30 bucket list items college football fans need to experience

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 09: Linebacker Ben Boulware #10 of the Clemson Tigers celebrates after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide 35-31 to win the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Raymond James Stadium on January 9, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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BATON ROUGE, LA – SEPTEMBER 05: General view as lightning strikes outside of Tiger Stadium during a weather delay between the LSU Tigers and the McNeese State Cowboys on September 5, 2015 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

7. Saturday night in Baton Rouge: Tiger Stadium

The SEC is full of huge stadiums with incredible game day atmospheres. Sanford Stadium at Georgia, The Swamp – Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – at Florida, Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, are all among the 12 largest in the nation. All are a great place to see a football game regardless of the matchup, or the time of day in which it’s held. However, night games in the SEC are special, and there’s no better place to spend a Saturday night than Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.

No state embraces its largest university quite like Louisiana loves the LSU Tigers. As a result, 102,321 fans flock to the capital city on Saturdays (or several days earlier) to tailgate and scream “Geaux Tigers” all day prior to kickoff. Properly lubricated, the crowd is rowdier than usual after the sun goes down.

Nicknamed Death Valley, countless opposing players and coaches, as well as publications, polls and surveys have dubbed Saturday night in Tiger Stadium as the toughest venue in college football. It’s among the loudest in America, and given LSU’s place in the SEC West and annual games against the likes of Alabama, Auburn, and Mississippi State, as well as rivals Arkansas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Florida, several of the best games in any season are sure to be hosted there.

On a side note, when in Louisiana, carve out time to visit one of the greatest rivalries in football, the Bayou Classic between Grambling State and Southern in New Orleans. Seeing HBCU bands perform during the game and at halftime are a bucket list item all their own, and a special bit of college football tradition each fan should experience.

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