1. LSU – It’s like a purple and gold carnival, really. Nearly 100,000 fans swarm Baton Rouge, creating a festive, friendly atmosphere for Tiger fans – and a deafening, intimidating venue for the unlucky visitors. Fans arrive on campus late in the week for big games, signifying the beginning of some of the best tailgating around. While many places grill your typical array of hamburgers, hotdogs, ribs and chicken, LSU fans don’t just grill, they cook. Regional dishes such as seafood, gumbo and poultry are served and done so all day long. With the majority of Tiger games scheduled for evening kickoffs, the faithful have hours to feast and revel in pre-game traditions. In the hours before the game, fans may spot Mike the Tiger, the live Bengal tiger that stares down visitors to his stadium. LSU football games have a distinct, special feel to them, one in some ways atypical to their conference brethren. In addition to having most games begin at night, the endzones are unique, the midfield, eye-of-the-tiger, logo is innovative and the team always wears white, traditional road garb, at home. The trend dates back to 1958 when the team wore white jerseys at home and won the national championship. With such a strong inception, the tradition has stuck. LSU fans are rambunctious, spirited and persistent. Their ardent nature along with the imposing, precipitous structure of Tiger Stadium has given the venue a more pertinent nickname: Death Valley. Former Texas A&M linebacker Ed Simonini once said, "I stood in Tiger Stadium and thought 'this is what the colosseum in Rome must have been like'."
2. Florida – Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is an uncomfortable place for visitors. Better known as "The Swamp", the recently redone facility is touted by some as the nation’s loudest home stadium – and regarded by all who visit as menacing and overwhelming. The intensity inside is not for the faint of heart. Emotion is a game-long theme and the Gators feed off that home electricity better than almost any team around. No matter where you turn your head, there’s no mistaking where you are: gator country. A large wall reads “This is...THE SWAMP”, the inside of the structure itself is orange and the towering sides provide no view out, no escape from the madness and noise. The setting is what you would expect in the state of Florida. There are palm trees, blue skies, and it’s hot and humid. Because of the weather, and their nature, most Gator fans don’t fit the button-down shirt, khaki pants and a tie mold. They dress casually – though never act that way, and dress down – though never sit that way. The stadium flourished and garnered its fierce reputation during the Steve Spurrier era. Though some of that aura was lost under Ron Zook, Urban Meyer has vowed to reclaim The Swamp – his Gators went undefeated at home in year one. Recent renovations have beautified the facility, especially the press box and luxury seating, making Ben Hill Griffin Stadium one of the premier venues in all of college football.
3. Tennessee – There may not be a setting that better showcases the true passion and meaning of college football better than Neyland Stadium. Regardless of any and all conditions, well over 104,000 Volunteer faithful show up in Knoxville on every home Saturday, creating a scene unlike any other. Neyland itself is a mountain of a facility. A steep, almost scary-steep, double-deck bowl build helps the stadium holds its sound in as well as any venue in the nation. Nestled between the historic center of the old school campus and the Tennessee River, the area around the stadium is perfect for tailgating – both on land and water. Thousands of fans arrive by boat, forming a powerful fleet deemed the “Vol’ Navy” by Tennessee fans. With pre-game festivities taking place on land, amidst the Blue Ridge Mountains, and on water, few tailgating experiences are as impressive. Inside, patrons form what becomes a city of orange – an almost blinding sight for those on field level. Tennessee fans are rabid, loyal and relentless, especially in their enthusiasm when singing “Rocky Top”, the unofficial fight song played dozens of times each game. Tradition is almost overwhelming on gameday: there’s the Vol Walk, Smokey the blue tick hound, the famed “T” entrance, the checkerboard endzones and the ever-anticipated PA announcement that it’s...“football time in Tennessee”. It doesn’t take long to understand and appreciate the importance of Volunteer football in the state of Tennessee. The success of the flagship football program may tinker with the attitude of some states; in Tennessee, it defines it. This is a top five venue in all of college football.
4. Alabama – With so much tradition and so much history, Bryant-Denny Stadium has become a college football Mecca of sorts – and for good reason. Home to the Crimson Tide since 1929, the venue has seen one of the game’s most elite and most successful programs both establish and maintain unprecedented success. Hallowed names like Bear Bryant, Joe Namath, Ken Stabler and Sean Alexander roamed the sidelines here, and with one step inside the stadium, you can tell. Sights and sounds are everywhere, making Bryant-Denny a favorite, a must, for opposing fans. The Bryant Museum and Denny Chimes are always crowded with fans gawking over the legendary names and stories and reveling in the pageantry and pride. University Boulevard is the pulse of the pre-game madness, leading into the Quad, where fans can join the renowned Million Dollar Band for a fiery march to the stadium. The traditions are relatively simple, but famous. Fans yell “Roll Tide!” for every occasion. The saying is a battle cry, a welcome, an acknowledgement, a thank you, a vent and a joyful shout. If you ever get confused as to what to say, just remember: “Roll Tide!”. The football team always, and has always, taken the field in their celebrated red-and-white numbered helmets, a classic look duplicated by many lower level college and high school teams. Alabama fans are a proud, borderline-conceited bunch that doesn’t act rude, but rather just knows that they are better. They tailgate with reckless abandon, cheer for hours on end and for the most part fit their stereotype: nicely-dressed, southern gentlemen and women with a true passion for college football. They become especially frenetic when the band strikes up “Rama Jama Yellow Hammer Give ‘Em Hell Alabama”.
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