November 22, 2008
FOOTBALL IS KING BECAUSE OF STADIUMS
10 Top 10 stadiums in college football
Stadiums hold a special place in the hearts and minds of football fans. They are gathering places where fans can share their passions and yell until their lungs wear out, cheering on their favorite team without looking like complete fools. The seating capacity of many college football stadiums has reached the mythical 100,000 mark, making them cities within cities on game day. They present one of the last places in America where a huge crowd can gather and be in complete agreement on an issue: namely their favorite college football team. Please enjoy our brief and somewhat incomplete list of some of the top venues in the game courtesy of Sentinel staffers Bill Speros and Alan Schmadtke.
Rose Bowl
Built in 1922 and known mainly for the BCS bowl of the same name, it has also hosted five Super Bowls and is home turf for UCLA. The setting of this venue, right in the middle of Pasadena, Calif., offers a beautiful view of the nearby mountains. The current official seating capacity is 92,542.
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Yale Bowl
This once-proud stadium seats 61,446 and opened on Nov. 21, 1914. It has hosted 559 Yale games. Its largest crowd for a Yale game was 80,000 for the 1923 Army tilt. Sadly, New Haven, Conn., is not a picturesque site, and most games are played in front of sparse crowds.
Notre Dame Stadium
It's an iconic college setting. Notre Dame Stadium offers "Touchdown Jesus," chilly late-afternoon Midwestern showdowns on national TV and a historic campus. Built in 1930, it is a must-see for any fan. The capacity is 80,795. It did not have permanent lights until 1997 -- another ode to its classic past.
Tiger Stadium
The home of the LSU Tigers has a top-notch party atmosphere and fervent fan base and boasts a terrific band. "Death Valley" seats 91,644. On Oct. 8, 1988, the crowd's reaction to a win over Auburn was so tremendous, it caused an earth tremor that registered on a campus seismograph.
Michigan Stadium
"The Big House" on the UM campus in Ann Arbor opened in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 and has expanded several times since then. It held an NCAA-record 112,118 for the 2003 showdown against Ohio State. Part of the stadium is below street level, and fans often walk down to reach their seats.
Autzen Stadium
This awkwardly shaped bowl fits perfectly with the wooded Eugene landscape on the Oregon campus. Students walk across a scenic bridge to the stadium, which was built just for football. Parts of the 59,000-seat stadium rest below field level, offering a truly up-close-and-personal look.
Romney Stadium
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