The Somanystadiums 2023 tour was in constant flux. More than usual, I had to make several mid-season course changes. It was particularly hard to get someone to go to local-ish games at JMU and Liberty. However, Christopher Newport and Randolph Macon both made the D3 playoffs so I still got to watch some good football late in the season.
It was a heavy travel year that started with back to back weekends out West. We started by seeing the Rams get bounced by Washington State in their home stadium. However, I still loved visiting Fort Collins and the CSU Flower show gave my wife a welcomed diversion to college football. While she was checking out the poesy’s, my buddy Pete and I were enjoying some nice Colorado weather watching CSU get boat raced. The following week, my wife and I spent a nice week hitting Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons where we saw the real life version of the local buffalo and ram mascots.
We finished up the week at Boise State where my new reddit friend, Kyle, hooked me up with Dustin’s tailgate. I had a great time playing cornhole and the game was good too. It was a tight one, shaping up to come down to the wire. Unfortunately, I missed the fourth quarter, having to leave to take my wife to the ER for a medical emergency. Or, at least it was an emergency in her eyes. Me, not so much.
After all that heavy traveling, I decided to stay local and refresh my ODU review. While my first visit to ODU was good, we were coming from the VT – ECU game and missed the tailgating. So, I made a $100 donation to the university in exchange for a season’s worth of parking passing. I assumed I could cobble together a group to go to the game but it never materialized. I parked in my expensive spot convinced I was going to have a lousy time. Instead I was immediately invited over to a large tailgate where I had a blast. And, I managed to sell three of the parking passes to future games over the remainder of the season, recouping half of the $100.
Next week I was back on the road for the annual meeting of the Nine O’Clock club. Despite planning it months ahead, two of the members had messed up the date and would miss the weekend. We gallantly soldiered on combining a couple of Cubs game with the Minnesota vs Northwestern game. It was all going great until a too strong gummy called the game to an early end. I ended up watching the dramatic OT win by the Wildcats in my friend’s basement. Sigh.
The following weekend was the first double weekend of the season. A trip to Western Kentucky was a chance to catch up with an old friend and experience the hills and white squirrels of Bowling Green, KY. An easy drive on Friday to Lexington got me in plenty of time to meet up with my cousin Phil and his family. We had a great time and there really is nothing like a packed SEC stadium for an awesome experience.
Week Six gave was an opportunity to recover and recharge. The follow weekend was my second double weekend. It was looking to be a rough day as my friend Bob and I attempted the very rare double game day. With a weather forecast of rain all day, it was shaping up to be a wet and cold one. However, Bob and I are seasoned travelers and we easily navigated to EMU, where we caught some tailgating with some EMU football parents and then watched about two thirds of the game. When we were convinced EMU had it in the bag, we made the quick drive to Kalamazoo to catch the Miami O vs Western Michigan game. We only missed the first quarter and enjoyed the game, particularly when the sun finally made a guest experience. We finished the weekend off by watching the Cleveland Browns upset the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon. The fantastic finish capped off a great weekend that proved a positive attitude and cheerful disposition can make any game a good one, even ones in a slow, cold rain.
The following week I had to head back to the home of my youth for a wedding. However, I still managed to squeeze a Thursday night game at Marshall with a couple of my cousins. My cousin Mark’s son Chris was the starting tight end for Marshall. While I had been to the Joan before, it was another game where I came in late and missed the tailgating. This time we were able to tailgate and relax before the game. At the game, my cousin mentioned that he was going to Coastal Carolina in a couple weeks when they host the Thundering Herd. With Conway SC, an easy five hour drive away I could not resist the offer to knock out another stadium. It also gave me a chance to get the color field trifecta: the deep blue of Boise State, the steel gray of Eastern Michigan, and the beachy teal of Coastal Carolina.
I thought that was the end of my season. However, I teach at Christopher Newport and when the Division 3 Captains had one last home opener, I could not resist supporting the team. It turns out CNU was good enough to qualify for the D3 playoffs. Their game was against Randolph Macon which was just up the road from me so I hit that game too. There I met one of my old college football coaches and caught up on old times. He mentioned that another member of my college team lived just down the road. When Macon made it to the semifinals of the tournament, they got to host the game. Since the weather was going to be great, I called my old coach Tripp and my college buddy Bob and we met up at the game. Unfortunately, Randolph Macon’s luck had run out and they were soundly beaten by eventual D3 champions, the Courtland Red Dragons.
It was a long season but an enjoyable one. From colored turf to pizza cones and everything in between, it was another great year. For the down and dirty stats of the year, read on.
Games and Teams
Total Games Attended: 10, down 1 from 2021 (although if you include D3, number is 13)
Best Team Seen: Miami, O or maybe Kentucky – tough year
Final AP Top Twenty-Five Teams Seen: 0 – the four Power 5 teams (Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota and Northwestern) were all very average
Worst Team: 1 -11 Kent State, (#1 in the Bottom 10). Another year where I managed to see the worst team in the country!
Best Game Seen: Wake Forest 27 – ODU 24, 9/16/23. But really, I was forced to leave two great games early – Northwestern 37 – Minnesota 34 OT! and UCF 16 – Boise State 14. Those two early exits have left lasting marks.
Worst Game Seen: Coastal Carolina 34 – Marshall 7, 10/28/2023: In the midst of a Marshall losing streak, it was hard watch my cousin’s family get through that part of the season.
Bowl Game Teams Seen: 12 (down 3 from prior year)
The Players
College Award winners seen: Two, Lou Groza Award for Miami O kicker Graham Nicholson and Disney Spirit Award Brian Dooley, EMU lineman who gave up scholarship for teammate.
All Americans: Seven, with one consensus – Miami O’s kicker.
The Stadiums (of 2023 visits)
Best Stadium: Kroger Field – Kentucky. Hard to beat SEC environment in a goldilocks sized stadium – Just Right.
Worst Stadium: Brooks Stadium – Coastal Carolina, Conway, SC. Not bad, just a fairly standard design.
Best Game Day Experience: Northwestern squeaks in over Boise State. Ryan Field in Evanston was easy to get a pass, if a little pricey, but once there, it was easy to set up and there was lots of foot traffic.
Easiest Stadium to Get To: Rynearson Stadium – Eastern Michigan, Ypsilanti, MI. Easy drive from Detroit and the parking was free.
Hardest Stadium to Get To: Kroger Field – Kentucky, Lexington, KY. Free lots were jammed up very early and tailgating in the Purple Lot is like partying in Siberia.
Best Concessions: Albertsons Stadium – Boise State, Boise, ID. My first pizza cone was delicious.
Worst Concessions: Waldo Stadium – Western Michigan, Kalamazoo, MI. Generic concessions and no souvenir cup.
Best Souvenir: Canvas Stadium, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO. Free CSU flag. Also, Fort Collins is a great college town.
Worst Souvenir: Western Michigan – I still don’t have any Bronco swag and there was no souvenir cup.
Best Cup: A struggle to get good cups this year. Boise State gets the win for some strong graphics, but Kentucky’s clean, vendor free cup deserves special mention.
Worst Cup: Coastal Carolina’s was very weak, but at least they had a cup. Shame on you EMU, WMU, and Northwestern.
The Costs
Total Season Spend: $6,200 ($5,100 ex mileage) is down from the prior year ($7k+) but two of my games were updates so I only added eight stadiums to my count. Despite moving back to the east coast, I still had to fly to most games. Average per game: ~$615 (ex mileage ~$510) down about a $100.
Most Expensive Ticket: Florida vs Kentucky – $97 actual (Stubhub) with a $72 face
Cheapest Ticket: Tie, JMU vs Marshall and Marshall vs Coastal Carolina – Free, thanks to my cousin’s kid, Christopher, who was the starting tight end at Marshall.
Average Ticket Price Paid: $30 (down $15 versus 2022 and consistent with what I normally pay)
Average Savings on Tickets over Face Value: $15 saved per ticket
Miscellaneous
Miles Driven: ~1,800 vs 2,100 in 2022
Miles Flown: ~6,300 (Denver, Boise, Louisville, Chicago, Cleveland)
Two Game Weeks: Two – WKU / Kentucky, EMU / WMU
Best Fans: Boise State. Great tailgating. It was a tough competition though, we seemed to get great hospitality everywhere we went this year.
Worst Fans: Western Michigan. They were not bad, except for the dude that thought we were Miami O fans and told us to “Eff Off” (from halfway across the lot)
Most Pleasant Surprise: Western Kentucky. Maybe it was the bourbon, but we had a good time with the Hilltoppers.
Most Unpleasant Surprise: Having to leave two games early – Boise and Northwestern – and that’s all I am going to say about that.
Lesson Learned / Re-affirmed: I say when I leave – end of story.
My Regular Season Pick Record: 26 – 25 I blame it on going “legal” and no longer being able to bet on Virginia teams.
Conclusion:
111 stadiums. The planning won’t be easy, but the memories will be worth it. Got to savor it now.
