Future Conference Foes Stadium Experience

If possible, a evening/night game in the Rose Bowl is awesome. Sun setting, good views, etc. Coliseum is kind of meh. 

Arrive 5 hours early to either stadium (not a typo) and plan ahead on a two hour drive out of the stadium (not a typo). Unliess either team starts losing games before you go. Then safely arrive 30 minutes early and leave in 10 minutes as no one will be there. Not the most devoted fan bases.

I've been to multiple games at each of the LA venues, including one each this year (Coastal @ UCLA, Stanford @ USC).

I really like the Coliseum --- classic stadium.  Some of the upper deck seats aren't that great (you are a long long way away), but when the team is good the place has a LOT of energy, more energy than I've seen at perhaps any B1G stadium.  USC has a very nice campus IMO, just across the street from the whole Exposition Park.  Traffic & parking, IMO, isn't nearly as difficult as some make it out to be (a number of on-campus lots).

UCLA --- well, there's a huge difference between (1) the NYD Bowl game and (2) a UCLA home game.  The former, one of the most beautiful settings out there.  The latter, highly likely to be majority opposition fans, while the home fans may also still outnumbed by the number of empty seats (seriously, I was at a game in 2018, where Cincinnati, a then-AAC school 2000+ miles from LA, had more fans than UCLA).  I know it was 100 degrees Saturday and a Noon game, but still: reported attendance was 38% of capacity for a Top 15 Washington State team.  The atmosphere is better at night, but it does often feel like a laid-back country club setting as opposed to a fanatical, energetic football game.

Post-game, both places will have TONS of bacon-wrapped hot dog vendors.  I don't know why that (along with tacos) is LA's favorite street-food, but it is.  Those hot dogs are good!

The remodeled Husky Stadium is really nice. Used to feel like a parking garage, now it feels like more of a pro venue. It’s much easier to access now that the light rail stop is open.

The Rose Bowl feels a lot like Michigan Stadium, but getting there and leaving can be very time-consuming.

Have been to 2 Rose Bowls but never the Coliseum.  LA traffic is the worst so allow crazy amounts of time in/out; parking also is available (we parked on the golf course once and in a neighborhood once) but you really need to get there early.

The Rose Bowl itself is in an awesome setting with a valley near the San Gabriel Mountains.  Every USC fan we met was a complete tool until the very end when we met 2 couples who were tailgating next to our car on the golf course and they were exceptionally cool and also gracious about the game (this was the Pete Carroll taking his foot off the gas because he seemed fond of Lloyd Carr and didn't want to hurt his feelings too badly game of 2004; UM Lost 28-14).

Hopefully that is of some use.

Husky stadium has always been on my bucket list. Not totally sure why. If/When I do make it out there I'll be tailgating on a boat! 

You can do "sailgating" at Husky Stadium. We got hosed out of that experience during Covid, but looking forward to visiting Seattle next year.

Rose Bowl design is patterned along the lines of the Big House. I went there for the 1997 game versus Washington State and it reminded me very much of the narrow tunnels into the stadium.

Traffic was horrible and probably no better now. 

But have fun!

I'm planning to go to Michigan's games in these venues also, but more out of a sense of obligation than excitement.  I've been to all four -- although the Rose Bowl was for an actual Rose Bowl.  Prepare to be disappointed.  The Pac-12: It Just Means Less.™

Husky Stadium is pretty in early September.  The Rose Bowl is always pretty.  That's the full list of positives.

I went to each venue once when I lived in SoCal in the mid-oughts. Expect it to be hot. LAC has some seats in the peristyle corners that are quite far away from the action, but the stadium has a better angle of seating than the Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl as a stadium is quite spare, with too few restrooms and narrow concourses and a shallow seating angle that is less favorable for viewing. As a setting for the Rose Bowl game, of course, it's brilliant, but the actual experience isn't great.

Warnings about traffic and parking are well-made (though I can't speak about the current parking situation at either, and particularly around the LAC which has seen several new sports facilities built in more recent years). I can say with some authority that one should not expect SoCal traffic to be appreciably improved just because it's not a work day; I used to commute home after midnight Saturday night in the Valley and it was very, very busy. 

It’s been quite a while now, but here’s what I saw at Washington and USC. 

USC

• Awesome campus that really lives up to "University of Spoiled Children" name.
• Campus is in a somewhat patchy area. Its not too terrible these days, but I would still avoid getting too east of the campus/Exposition Park unless necessary.
• Depending on the time of year, you can potentially get both a LAFC and USC game in on one day or one weekend. Both stadiums are next to each other.
• By next year as well, the George Lucas Institute next to Memorial Stadium should be done (or maybe 2025?), and it looks like its going to be great.
• Memorial Stadium itself is sorta dumpy. They ripped out a huge chunk a few years back to put in a luxury box, and it really ruined the aesthetic of the stadium - despite obviously improving some things. Overall, the place really desperately needs an upgrade on the other 2 sides of the stadium, and hopefully the B1G money will help here.
• The gameday experience itself is actually pretty solid. Its not Pete Carroll 2000s good, but still a fun atmosphere. They introduced a DJ recently though, and he sucksssssss so much. He totally detracts from the experience.

UCLA

• Arguably even prettier than USC's campus, UCLA's campus is absurdly large and sprawls everywhere. After visiting a lot of college campuses, the only school that feels nearly as spread out as this is Penn State - but UCLA feels larger still.
• The area around UCLA is infinitely better than USC as well, and is in a really bustling area with plenty to do. And if you want, super high-end retail and sightseeing is not too far away.
• Unfortunately, the Rose Bowl is an hour away (in good traffic you can make it in 30 minutes - but that won't likely happen), and there is not much to do in the immediate area around the Rose Bowl unless you head down to old town Pasadena.
• Unlike USC/UCLA campus areas, Pasadena also gets super hot vs the basin, so assume scorching heat in the 90s potentially depending on the time of year.
• If the game is early enough in the year, it might be pretty empty. UCLA does not start classes until late September, so most students are away until week 4-5 of the season is seems.
• Due to how far away it is from UCLA and the pain in the ass of getting to the Rose Bowl's location in general, the amount of people actually at the game can be pretty sparse. Chip Kelly has done a lot of good for the program, but even still games are pretty low in attendance - hence the tarps in the stadium.
  • Maybe off-topic, but the team really needs to consider moving to SoFi Stadium. Its a lot closer, so much easier to access, and infinitely nicer - even if it lacks to history or mountain views.
• Traffic here is a nightmare since you have to actually navigate through old neighborhoods to get from the highway to the stadium

They lit the Olympic torch at the Coliseum when SC rolled osu in ‘08 was a powerful idiosyncratic touch to their stadium. 
 

The Rose Bowl feels more epic. And cleaner 

For people making the trip to Seattle, one cool activity I can recommend from personal experience:  on Lake Union there are any number of places to rent a kayak - it's a wonderful way to see the cityscape. That was probably the funnest thing I did out there.  You could technically kayak to Husky Stadium as well (I think) though logistically that probably isnt the best way to get to the venue for the game itself.

UCLA has no fan base.

Will be a fun home-away-from-home game when Michigan plays there.

The Rose Bowl is great but I'd stay in sleepy Pasadena. True about UCLA students having to take long bus rides to get the Rose Bowl and traffic is always insane. Lots of M grads in the area.

The Huntington Gardens and Museum is great way to spend a day with family and is relatively close to the Rose Bowl. Gainsborough's "The Blue Boy," Mary Cassatt's "Breakfast in Bed," a Gutenberg Bible, an illuminated manuscript of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, and a First Folio edition of Shakespeare are all there and all the gardens are fantastic.

Also Tournament park, the site of the first Rose Bowls, is on the southern part of CalTech's campus. They don't have a football team , so there is just a track and good kids playground with no historical markers, but still cool if you are a M historian geek. Holy ground that Fielding Yost's point a minutes teams christened. Speaking of geeks some buildings nearby are recognizable for Bing Bang Theory fans.

Ironically, the LA Metro, although a little nasty, is probably the least stressful way to get to and from USC. After the game, you may want to walk a few stations away.

out of all the new west coast teams I’m most excited to visit U-Dub. Looks absolutely amazing. 

I once had to go somewhere close to the Coliseum on game day. It was a traffic nightmare.

The Rose Bowl is in a beautiful setting (I think they still allow tailgating on the golf course adjacent to the stadium). Seats in the Rose Bowl however are pretty cramped. Negligible leg room, and your can be pretty far away. Haven't been there in a few years though.

I've been to both the Rose Bowl (1997 national championship) and Husky Stadium (2001).  The Rose Bowl is incredible.  It's a bucket list type of place.  And Husky Stadium was LOUD compared to my experiences at Michigan Stadium.  It's cool that it's on the water and many people take boats to the game and tailgate on their watercraft.

My two cents,  Rose Bowl is in a beautiful setting and has a beautiful field.  Because Michigan stadium is steeper, the line of sight to the field is a little closer, particularly in the end zones.  Not sure but also think Rose Bowl seats might be a bit wider, or maybe just not as many fans attend.

I like the L.A. Coliseum.  Lot of history there with 2 Olympics.  The Rams, Raiders, Chargers, and even the L.A. Dodgers played there a few seasons and played in the 1959 World Series there.   LA County  Museum and park right next door.  USC Campus is just north.   Since the County of Los Angeles turned over management of the Coliseum to USC I think the Coliseum is in a better state of maintenance and repair.  LA Metro is a good call by earlier poster.

Thanks for those who posted about Husky Stadium and Autzen Stadium.  I have been just outside of both and was supposed to see Michigan play at UW during pandemic on Labor Day weekend but the game was cancelled.  Looking forward to seeing Michigan visit Husky stadium next year with my family.  Hope its early in the year before the rainy season starts there though from what I understand it seldom rains hard in the Seattle area. 

UCLA - far from Westwood campus so that really takes away a lot of the student experience/vibe. That plus them being fairly mediocre at football and being located in LA means they rarely sell out. That said the scene is amazing. The stadium is located next to a golf course like ours is. The mountains (hills?) add to the atmosphere and views. 

USC - right next to campus which is a plus, as well as a great museum and rose garden. USC allows tailgating all over campus which is kinda cool. Awful area of LA though to be sure. I haven't been in since the completion of the stadium upgrades. 

Washington - one of the coolest college football experiences for me. We did lose on my bday on 9/8/01 which was obviously a long time ago, and 3 days before the world changed, but I digress. Amazing scene, you can tailagate on a boat. The crowd is very loud and proud. I was supposed to go to the game there in 2020, but of cours, that didn't happen.

Oregon - TBD.

Fun trivia about Husky stadium (probably the most beautiful venue to watch our most amazing game - college football!!)

It’s actually the oldest stadium in the PAC12, and older than both the Rose Bowl Stadium and Michigan Stadium

Constructed in 1920, it’s eerily the last place Warren Harding gave a speech on July 27, 1923. Likely sickened from tainted canned crab meat on a steamer from Alaska, he stumbled through his speech to 30,000 in Seattle, skipped Portland on his train ride to San Francisco, and died in an eighth floor suite at the Palace Hotel on Market Street (a really cool old hotel to visit!)

Can’t wait to join a “Go!!””…”Blue!!” chant in the 4th quarter next fall on Lake Washington when we have the game in hand!

Autzen is a great atmosphere ND tough place to play.  I was there in 2003 when our team took it on the chin.   I was there a few years later when a mediocre Indiana team beat the vaunted Ducks.   Weird things happen there, but it's a tough place to play and I think everyone should visit.