MAC Championship (MAC) 2016

College:  MAC Championship

Year:   2016

Game:  Western Michigan 29 Ohio 23

Rating: 9
Cost Index:  Low
Tickets:  Easy

Stadium:  Ford Field

Row the Boat!  Once a year I like to hit a game that isn't in the public spotlight.  This year I decided on the MAC Championship because of Western Michigan and because I don't mind the drive from Chicago to Detroit. And you know what?  It was well worth it!  I think a lot of things are over-hyped and overdone. The MAC Championship is properly hyped and properly done.  

Ford Field was much better than expected.  The new generation of domes are a massive improvement over the Metrodomes and Kingdomes of the world.  It got pretty loud in a split crowd, I image that a Lions game gets really loud.   

The game was very good. I"ll stop short of saying it was great.  Ohio has a very good defense and that kept them in it. Western had enough offense, particularly at receiver, to hold them off.

The highlight of the entire experience was the crowd.  The attendance was about 45k ,which was a record for the MAC and was more than some of the major conference Championship games.  Don't know if I'll do this one again, certainly not any time soon, but I'm glad I got it done.

If you want to make it part of a larger trip:  Ann Arbor, Michigan State, Cleveland
Don't Miss:  Tailgate, Michigan Beer

Avoid:   Downtown Detroit Parking

Attendees:  Bones

Game Recap: http://www.espn.com/college-football/game?gameId=400926941

LSU (SEC) 2016

College: Louisiana State University 

Year:   2016

Game: Alabama 10 LSU 0

Rating: 8.5
Cost Index:  High
Tickets:  Difficult

Stadium:  Tiger Stadium

This year we decided to get the Alabama LSU game while Saban and Miles were still there, figuring that this would be the last year but Miles didn't make it.  Fortunately the game was still important and both teams came to play.  Crowd was excellent, loud as hell. 

Baton Rouge is not a great city.  There is barely a downtown, area is mainly heavy industry so it's not what I would call scenic, no urban planning to speak of. It was interesting to talk to some local people who explained how Katrina influenced Baton Rouge.  It was the primary staging area after the flood and Baton Rouge's population grew overnight, stressing the infrastructure.  Traffic being the most obvious problem but not the only one.


The college has an area off campus called Tigerland which is where the students party.  I would say anyone over the age of 25 would feel out of place there.  It looked like a shit show, evidently there is a lot of violence there. 

The tailgate down there is top of the line.  It was a night game so we got there around 2PM.  There is a huge free lot about a 15 minute walk from Tiger Stadium. We walked around, tried to find Game Day but could not, we ended up hanging around ESPN radio.  Those guys to a good job for the most part.  

Tiger Stadium:  Definitely a college football shrine, not an architectural masterpiece but not an eyesore either.  They have recently redone one End Zone, they integrated it well.  We grabbed tickets at the very front of the sideline upper deck.  If I had to do it over again I probably would have sat closer to the field (prices were about the same).

I understand people watching on TV thought the game was very good.  It wasn't that great live, at least not in my opinion.  It's tough to get too excited about a game that is scoreless through three quarters.  We came down there hoping for the 2012 game, we didn't quite get that one. Alabama's defense is so good they make the game boring. 

How to do LSU:  I fully expect to come down here again, this is how I would approach LSU. I would stay in New Orleans and head down in the AM.  I would rent a car that I could reasonably sleep in for a few hours (van, or a car where you can put the rear seats down).  If you want to tailgate and party, by all means go ahead.  You can sleep it off and drive back to New Orleans whenever you feel ready. 

If you want to make it part of a larger trip:  New Orleans, Houston
Don't Miss:  Tailgate

Avoid:  Tigerland

Attendees:  Bones, Polychronopolous

Game Recap:  http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/400869044