Goal: To thoroughly experience gameday at every FBS college football stadium. STADIUM COUNT: 113/134
Starkville, home of Mississippi State, has been nicknamed StarkVegas. Originally, the moniker stuck as a sarcastic insult toward a town viewed as small and sleepy. But, the rise in Bulldog athletics has transformed the name into a badge of honor. Coincidentally, gamedays in Starkville are an outstanding event when this town with old southern charm becomes a cauldron of cowbell cacophony.
Continue reading “MISSISSIPPI STATE – DAVIS WADE STADIUM”
Quintessential gamedays are characterized by gorgeous settings with iconic on-campus stadiums. Passion and pageantry are on full display with traditions that cross generations. Vibrant downtowns adjacent to campus strengthen the community and keep the energy level running high on a football Saturday.
Athens, Georgia checks all of these boxes.
Fort Worth is home to the Texas Christian Horned Frogs – a football program decorated in history and tradition. TCU has been snapping the pigskin since 1896, and gameday in Fort Worth offers a perfect blend of modern traditions and timeless classics that have lasted generations.
Continue reading “TCU – AMON G. CARTER STADIUM”
The shift from decaying Legion Field to the newly built Protective Stadium has reenergized a program that completely dropped football after 2014, only to have it reinstated two years later after a flurry of protests. The next four seasons saw a program notch two conference titles and build an impressive new stadium in the bustling Uptown district of Birmingham. Gamedays here are building new traditions while integrating everything that makes a college gameday special.
Continue reading “UAB – PROTECTIVE STADIUM”
Temple’s campus rests on the north side of Philadelphia. They’ve been playing their home games in professional stadiums on the south end of town since 1978. Lincoln Financial Field is their current home, and a flurry of cherry and white descends upon “The Linc” on Temple gameday Saturdays converting the outskirts of the arena into a collegiate tailgating oasis.
Continue reading “TEMPLE – LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELD”
Boston College football Saturdays weave together a quaint New England atmosphere with a charged fan base of Eagle fanatics. Alumni Stadium rests in Chestnut Hill, just west of the Boston fray. A flurry of gameday activities are wedged in just outside the on-campus stadium. This is an often overlooked venue that deserves much more recognition.
Continue reading “BOSTON COLLEGE – ALUMNI STADIUM”
Somewhere amid the cornfields of the midwest lies Champaign, Illinois. It’s a great college town with mounds of enthusiasm and passion for their team. On gameday, tailgating takes place in open fields where music blasts, games are played, and footballs are tossed. You might even catch the band performing a quick drumline or “Oskee Wow Wow” before they make their march into Memorial Stadium.
The smoke off the mountains welcomes visitors to Knoxville. These massive natural structures highlight the beauty of this vibrant Tennessee town. The Tennessee River that runs along Neyland Stadium adds to this picturesque venue and is the site of a tradition known as the Volunteer Navy. Here, a bevy of boats of all sizes line up along the river side to engage in pregame tailgating. Neyland Stadium is one of only a few stadiums accessible by boat, and Vol fans have turned this into one of college football’s most unique traditions.
Due to basketball’s domination in the state of Indiana and a shortage of winning seasons in the past decade, the Hoosier football program is starving for attention in the Big Ten. However, they have all the ingredients in Bloomington to be successful. John Mellencamp, an IU alum, donated a beautiful practice facility and the campus itself is very attractive. Memorial Stadium is hard to miss on campus. It’s old-fashioned press box and extremely high facades seem to go right up into the sky. Recently, Memorial Stadium has undergone a facelift with world class weight lifting facilities and added seats that closed both ends of the stadium. All these pieces make Memorial Stadium primed to be a cauldron of excitement.
The Sooners have been playing football before Oklahoma became a state, and with each passing decade, their championship legacy has been unwavering. Conference titles, national championships, and Heisman trophies are a regular part of conversation amongst the fan base, and this has created a tradition in Norman, Oklahoma that strengthens the college football world.
Continue reading “OKLAHOMA – MEMORIAL STADIUM”