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Happy April! With spring games just around the corner, he has two stadiums left to aim for to be the best in the country.
Final 4: Stadium Edition
beaver vs tiger
Voting will take place from the final four rounds of the Bracket Challenge through Saturday. Which stadiums are still in the running for the pinnacle of college football? Here's the verdict.
UCLA loses the Rose Bowl! Here are some interesting facts from the first finalist, Penn State Beaver, in his stadium.
With a capacity of 106,572, Beaver Stadium is the second largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere (second only to Michigan Stadium, which won this tournament). 4th largest in the world.
- A portion of Penn State's student section will be given special T-shirts that depict a blue and white letter “S” in the stands at every home game.of S zone It also features a black and pink color scheme to honor Penn State's original colors. This tradition began in his 1998 year.
- Before Penn State home games, students camp in tents outside Gate A. “Nittany Building” The student section tradition typically begins on the Wednesday or Thursday before a home game, except during whiteout weeks. Last season's White Out campout began on Monday, and the schedule included a trash can football tournament, a visiting baseball team, a Wii sports tournament and pizza with the football team.
- Since 2004, Zombie Nation's “Kerncraft 400” has been played at Beaver Stadium as Penn State football's big play anthem. Audrey Snyder details how the song became one of the stadium's most famous traditions in a story worth looking back on today.
I asked Audrey to tell me what makes game day at Beaver Stadium so special. she said:
“Getting to Penn State's Beaver Stadium, about three hours from Philadelphia and two and a half hours from Pittsburgh, isn't the easiest trip for college football fans. But it's not the easiest trip for a college football fan. The gigantic stadium is on the bucket list for many college football fans, especially those who want to attend the annual Whiteout Game. It's truly worth the trip.
“The build-up to a game like this is my favorite part of the college football season. Those goosebump-inducing moments when the team is still in the tunnel and the hype video starts, this place Beaver Stadium (affectionately referred to as the Erector Set due to its disjointed appearance) is filled with bleachers, spotty WiFi, , it is not the most comfortable venue due to the lack of modern equipment. Eventually, the renovation of the stadium will solve that.
“But this place has its charm, and the sight of more than 100,000 fans dressed in everything white – white sweatshirts, jackets, hats, ponchos, waving white pompoms – during the annual showcase game. It's visually spectacular. When “Kernkraft 400” is blared after a big play, the stadium erupts into an uproar and the press box begins to shake. In that moment, I am reminded of how many people are crammed into this place, and how loud and exhilarating it can be when the crowd acts in unison. ”
Then LSU's Tiger Stadium won a close call against Tennessee's Neyland Stadium.
Interesting facts about Tiger Stadium:
- With a capacity of 102,321, Tiger Stadium is the second largest stadium in the SEC (second only to Texas A&M's Kyle Field). 7th largest stadium In the world.
- Student dormitory The stadium was built in the early 1930s. Yes, about 1,500 students lived at Tiger Stadium each year until the dorms closed in the late 1980s, but the experience seems far from glamorous. A stand was built above the dormitory, and the stadium's capacity increased from 12,000 to 22,000.
- Original coinage of Tiger Stadium “Deaf Valley” How noisy will it be on game day? (At his 1988 Earthquake game, where LSU defeated No. 4 Alabama, 7-6, the crowd noise caused him to set off the Earth Science Institute's seismometer 300 feet away.) ) This nickname has since evolved into: “Death Valley,” This sparked a rivalry with Clemson's Memorial Stadium, also known as Death Valley.
- Tiger Stadium is one of three FBS venues. H type goal post, as opposed to the more modern Y style. Following tradition, the teams enter the field by passing under the crossbar.Another feature of the field: Tiger Stadium's mark yard. 5 yards apart instead of 10.
Former LSU writer Brody Miller joins us to set the stage for game day in Baton Rouge.
“An atmosphere of stubbornness, of refusing to be told what to do or how to act, prevails at Tiger Stadium. Tell the public not to tailgate during a pandemic? Walking? Just rent a house within walking distance and drink there. Schedule the Tigers for the forbidden 11 a.m. kickoff time? No problem. They'll fire up the smoker and jambalaya pot at 5 a.m. with a beer in hand. And when you ban the infamous song “Neck” and tell them not to do vulgar chants about Tiger's body parts, they just shove that chant into other random songs and adapt the melody. is.
“Tiger Stadium is a cathedral that has led this New Jersey native who attended a Big Ten school to put aside concerns about platitudes and bias and recognize it as the best venue in college football.'' It's kind of an overwhelming football stadium. I don't know if it's even close. But what makes Tiger Stadium special isn't the design or the scenery. It's the people. Those stubborn, funny people. Yo.”
bracket
It's Beaver Stadium vs. Tiger Stadium for the championship (I guess voters like stadiums named after animals). Let's take a look at the almost completed bracket.
Click here to vote for the championship. We will announce the winner in a special broadcast on Friday.
2024 Wild Card
Can these QBs live up to expectations?
The 2024 season will be an interesting season for QBs, especially after a major QB shakeup in the transfer portal. Today on the “Until Saturday” podcast, Ali Wasserman and David Ubben identify the biggest quarterback wildcard entering 2024.
Who has the advantage of becoming great but needs to prove themselves? Below is a quick sample from their list.
- Garrett Green, West Virginia: In his first season as a starter, Green threw for 2,406 yards and 16 touchdowns with only four interceptions. He finished the 2023 season with the sixth-highest QB grade, tied with Washington's Michael Penix Jr. pro football focus. What kind of encore will Green be able to produce as he teams up with new QB coach Tyler Allen?
- Dylan Raiola, Nebraska: When Nebraska reconnected with a top-ranked QB late in the 2024 recruiting cycle, switching his commitment from Georgia to the Huskers, it was a huge win. But can the freshman live up to the hype now that he's committed to Lincoln University? Raiola pitched at Nebraska's pro day and looked polished, albeit in practice without a defender. According to MaxPreps, Raiola passed for nearly 8,500 yards in his prep career with 88 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions.
quick snap
Ohio finalized the coaching staff by hiring Carlos Loughlin as a running backs coach. Loughlin joins the Buckeyes from Oregon State and replaces Tony Alford, who left in March to become the running backs coach at the University of Michigan.
how michigan Replace 10 offensive starters? Austin Meek has the latest roster breakdown for Ann Arbor.
Pair of athletes of two sports nebraska It embodies two of Matt Rhule's most important principles: competition and brotherhood.
Georgia QB Carson Beck I am enjoying the fruits of my NIL career. Seth Emerson details Beck's journey.
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(Top photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
