Goal: To thoroughly experience gameday at every FBS college football stadium. STADIUM COUNT: 113/134
A week after the Badger band was suspended from playing at Camp Randall Stadium, the fire and excitement returned as “On Wisconsin” blasted proudly while the Badgers entered the stadium. For this prime time contest with white towels waving, fans foaming at the mouth, and the band high stepping again, that fire would be put out quickly by a powerful Penn State squad.
The space between Cleveland and Pittsburgh is awfully quiet, but there is some life in the otherwise sleepy town of Kent when gameday arrives. Kent State University is located ten miles outside of Akron, making the Zips their most heated rival. The Golden Flashes have their home in Dix Stadium. It very recently was renovated with an impressive press box, jumbotron, and training facilities.
Akron and Kent State lie only ten miles apart which makes for a heated rivalry between the two. However, with struggling seasons, attendance numbers were not exactly exploding off the charts, but the enthusiasm for winning the Wagon Wheel Trophy is as real as any trophy rivalry across the country…
The t-shirts worn by the Notre Dame student section this year read, “Notre Dame will rise again.” That’s a bold statement considering the tumultuous season the Irish experienced last year. However, a couple of early season wins this year, including one over rival Michigan, has allowed hope to trickle back into South Bend. Will the Boilermakers hammer a dent in the railroad that leads to Notre Dame’s anticipated ascension to greatness? The classic college football setting in South Bend coupled with a perfect autumn Saturday afternoon served as the backdrop for this exciting battle…
1962. Gas was 31 cents a gallon. Kennedy was president. The Beatles released their first single. And Northwestern went 4-0. Unfortunately for the Wildcat program, that was the last time they had experienced that record…until today. A nice crowd (for Northwestern standards) showed up on a perfectly beautiful day to witness their Wildcats sweep their non-conference slate and reach 4-0 for the first time in 46 years.
The Boilers were out in full force this weekend. Duck fans from Oregon made a nice percentage of the day’s attendance. They came blowing their duck kazoo noisemakers and wearing shirts like, “Hooked on Quack.” The sounds of “Boiler Up” hovered in the air drowning out the kazoos. This was setting up to be an outstanding collision between the Big 10 and Pac 10.
The Badgers clearly did not hear Marshall’s stampede into Camp Randall Stadium. The Thundering Herd charged out to an early 14-0 lead bringing those clad in green to their feet and shouted, “We Are Marshall,” much like the movie portrayed. But, it wouldn’t be long before Wisconsin would remind their guests of where they were and who they were playing.
How many different ways can oranges be squeezed into orange juice? Ask Syracuse. In Greg Robinson’s three years on campus, the Orange have experience only seven wins. Often the fourth year at a program is the lucky year for coaches. The trip to Evanston brought along hopes for a brighter future at Syracuse. Northwestern, under third year head coach Pat Fitzgerald, was looking for the next step that would lead them to the post season.
When thinking of famous trophy rivalries, one may consider the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe between Minnesota and Wisconsin, or the Old Oaken Bucket awarded yearly to the Indiana/Purdue victor. However, the Peace Pipe trophy fought over by Bowling Green and Toledo probably cracks the top ten on few people’s lists. However, the intensity, history, and importance of this battle is just like any other.
“Play 13” has been the motto of Indiana football all year. It came from their head coach, Terry Hoeppner, who died of complication from a brain tumor this past summer. The idea behind “Play 13” revolves around winning enough games to qualify for a bowl game, thus playing one more game than their regular 12 game schedule. In his two seasons at Indiana, Hoeppner had reinvigorated the football program demanding championship quality football and bringing a brand of excitement that usually is found only in college students. His enthusiasm had been infectious and after his passing, his players have been charging toward keeping his goals alive.