Any fan of football has to admit that, if you want to understand the soul or essence of the sport, you’ve got to start with college football. Don’t get me wrong, I love the NFL. They obviously have the better on-field product and, frankly, I’m really an NFL guy at heart. But when it comes to “intangibles” like passion, rivalries, and atmosphere, there can be no doubt that the NCAA is king.

Don’t believe me? Just think about venues for a moment. How many NFL stadiums would we say are so “hallowed” as to be worthy of a pilgrimage? If you answered “one” you’d be correct. Green Bay’s Lambeau Field is the only stadium in pro football imbued with a sense of tradition and greatness.

College football, on the other hand? When I sat down to make this list of the 13 best places to watch a college football game, I couldn’t believe how many incredible places wouldn’t be making the list. Texas A&M’s Kyle Field? Not on the list. Georgia’s Sanford Stadium? Nope, not quite. Oklahoma, Clemson, Auburn, Ole Miss and the freakin Rose Bowl? Unbelievably, none of them made it. You may think this sounds crazy, but that’s how many awesome football shrines there are in the NCAA.

So without further ado (ado sucks, and there’s already been too much of it), here are the 13 best places to watch college football.

13. The Big House (Michigan)

Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 and originally had a capacity of 72,000. Since then, this historic venue has expanded to hold 109,901, making it the largest capacity stadium in the United States. (I knew there had to be a reason this place is known simply as “The Big House.”) I’ve heard some people say that the “buzz” in The Big House isn’t what you would expect from a place filled with so many people and so much history. Still, I couldn’t leave the biggest venue in American sports (and home to one of the most storied college football teams) off this list.

12. Husky Stadium (Washington)

I think because they’re in the Pacific Northwest, I tend to forget that the Washington Huskies are one of college football’s great programs. They’ve won 15 Pac-10 championships, 7 Rose Bowls, and 4 National Championships (all between 1960 and 1991). So, this is a college team with some pedigree, and they’ve got the historic stadium to match. Husky Stadium opened in 1920 and was originally one of the great old bowl-style venues. They’ve since added on to the original structure to increase the capacity from 58,000 to 72,500.

The fans? They’re pretty awesome, too. The average attendance at Husky Stadium in 2008 was 68,000. The team went 0-12 that year.

Also, did I mention that this is one of the few stadiums in college football where people tailgate right outside on boats? Yeah, they call it “sailgating,” and it’s ridiculously awesome.

11. Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin)

You want history? How about this: the Wisconsin Badgers’ home field is named Camp Randall Stadium because it was built on the site of a Civil War training camp. It became the grounds for Badgers football in 1895 and the site of a permanent structure in 1917. Since then, the University of Wisconsin has build additions to the stadium here and there such that the capacity now stands at a massive 80,321. Today, this place is one of the most lively venues in college football thanks in large part to the Wisconsin Marching Band’s raucous post-game party known as “The Fifth Quarter.”

10. Clemens Stadium (St. John’s University, MN)

Okay, I know you internet people are probably scratching your heads (or perhaps screaming obscenities) at this pick, but please hear me out.

College football is more that the big name schools. There are tons of small colleges playing Division III football whose fans are just as rabid as those at a BCS school. And among these Division III football madhouses, St. John’s University is like Penn State. Their coach, John Gagliardi, is the winningest college football coach of all time (480-131-11) and is one of only three active coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame. The others? Chris Ault of the Nevanda Wolf Pack and a little nobody named Joe Paterno of the Penn State Nittany Lions.

The St. John’s University Johnnies play football in Clemens Stadium, also known as “the Natural Bowl” because it’s built in a natural amphitheater enveloped by pristine Minnesota pines. On game days, the quaint venue fills with about 10,000 fans and the smell of fresh baked “Johnny Bread” (baked weekly since 1895 by the Benedictine monks who run the school). In other words, this place is what you would get if Kevin Kostner made a Field of Dreams about football.

Okay, now that you’ve heard me out, you may resume yelling obscenities.

Source

9. Death Valley (LSU)

Any place nicknamed “Death Valley” has to be pretty nuts, right?

LSU’s Tiger Stadium is on this list because there are few louder, wilder, or more intimidating venues in college football. Apparently, after you attend a game in Death Valley your ears ring like you were at a rock concert. Part of the reason for all the insanity must surely be the fact that the Tigers play mostly night games—meaning their fans have extra tailgating time to get all liquored up. Also, they really love their football down there in the bayou.

8. Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (Texas)

To be honest, there could probably be four or five Texas schools on this list. But for the sake of maintaining diversity, I went with just one: the home of the Texas Longhorns. They say everything is bigger in Texas, and their passion for football is certainly no exception. Everything you encounter at this stadium has a distinctly Lone Star feel, from the outfits worn by the marching band to the ritual unfurling of the largest Texas flag in the world.

7. The Swamp (Florida)

Officially named Ben Griffin Stadium, they call it The Swamp because, there, it’s always the gators who dominate. Of course, Florida being a member of the SEC, the passion of the fans needs little explication. So I’ll say only this: they’ve sold out every game for the last 30 years. As for the environs, as you can see from this picture, this place is probably the most intimate 88,548 seat stadium on the planet. With rabid fans practically right on top of them, it’s no wonder opposing teams fair so poorly here.

6. Bryant-Denny Stadium (Alabama)

Opened in 1929, this stadium was originally just “Denny Stadium.” In 1975, however, the Alabama state legislature decided the stadium should also honor legendary Crimson Tide coach (winner of 6 national championships) Paul “Bear” Bryant. So now it’s the Bryant-Denny Stadium. Of course, the fact that the state government concerns itself with honoring football coaches ought to tell you something about the importance of football in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Today, the stadium seats 101,821 people (every single one of whom puts the “fan” in “fanatic”), but is only the second-biggest stadium in the SEC.

5. Memorial Stadium (Nebraska)

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have one of richest traditions in college football. Their Memorial Stadium opened back in 1923 and is named to honor Nebraskans who have served the nation in times of war. Classy, right? On game days, the stadium is subjected to a deluge of 80,000 fervent Nebraskans dressed entirely in red. They call this, strangely enough, the “Sea of Red.” Of course, all this sounds amazing, but good luck getting tickets. They’ve sold out every game since 1962. (Yes, that’s a record.)

4. Michie Stadium (Army)

Army’s Michie Stadium is a hell of a lot smaller than most of the places we’ve seen so far. But it’s old, gorgeous, and overflowing with tradition, which is why it comes in at #4 on this list.

This 38,000-set gem was built in 1924, designed to overlook the Hudson River and West Point’s picturesque neogothic campus. Combine this with about 4,000 men and women in sharp uniforms, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a place to watch college football.

3. Beaver Stadium (Penn State)

Beaver Stadium, opened in 1960, is the second-largest stadium in North America (after Michigan’s Big House) with a capacity of 106,572. But it’s not just a shrine to one of the nations greatest college football programs. It’s also a shrine to living legend, football idol, and one of the greatest coaches (of anything) ever: Joe Paterno. When he comes out before the game to great the student section, you’d think it was Santa Clause greeting a pack of sugared up 6-year-olds—that’s how big a deal JoePa is. Sadly, Joe aint gonna be around forever. Hopefully this place will still be magical after he’s gone.

2. Neyland Stadium (Tennessee)

Opened originally in 1921, this 102,455-seat stadium located on the banks of the Tennessee River has one of the most picturesque locations in college football. And it’s not just home to a football team, but to one of the grandest football “experiences” anywhere. At least, that’s according to both the Sporting News and Sports Illustrated.

Hey, if a stadium is an experience unto itself, that’s pretty good, right?

Also, like Husky Stadium, people tailgate on boats outside Neyland Stadium, which (as I’ve said already) is ridiculously awesome.

1. Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame)

Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I am not a fan of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have been irrelevant for 20 damn years but people still act like they matter, and that bugs the crap out of me.

That being said, Notre Dame used to be the greatest program in the country, and was perhaps the first college football team to have a truly national fan base. On top of that, they’re stadium was, is, and I suspect will continue to be absolutely beautiful. I have only walked around the outside of this place, but I’ve heard people say that this stadium is the Fenway of college football. From what I’ve seen, that sounds about right. Thus, I feel I have no other choice but admit that Notre Dame Stadium is probably the best place to watch college football.

Florida went on to win the game by a score of 6-4.  They will now take on the winner of the other semi-final between South Carolina and Virginia in the championship series, which begins on Monday.

Unfortunately, this guy was a victim of the latter as he was flattened by Will Hill during a game between the Florida Gators and the Kentucky Wildcats.  Thankfully he escaped this incident without serious injury.

Hat Tip – [http://www.totalprosports.com/?p=39406

For such a tumultuous off-season in college football, it doesn’t seem like much has changed. Realignment was supposed to decimate the Big 12 and concentrate the power even more. That didn’t happen. Rockstar quarterbacks from Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida all went pro, but they still all sit pretty in the preseason polls. USC is playing for fun this year, so they slipped a bit but still reside at #14.

Are we going to see many surprises in what is shaping up to be a routine season dominated by Ohio State, some SEC teams, Texas, and two wild cards that are now starting to get the benefit of the doubt (Boise St. and TCU)? Who knows? But if we do, you can bet the shake ups will be sparked by one of the following nine teams. Some are ranked high, some aren’t, but all have the ability to shake up what would otherwise be a painfully surprise-free season.

1. TCU
It’s fairly redundant to say that a team ranked in the Top 5 is “one to look out for”, but TCU has a luxury in this starting spot that many teams ranked similarly don’t have. With a weak schedule (only ranked opponent is #24 Oregon State), they have the ability to simply lie low for most of the season and hope that the powerhouses eat each other over the course of the season.

One of the biggest flaws of the BCS is that it tends to value an undefeated weak schedule over a tough-as-nails SEC schedule where teams might have a loss or two. The fact that TCU is starting off so high means that if they keep a low profile, they can rise to the top pretty quickly, which is probably their best chance at a championship, as these guys are still not capable of taking on the Floridas and Alabamas of the world just yet.

While they aren’t going to upset anyone on the field, the Horned Frogs could raise hell in the rankings later on in the season, creating a win-or-go-home scenario for teams with much harder schedules.

2. SMU
In June Jones’ second season he was able to take a team that was the unequivocal laughing stock of Division I football for the past twenty years and turn them into a bowl team. That took two years.What’s in store for year three?

Well, someone had enough faith in the Mustangs to “donate” a top-25 vote to them in the polls. While that might be a bit overzealous, it’s a strong indication that Jones’ 4 or 5-year plan to turn the team around is moving ahead of schedule. They are returning 18(!) of 22 starters from an 8-5 team. If you blink, you’ll miss it, but SMU is quickly jumping from the laughing stock of college football to a serious contender. Last year they turned a corner, this is the first year they get to prove they deserve to reclaim their throne in college football pantheon.

3. Washington Huskies
When the sportswriters are already saying that pro football teams will be tossing in the towel late in the season for the “Jake Locker Sweepstakes,” you can bet that his impact on the Huskies (and the rest of the Pac-10) this year will be profound. After dashing USC’s hopes in last year’s mid-season upset, it’s clear that Locker possesses the whole package. Couple that with the return of All-American receiver Jermaine Kearse, and the concerns about their spotty defense are mitigated. With a Pac-10 Rose Bowl birth up in the air due to USC’s timeout in the corner, expect these guys to make a serious run for the conference title.

Their offensive leadership and big game experience means that this team, hich went winless two years ago, could spell disaster for its myriad ranked opponents, including #14 USC, #8 Nebraska, #24 Oregon State, and #11 Oregon. With that strength of schedule, even a mediocre record achieved by the Huskies could cause fits for its competition in the Pac-10.

4. USC
Calling their end to the 2009 season a “whimper” is far too generous. The 2009 Trojans fell over hard. Their coach is gone, the program has lost scholarships and recruits, and their new coach seems to have all the integrity of a used-car salesman. Needless to say, 2010 expectations for this former(?) dynasty have been lowered. But have they been lowered too far?

Last years tug-of-war at quarterback between Matt Barkley and Aaron Corps is settled, with Corps packing his bags and going to Richmond. While Barkley didn’t have a banner year last year, he showed the poise and talent one would hope for in a freshman starter. He knows his team, and much of USC’s perennially star-studded recruiting class is left in place.

And the pressure is off. Which might be the biggest factor in USC’s success this season. They have nowhere to go this season. A bowl ban means that these guys exist solely to spoil it for the rest of the teams they play. A strangely enviable position, some might say. Toss in a weaker-than-usual schedule for the Trojans, and this team is in a very unique position to prove how dominant they still are, sanctions be damned. Though they will never get to contend with the best in January, they can still make some noise and let the college football world know that just because they aren’t bowl-eligible, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

5. Florida State
While FSU is clearly in rebuilding mode after a lackluster season last year and the departure of Seminole fixture and head coach Bobby Bowden, they have the capacity to do some real damage just based on their strength of schedule alone. They’ve got four powerful teams on the docket with UNC, Oklahoma, Florida, and Miami.

Their performance against these teams can obviously upset the natural order of the rankings, but beyond that, it will demonstrate exactly how this regime change will deal with the constant murderer’s row of opponents that the team seems to schedule year after year.

Ok, that’s the schedule aspect. Beyond that, the team is pimping out QB Christian Ponder for the Heisman and all five O-lineman are returning for the third straight year. New head coach Jimbo Fisher has overhauled the Seminole’s strength and conditioning program, radically improving both the physiques and performances garnered from returning letterman and new recruits. Following a mediocre season and the biggest coaching change of the off season, this team can’t afford to do anything but look ahead and make the most of what they have before it goes away.

6. Houston
Seemingly every year, we see a team that has no business doing so putting up downright gaudy passing numbers and beating the hell out of their weak schedule. A while back, it was Fresno St. and Utah, more recently, Hawaii and Texas Tech have been the troublemakers. All signs point to Houston being the heir to that title this season.

Case Keenum resuscitates the position of QB at U of H (they had back-to-back Heisman’s with David Klingler and Andre Ware in the early 90′s) by making a run at a half-dozen major college football passing records. They have no ranked opponents, but could still grab a decent spot in the rankings by essentially playing backyard football with the team they do have.

7. Arkansas
Tenth in the NCAA in passing yards. Eighth in points scored. In the SEC. It’s little wonder that, with 6’ 7” QB Ryan Mallett and a crew of four receivers that all average over 16 yards per catch, these guys are being bandied about as the most formidable offense in the nation.

Coming into the season at #17, Arkansas will be forced by its SEC opponents to prove that its defense will be able to do justice to its offense. Nobody knows that better than first-year D-coordinator Todd Granthem, who has worked on developing both depth and a seamless rotation that allows the front three (Arkansas switched to a 3-4 this year) to keep their stamina late in the game against the gauntlet of SEC opponents.

If the plan comes together, look for Arkansas to make a showing on both sides of the ball that has them settling out a lot higher than #17 come December.

8. Auburn
With so many questions about Alabama’s defense and the hype around Ryan Mallett at Arkansas, Auburn has been flying under the radar in the SEC West. Which is probably a mistake.

Auburn landed a Top-5 national recruiting class this year and holds perhaps one of the biggest wild cards in the nation in QB Cam Newton. Newton was backup to Tim Tebow at Florida before getting kicked off the team for stealing laptops. After his penance at junior college, he’s back and is the crown jewel of Auburn’s offense. He’s been compared to JaMarcus Russell (don’t laugh, he used to be good at LSU) but with more speed and a better head for the game.

If this guy pans out to be as athletic and reformed as Auburn makes him out to be, both Arkansas and Alabama will be sweating as this #22 team rises up the charts.

9. Navy
In the weeks leading up to the season opener, college football analysts have been abuzz with praise for Ricky Dobbs, the Midshipmen’s Senior option quarterback who apparently has been blessed with the work ethic and character of a young Tim Tebow.

While the Navy and Air Force hang on to the option offense like grim death (Is it an armed forces thing?), even the skeptics think that Dobbs can make a splash in the much-maligned construct of an option offense.

While these guys don’t have the schedule to make much of an impact on the standings, last year’s nailbiter against Notre Dame is just a preview of the kind of drama and excitement that Navy is capable of with both their unconventional offense and their unconventional program. Teams like this are a testament to why the diversity of styles in college football can captivate in a manner that the homogeneity of the NFL can’t.

The debate on whether Tim Tebow is a virgin is still going strong, but their is one female who is fairly certain that the former Florida Gators quarterback has yet to have some lady-lovin’ in his life, and she wants to change that.

Her name is Sidney and she is the creator of the website “Get Tebow Laid.”  Just by looking into the eyes of the 2007 Heisman Award winner, Sidney can tell that he is still a virgin, but she plans on changing all of that come September 12th, when the Broncos visit Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars.

With girls like Sidney chasing Tebow around and trying to lure him into the sac, it appears as though the Broncos quarterback may in fact be the smartest man on Earth, as he uses his so-called “virginity” to simply attract more sexy females.  Or perhaps he is the dumbest man on the planet, and really is a virgin.  Either way, something tells me that Sidney has her hands full with this one.

Here is a link to Sidney’s site.  The countdown to impurity is on!

Hat Tip to Gregg for the find.

Leading this group of followers is Ed Marlow, who developed the idea of “BroncoGator” shortly after Denver used their 25th selection in the first round of the draft on Tebow.

“It was right after the 25th selection in the first round. A friend and I were talking and said, ‘Well, alright. Now we’re Broncos fans,’ ” Marlow said. “That was the inception. Right at that moment. Like 90 seconds after the pick.” [ESPN]

Looking to bring together Tebow’s past and present, Marlow collaborated with a friend, Nick Roehrick, to create a symbol that said Broncos and Gators all in one.  A few sketches later and the two had developed what has now become somewhat of a craze for Tebow fans everywhere.  What was intended to be just a few shirts and hats to share amongst friends has developed into a website, a facebook fan page, and a plethora of orders for t-shirts and hats emblazoned with the BroncoGator crest.

“We’re struggling, playing catch-up,” Marlow said. “We were prepared for a number of orders, but it’s just really been exploding.”

Should the Tim Tebow experiment become a success in Denver, the game of “catch up” will only become that much more difficult for Marlow and BroncoGator.

Hat Tip -[ESPN]

After being taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 18th pick of the draft, ESPN cameras captured some live footage of Maurkice Pouncey just in time to see him lock lips with his twin brother, Mike.

With Mike returning to college for another year, perhaps another kiss awaits these two at the 2011 NFL Draft.

Sure, she may have much to learn form Maksim Chmerkovskiy on (and maybe even off) the dance floor, but it appears as though this former Florida pompom waving bombshell might have a few moves of her own.

Erin’s stint with the Gators Dazzlers lasted from 1996-2000, and during that time there was plenty to cheer about as the men’s basketball team took home an SEC regular season championship (2000), earned a sweet sixteen birth in 1999, and were NCAA tournament runners-up in 2000.

Okay, Erin may not have celebrated as many championships as she would have liked during her previous dancing career, but you can bet she will be looking to change that this time around, and things appear to be looking good so far.

With Florida down by one and just 2.6 seconds remaining on the clock, N.C. State went to the free throw line.  After making the first foul shot to push the lead to 61-59, the Wolfpack player bricked the second shot.  Under normal circumstances, a team down 2 with 2.6 seconds to go the full length of the court would not have more than a prayer to win the game.  Well Florida did have a prayer.  Parsons snagged the rebound, took a few loping strides and heaved the ball from just outside the NC State 3 point line.  Presumably somewhere between a 65-75 foot shot sailed all the way down the court and into the basket to give Parsons and the Gators the win.

These shots are the reason that college basketball is so great.  The excitement couldn’t come a moment too soon either.  With the NBA slipping into its usual winter lull grasping for interesting storylines and the NFL season winding down, there’s nothing like the excitement that college basketball has to bring our interest in sports back to life.

Hat Tip Video – [TheDagger]

In each of the games, one lucky fan was chosen from each school to compete for the chance to win $123,000 in scholarship money.  The rules were simple.  Forty-five seconds to throw ten balls through a hole five yards away.  The participant who gets the most in, wins.

During the SEC championship game in the Georgia Dome, it appeared as though the winner of the big cash prize had been decided before the first ball was even thrown.  After all, girls can’t throw a football, right?  WRONG!

The match up for this contest pitted a female from Alabama against a male from Florida.  The male, Daniel Margil, was busy gator-chomping his way to the line, while the Alabama female, Sarah Beth Hill, remained calm and poised to outperform her opponent.  That is exactly what she did.  Daniel hit an impressive 8 of 10, but it was no match for Sarah, whose slow and steady approach resulted in her making her first nine attempts before missing on a meaningless final throw.  She didn’t quite have Drew Brees-like accuracy, but she was about as close as you can come.

And so once again, we are reminded that when it comes to a battle of the sexes, never underestimate the power and ability of a female athlete.  And although Daniel can expect to hear it from his friends and family, about how he lost to a girl in a throwing competition, he can take some comfort in the fact that Sarah was good enough to beat just about anybody, male or female, on this day.

Hat Tip – [Jersey Chaser]