rain or shine.
5. Neyland Stadium, Tennessee
It may not be the biggest stadium, but Neyland's nonetheless awesome size is a living, ever-growing testament to East Tennessee's love for Volunteers football. (The area code in Knoxville is 865, or VOL. That's no coincidence.) Though the stadium dwarfs the campus, its seats offer a very complimentary view of the school, the smoke rolling off old Rocky Top, and the bridges spanning the Tennessee River, where hundreds of ships from the "Volunteer Navy" dock for a day of tailgating. Neyland currently ranks third in the nation in seating capacity, much to the school's dismay. Don't expect that to last long.
6. Husky Stadium, Washington
Easily one of the most scenic stadiums in the country, its north upper deck offers sweeping views of Mt. Rainier, the Olympic Mountain Range, and downtown Seattle. The stadium itself sits adjacent to Lake Washington. Did we mention that the place can get pretty loud? Seventy percent of its 72,500 seats are located between the endzones; ESPN has measured the sound at 130 decibels. Outside the stadium, you'll find one of the unique tailgating scenes anywhere, as some 5,000 boats arrive to partake in game-day festivities. Take the track off the field, and it's quite, possibly the perfect stadium.
7. Tiger Stadium, LSU
The Tigers play at night, which gives fans all day to, ahem, celebrate the forthcoming gridiron contest. By game time, fans are so--ahem again--ready that the "Death Valley" denizens create one of the most hostile atmospheres in the country for visiting teams. As a result, you can count on the fans storming the field at least once a season, such as the night of October 8, 1988, when Tiger quarterback Tommy Hodson hit Eddie Fuller for a game-winning touchdown against Auburn and the crowd reaction caused a tremor that registered on a seismograph meter in LSU's geology department.
8. Michigan Stadium, Michigan
"The Big House" can cost a coach his career, as Ohio State's John Cooper discovered prior to last season. "My record against Michigan speaks for itself. Obviously, it's awful," Cooper said shortly before he was canned. The coach was 2-10-1 against Michigan, 0-7 on the road. In Coop's defense, Michigan Stadium is the largest (and one of the loudest) football venues in the nation, with a staggering capacity of 107,501, and is a very difficult place for anyone to play. Block M is an intimidating site, whether you wear tiny buckeyes leaves on your helmet or not.
9. Mountaineer Field, West Virginia
In a conference that boasts the Orange Bowl and Carder Dome, there is no scarier place for visiting teams to play in the Big East than Mountaineer Field. WVU fans are as rabid as they come, alternately swaying arm in arm and singling "Take me home, country road," then tossing the occasional garbage can at a Miami assistant coach's head. College football is so popular in the state that on game day the greater Morgantown area becomes the largest city in the state. Guaranteed, it's the loudest 63,500-seat stadium in the nation.
10. Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame
You can't make a list of the top 10 college football stadiums without including Notre Dame, home to more history and drama than any other venue. Knute Rockne, The Four Horsemen, Touchdown Jesus, the Notre Dame Victory March, Joe Montana, Lou Holtz, Rudy. It all happened here. (Did we say Rudy? Sorry about that.) Recent history, however, hasn't been as kind to the blue and gold. The Fighting Irish fan base lost serious face in 2000 when seemingly the entire state of Nebraska arrived in South Bend, tickets in hand, to watch the Cornhuskers defeat Notre Drame. This year, though, the fervor has returned.
More Classic Venues
HERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER COLLEGE stadiums worth checking out if you get the chance:
Camp Randall Stadium, Wisconsin. Every fan needs to experience the Fifth Quarter: 30,000 fans singing and dancing along with the Badger Band for an hour after each game.
LaVell Edwards Stadium, BYU. Located at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, the stadium has what might be the most beautiful backdrop for a college football game.
Kyle Field, Texas A&M. During the 1990s, the Aggies and their fans made Kyle Field one of the most intimidating road destinations in the Big 12, going 55-4-1 during the decade.
Memorial Stadium, Clemson. The best entrance in the game: Clemson players charging 100 feet down The Hill onto the field as the band explodes into Tiger Rag.
Memorial Stadium, Nebraska. This season Cornhuskers fans sold out their 250th straight game, a streak that goes back to Bob Devaney's first season in 1962.
Darrel K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Texas. More aesthetically pleasing than its plain counterpart in Lincoln, DKR has been drawing fans in record numbers the past few seasons.
