Lou Pickney's Online Commentary

Stadium Ranking

My brother Matt and I are heading to Athens, Georgia today for tomorrow's Mississippi State/Georgia game. With that in mind, below is a write-up that Matt did originally for the Six Pack Speak message board, then sent out via email, and finally gave me permission to run on here, with one caveat reflecting the University of Tennessee's stadium:

I have not revisited Neyland since the last round of renovations and actually didn't realize that they took place until I did a bit of research for the article. My original critique on Neyland included a request to perform such work. So, my opinion on Neyland may be a bit dated now.

Much like 96.3 Jack FM in Nashville turned into "Allison FM" for a day today as a promotional gimmick, this is a rare departure from it being my writing on here. Matt is a Mississippi State grad and football season ticket holder, so when he refers to "us" know that he means State.

You may get a few B1G supporters who try to make an argument, but top to bottom, the SEC has 9-10 of the best venues in D1. When you add gameday experience to the equation, it's the SEC in a landslide. I have been to em all, save for Reynolds Razorback, Sanford, and Commonwealth. If they ever move the UK game from the last weekend in October I'll make that one too (conflicts with VooDoo Fest every year). I'll cross Sanford off my list on October 1st, but have drove by the stadium. For some of these rankings, I had to include perception from CBS/ESPN games of the week aGainst rival or top ranked opposition, as the games vs. State that I attended haven't always been a huge to-do.

Tier 1: Always feels larger than life club
1. Bryant-Denny (101,821). The best stadium that money can buy. The fact that their athletic dept has no sense of shame or budgetary constraints plus the ability to play at Legion Field while a full-blown renovation took place allowed for them to create what I consider the most extraordinary stadium in the country. Also, the best "big game" atmosphere I have ever been party to in person (1999).
2. Tiger Stadium (92,542). The most intimidating stadium in the country. Like the quirks like the every 5 yards being marked and the Eye of the Tiger at midfield. Pregame "Hold that Tiger" is most impressive. Didn't like the isolated nature of the gates to specific sections of the stadium. Expansive tailgating scene was a sight to behold. 3. Jordan-Hare (87,451). Beautiful stadium, well put together, can get VERY loud. Tiger Walk is awesome, as is the pregame routine. Didn't seem as intimidating as the others at the top of this list, however.
4. Neyland (102,455). The old queen bee has fallen behind in recent years... Still, I saw the Vols and the Gators play in 2006, and watching the Pride of the Southland Band form the power T that night during pregame was simply awesome. One of a handful of stadiums that emits a surreal, larger than life aura when packed for a big game.
5. Sanford (92,746). I may move Sanford up after this year's trip... a beautiful venue, very few aesthetic flaws, but seems to be missing the *it* factor of the other monster coliseums. The Hedges are a nice touch, as is UGA's red sweater/ice bags.
6. Ben Hill Griffin (88,548). I've been twice, two radically different experiences. The first (2001) was by far, the biggest disaster in the history of road trips. The Gators aimed to stomp out any thoughts of a victory within the first 5 minutes, both on the field and in the stands. Cops were canvassing the State section like a SWAT team, looking to arrest anybody they could for alcohol possession. I had a friend kicked out of the stadium for standing up and another arrested for sneaking in an airplane bottle of booze. He spent all day in the Gainesville slammer. Highly intimidating atmosphere and swampy hot during day games. Crowd can be a major factor when motivated. The second (2010) was like visiting another stadium. Totally flat fans, disinterested pregame atmosphere. Much more enjoyable experience as a fan, and the crowd was subdued most of the time. Almost shouldn't count because of the zombie-like post-Tebow trance the fans seemed to be in.

Tier 2: Big Time Potential
7. Reynolds Razorback (72,000). Beautiful stadium, in my opinion the crown jewel of the state of Arkansas. I often joke that this stadium is the only thing that Arkansans have to be proud of. Arkansas fans could argue that they belong in tier 1. If they add 15,000 seats, it makes the leap. I really want to make a road trip to see it in person, but they love to schedule us for War Memorial for some reason. Ugh.
8. Williams Brice (80,250). Strange stadium. Feels more like an ACC venue or a poor man's NFL stadium, kind of like the Jags' stadium in Jacksonville. Location at the Fairgrounds really hampered tailgating. Loved the nightlife in Columbia, however. The stadium looked and felt cheap to me. Gets this ranked this high based on size alone.
9. Davis Wade (55,082). Sentimental favorite, but our profile has only picked up since the Junction gave our tailgating atmosphere a kick in the pants. We move up one spot after we bowl in the endzone and make aesthetic improvements, such as the external brick facade. Keep things going at the pace we have set since 2009, and we may surpass Arkansas but it'll be pretty much impossible for us to crack the top 6. We rank above Ole Miss based on consistent attendance and more true big game atmospheres in recent years (see vs. Florida, 2009 and vs. Arkansas, 2010). We do far more with far less than anybody else in the conference.
10. Vaught-Hemingway (60,580). Has some really nice features, and some things that feel out of place. Endzone expansion was a big plus, and the Groooove is nice. Capable of really rocking (see vs. LSU, 2003) or producing a Vandy crowd (see ULL, 2010). Inconsistency is their main problem. Could move up a couple of spots if they got their shit together.

Tier 3: We don't care about football
11. Commonwealth (67,606). Deceptively large; UK currently averages over 70k for the in-conference and Louisville games. Still, the stadium does not project a true "big game" environment on TV that the others in the 70k+ weight class seem to have. When you compare this venue to Rupp, it's obvious where their top booster $$$ goes. The past few years of a fielding stable football program have helped, however.
12. Dudley (39,790). Shit sandwich. I played my high school football on this field, and there are certain high school stadiums in Texas nicer than this one.

Tier 4: For the love of God, Tear it Down
13. War Memorial (53,727). This stadium sucksucksucksucksucks. It sucks. As does Little Rock.

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