College football can create some of the most magical and surreal moments in a sports fans’ life. There’s just something about experiencing tried-and-true tradition coupled with decades upon decades of storied history while watching modern day gladiators go to war in front of your eyes.
The sights. The sounds. The smells.
It all comes together in one glorious scene that sometimes you simply have to see to believe.
For all these reasons, it’s understandable to hear about individuals who create bucket lists about seeing every major college football or NFL stadium in the country. There are people who spend their entire lives marking off each consecutive box.
It’s also quite something to realize how each experience can be so different. Stadiums can vary in size. Environments surrounding the stadiums can also swing quite drastically from concrete jungle to looking like they were carved into nature.
There are many great college football stadiums and traditions throughout the country. However, these three below are so unique they make the top of the list.
1. Kinnick Stadium (Iowa City, Iowa)
College football in Iowa is a special experience compared to most other big-time programs because the state does not house a professional football team of any kind. This is it. Iowa and in-state rival Iowa State are as big as it gets in the heartland and the energy that each Saturday brings in Iowa City can be felt on a seismic level.
For the better part of three decades, it’s been a hard-nosed brand of football on the field. Off-the-field, it’s something native call “Iowa Nice.” You’re more than likely going to leave the stadium with a heart-warming story about seeing fans help other fans, whether it’s guiding the elderly up the steep stairways or strangers becoming fast friends at a tailgate.
If that doesn’t do the trick, there’s nothing that will tug at the heartstrings more than the Iowa Wave, one of the nation’s best traditions in all of sports that takes place during the intermission between the first and second quarters. When that break hits, the entire stadium of 70,000+ turns towards the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital to wave at the dozens and dozens of children watching on from up high.
It’s one thing to watch your heroes on the field. It’s a whole other thing for them and a crowd of thousands to take a moment to acknowledge you while you’re going through one of the toughest times imaginable.
So yes, Iowa City is a must-see for anyone wanting to experience what makes college football so great at its heart.
2. Husky Stadium (Seattle, Washington)
In stark contrast to the aforementioned Iowa City and Kinnick Stadium that may not offer breathtaking views of nature or a cityscape, Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington is one of the more scenic venues in the country.
It sits in the shadows of the Cascade Mountains, it butts up next to Lake Washington, Mt. Rainier sits just next door, and the beautiful Seattle skyline is just over yonder. Truly no matter which way you look away from the stadium, you’re bound to see something that’ll tantalize your eyes.
As far as atmosphere goes inside, you will want to bring your ear plugs just to be safe. Husky Stadium hotels the record for loudest college football stadium at 133.6 decibels which is actually louder than standing next to a jet engine!
3. Tiger Stadium (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
When you Google “college football’s best gameday experiences,” you’d be hard-pressed to find a set of rankings that doesn’t have LSU and Tiger Stadium at the very top.
The perennial powerhouse that LSU has been for the better part of this century speaks for itself. They have had multiple Heisman Trophy winners at quarterback in the past six seasons and even won a national title in 2019.
Off the field, the tradition is rich and football runs through the blood of just about every student on campus. So much so that “gameday” actually begins the day before as soon as classes are done for the day. Fans and students hit the tailgating lots early and some may end up staying for 24 hours or more!
As one gameday guide from SB Nation’s very own LSU Tigers community, “organized anarchy is the name of the game.”
If you want to see Mike the Tiger, the team’s live mascot, you have to go much earlier than you’d expect. If you want to get to the game, forget the car and get your walking shoes on because parking is nonexistent. Hungry? Pick a tailgate lot and experience the myriad of scents and smells stemming from the numerous vats of jambalaya, gumbo, and other southern cuisine staples while enjoying the hospitality that only those in the bible belt could provide.
The SEC likes to say that “it just means more” and I can confirm that their catchphrase extends past the athletes on the field and into just about every branch every inch of the off-field experience.