Big House Fifth Toughest Place to Play in Big Ten?
Is Michigan really the fifth toughest place to play in the Big Ten in 2009? Adam Rittenberg of ESPN thinks so. http://myespn.go.com/blogs/bigten/0-3-466/The-toughest-places-to-play-i…
nice helmet pic... Great minds think alike, and so do ours. Have you been to the Big House before? It is about as intimidating as it gets, but not the loudest. The new construction should increase the crowd noise, but it still won't compare to a dome staduim. IMO it's definitely in the top 10. Last year's Wisconsin game was all about the crowd and momentum. That was electric! Opposing coaches always talk about how awesome (old definition of the word) it is to walk out from the tunnel and see 111,000 people there to see you lose. What other stadium has the wave, the fast wave, the slow-motion wave, and the "two waves moving in opposite directions at the same time" wave? Go Blue!!!
IMO it's definitely in the top 10.
Keeping in mind the thread title, I am thankful we made the Top 10.
Especially since they didn't rank Minnesota.
..that the first half of the Wisconsin game, where the fans were vociferously booing the home team, is included in your assessment of the fans' impact on the game?
If you're being honest, to move Michigan up, you need to move another stadium down. Which of the four above Michigan would you say is less intimidating to play in?
I love the bold statement that "it's (Michigan Stadium)definitely in the top 10". What would be the one less intimidating place to play, Indiana? Purdue? Northwestern? The sad part is that by your comment, two of these stdiums are MORE intimidating than Michigan Stadium.
The new construction should increase the crowd noise, but it still won't compare to a dome staduim.
Fortunately, domed stadiums are pretty rare in college football (and the Big Ten's only one is being replaced.)
there was a considerable echo in the stadium when brandstater was commenting during the game. I would guess it will have the same echo with 110K fans inside. Even if 30K of them are sitting on their hands.
Do you really think the wave is intimidating to opposing players?
FEAR THE JINGLING KEYS OF DOOM!
although noise should be increased with the boxes a little and fans might get a little more excited after last year. 5th place is not bad, but it's just the others are very good too. But Kinnick? I am not so sure.
I'm suprised we are as high as 5. The amount of people in the stadium is impressive, the noise those people create is disappointing.
I hope the architecture has been a factor, but there is no question that Michigan Stadium is one of the most flat and sedated per/person crowd environments in all of sports. Playing in Ann Arbor is like South Bend; the visitor is pumped up by the historic surroundings and the home crowd is polite, muted, and easily dismayed when things start to go awry. I find it difficult to sit anywhere other than the undergrad corner of Michigan Stadium because of the general apathy and pessimism you commonly find elsewhere.
UM fans are more well-rounded and less inebriated than most fans that attend NCAA games. That is a good thing, but it does not make our field less inviting. If you want to intimidate you need the guy in a sweatshirt stained from tailgating 5 hours, not the couple in golf sweaters with a post-game reservation on main st.
Yeah, it probably isn't that intimidating to play in AA, in terms of a-hole fans, etc. But it's the team that should be intimidating, not the venue. I loved going to South Bend, love Pasadena, and USC fans are on a par with Michigan.
More to the point: if being "intimidating" meant that Michigan fans needed to become more like Sparty or Buckeye fans, I would say the cost was too great.
Thumbs up for effort
football programs, with one exception (Michigan). But due to its design, Michigan Stadium has had the reputation of not being very loud, thus dropping it down. This should change somewhat when the construction is complete.
So, is the Horseshoe so intimidating because of the crowds and noise, or because its the Buckeye football team that is on the field?
Is the crowd louder than Indiana's because the stands at OSU are closer and more vertical to the field, or is it because OSU fans have much more to cheer about, and that there are more of them in the stands (regardless of how the stadium is designed)?
of the distinct possibility that OSU fans will start chucking beer bottles, D batteries, false teeth, and sodden globs of chewing tobacco at opposing players, coaches, and especially fans.
I prefer to compare Michigan Stadium on a national level, and given that I think it's safe to say that it's in the Top 120 of D-I stadiums. No sugarcoating it.
There are only 117 teams in D-I though right?
Last year it was either 117 or 119. Who else joined?
Western Kentucky is now a member of the Sun Belt Conference (home of the world's least adept replay system executors.)
They ain't got shit on the PAC-10 crew.
As an Oklahoma fan (second to UM), this game was the worst that I've ever seen. Horrible opfficiating, these guys deserved to be punished more - this cost OU a ton that year. This was especially hard to watch with my anti-Oklahoma friend.
Interestingly the head official in that game was the line judge for the play at Cal - and botched a forward lateral (arguably) there also.
I think this has more to do with us being the fifth toughest team to play. I mean in the past, from a pure W-L perspective, the Big House was an incredibly hard place to play, but that's because we had better teams.
this list seems purely based on crowd noise. in that sense, the big house is probably 5th or 4th (i've never been to kinnick). but being a tough place to play is not all about crowd noise. rittenberg said it himself - michigan stadium is one of "college football's great cathedrals". thats what makes michigan stadium a tough venue to play in.
Down in front!!!
not good. i didn't even read that, but i know its a problem. hopefully it jumps up to 2 or 1 in a couple of years...
I think beaver stadium high tougher than the fucking shoe...those white outs are incredible.
Will help to make the Big House a much more difficult place for teams to play. The horrific losses the last few years greatly diminished the home field advantage UM has had in the past.