2018 College Baskets: DePaul, Butler, Indiana

Colleges:  DePaul University, Butler University & Indiana University

Year:       2018

Game:     DePaul vs. Miami of Ohio, Butler vs. St. Johns & Purdue vs. Indiana

Cost Index:  Average
Tickets:  Easy

Stadium:  Wintrust Arena (DePaul), Hinkle Fieldhouse (Butlter), Assembly Hall (Indiana)

Attendees:  Bones

Game Experience:  DePaul is nothing crazy, the team isn't very good and the stadium is not on campus.  It didn't help that Miami of Ohio isn't exactly a top tier opponent.  Butler was great, Hinkle is on the smaller side but that makes it louder than the larger stadiums. Assembly Hall...that place is as intimidating as it gets.  

Stadiums: Wintrust Arena is brand new.  Actually pretty good for a new spot.  Chicago skyline on the basketball court was cool. Hinkle field house is everything I had hoped. The history, the architecture, the crowd is all top notch.  Indiana basketball is as crazy as any football game I've been too.  

Overall:  Solid basketball experience.  Butler and Indiana both had top end atmosphere.  Wintrust Arena at DePaul is worth a take if you need a night out in the cold Chicago winter. 

Texas A&M (SEC) 2018

College:  Texas A&M University

Year:       2018

Game:     Clemson 28 Texas A&M 26

Rating:    8.5
Cost Index:  Average
Tickets:  Moderate

Stadium:  Kyle Field

If you want to make it part of a larger trip:  Texas, Houston, Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, Dallas, Houston, Austin
Don't Miss:   Halftime show

Avoid:     Hotels in the College Station area    

Attendees:  Bones, Wrestler, Wrestler's Dad

Pre-game:  Weather was an issue on this day.  I got into College Station in the early afternoon. They have a pretty good bar area on the NW side of campus.  I parked there and met the other guys at the Rebel Draft House.  We sat through a pretty heavy rainstorm a couple of hours before the game.  The storm prevented us from checking out the tail gate.  I don't get the sense that the tail gate is anything special at A&M

Game Experience: A&M is loud.  They put over 100k in Kyle field and they make it difficult on the other team.  Atmosphere was exellent.  Game itself was excellent as well. Texas A&M gave Clemson everything they could handle, losing late on a failed 2pt conversion. It wasn't the game of the season, but it was the game of the week.

The half time show is among the best in college football.

Stadium: Kyle Field. It handles a large crowd as well as anywhere I've been.  It's new so it doesn't have the mystique that some other spots have but it's a great stadium to watch a game

Post Game: None of us were staying in the area after the game so there was no post game to speak of.

Overall:  This is one of the better spots in college football.  I can't put it in the highest level because the fans don't get quite as crazy as some other places (they don't drink as much honestly) and the tail gate could be a little more interesting.

Recap:  http://www.espn.in/college-football/recap?gameId=401012270