SEC East stadium reviews: The good, the mean and the hilarious

We love our stadiums in the SEC, but visiting fans have plenty of opinions on the football cathedrals of the south. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best (and worst) reviews of the SEC East stadiums from around the web.

Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

Going back to Spurrier’s days of running the SEC from Gainesville, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium or “The Swamp” has been one of college football’s toughest environments. Though the stadium environment has declined somewhat in recent years coinciding with on-field struggles, The Swamp remains a must visit for SEC fans.

Once inside the stadium it was very crowded and there were many drunk people, included one being escorted in handcuffs by 2 cops.

We were starving and got 2 personal pizzas (Dominos) a drink and a bottle of water($25.50). The pizza was gross, not just stadium gross, but gag when you open the pizza box.

We got to our seats and prepared ourselves for the drunks. Within minutes of sitting down, both my fiance and I had Jim Beam spilled down our backs (It was a lovely scent to have during the game). A few minutes later we got even luckier, the people in the two seats next to us got there. This guy was drunk and immediately sat mostly in my seat, I didn’t even have a half a butt cheek on my seat. Everytime he would stand up I would scoot over a bit, so when he sat down, he would half sit on my lap. No apologies, just sit on me, elbow me, it was lots of fun! Even better was he was yelling and screaming the entire time, and coaching the team from his seat. [Yelp]

I’ve been here a number of times, and each time I can’t believe how awful it is. The parking lot is filled with nothing but drunken frat guys with their collars popped and chicks who need to switch to light beer. This is Florida, where are all the hot girls?

If you want to watch a bunch of felons play football in a POS stadium with fans who have no heart, this is your place. [Yelp]

One other minor annoyance…since it’s bleacher seating you’re at the mercy of everyone’s body mass index in your row. If you were like me..and at the end of the row…you might not have much aluminum left to sit on! [Yelp]

Terrible color scheme. [Google]

Great stadium, great environment. What I love about college stadiums are the bench seats. Might be uncomfortable for some but I don’t mind. The food is ok for stadium food. But if you are looking for that college environment with rowdy fans and great football this is the place.

There is plenty of parking. Whether it’s stadium parking, street parking or parking on someones lawn. There is lots of parking. Even before you reach the stadium the college football vibe is amazing. Everyone is wearing their colors with pride. The game I went to got rained out. But we still had a lot of fun and I will definitely be back to finally get to enjoy an SEC game. [Yelp]

South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium

One of two concrete meccas in the Palmetto State seating 80,000-plus, Williams-Brice Stadium is the University of South Carolina football’s ‘Cockpit’, an 80-year-old behemoth on the outskirts of campus.

I’ll try and be objective here as I was visiting Williams-Brice Stadium as a member of the opposition Florida Gators. Out of all the college stadiums I have been to, this one by far was the most bland and overall lacking in a sense of the college atmosphere. All the other stadiums are surrounded by beautiful backdrops of historic campuses, while this stadium seems to have been dropped in the middle of an industrial park. Maybe I would have felt a bit better about the experience if a drunk college student showed some passion for a school and yelled at me while walking through the tailgate area in my Tebow jersey, but for the most part the experience was pretty bland once again. I love SEC football and in no way do I mean to berate the body of South Carolina, but this was by far my least favorite away game experience and not because we lost. Now LSU…. that was a good time. [Yelp]

Williams-Brice is the football stadium for the overgrown community college known as USC.It is situated in an outhouse called Columbia, SC – the armpit of the southeastern athletic conference (SEC). No one goes to Columbia, SC unless they absolutely have to – sort of like how no one who wants to be educated would attend the “University” of South Carolina unless they couldn’t get into the College of Charleston, Clemson or Phoenix.USC fans are the inbred, redneck, chip-on-the-shoulder types. They are foulmouthed and crass and they wear it proudly. Their football team’s accomplishments are almost nil yet the fans have the arrogance of a program that has actually won something. USC football fans make a Willie Nelson concert look like a Mensa Conference.The food in the stadium is awful and overpriced but that’s actually a plus because your stomach won’t feel like eating. From the looks of things USC fans do enough eating for the rest of us – like the entire eastern seaboard rest of us. Alcohol isn’t served at the stadium because most fans are already inebriated either from tailgating or they were just born that way.All in all it’s about what you’d expect from the state of South Carolina where they thank God for Mississippi whenever anyone starts publishing statistics on education, obesity or just general hopelessness. [Google]

Best traffic management of any of the SEC stadiums I have been to. It is easy to get in and get out after the game. Some people may disagree, but don’t judge until you have been to Fayetteville, Tuscaloosa, Auburn or Baton Rouge.

Parking prices are respectable. $10 – $25 depending on how close you get.

Atmosphere for a college game is excellent. The Cocks do it right. [Yelp]

Georgia’s Sanford Stadium

Sandwiched between East Campus Road and Sanford Drive, Georgia’s doghouse is one of college football’s most historic venues and has stood the test of time since making its debut in 1929.

Sanford Stadium itself is nothing amazing. They pack in over 90k bodies with no regard for comfort or convenience, much like all large stadiums in CFB. Food is your typical hot dog, popcorn, candy, soda and etc. selection. Parking is what it is. Staff is decent, getting in and out of the stadium is smooth and the bathrooms have plenty of pissers to use.

But what makes a college stadium is the whole experience. The tailgating, the fans (of both teams), the $#!+ talking, the quality of football, the city, parking, traffic, police and the weather. And with that said, I think the “Sanford Experience” is top tier. The delusional but passionate fans of UGA, the City of Athens, the tailgating, the level of football, the women in sundresses, the history, the drunk loudmouths, mild southern weather and all make Sanford a good venue for CFB.

Road traffic coming in and out of Athens sucks, but what can you do with 100k rowdy people. [Yelp]

It is in a giant cesspool, and they grounds crew needs to trim the weeds. Mark Richt had cardboard put on the field, because they look good on paper…[Google]

I’ve spent quite a lot of time in Athens, GA, and the highlight is always (usually?) coming to this world-famous stadium. Yes it needs a renovation, but it’s still an absolute monolith and a wonderful place to come. The Georgian cheerleaders are stunning, the fans are loud, I always had a great time here and was made to feel welcome. [Yelp]

Kentucky’s Commonwealth Stadium

The field at Commonwealth Stadium is named after C.M. Newton, a retired UK athletic director and former multi-sport standout. The venue got its name from the Commonwealth of Kentucky and is located on the south end of campus.

For the games I have attended at Kentucky, Commonwealth Stadium has been surprisingly really loud. There aren’t any bad sight lines, and the upper deck seats aren’t super removed from the action. The internal concourse of Commonwealth Stadium is in much better shape than Tiger Stadium.

The tailgating scene is on par with Florida, a step below Ole Miss and Alabama. Lexington, though, is an amazing town in the fall. We got to drive around the area before game time. Crisp air, fall colors, rolling hills, bluegrass. Pretty much the bomb.

For a basketball school, Kentucky surprisingly does the SEC proud when it comes to football. [Yelp]

This place sucks. Although no point in having a good football stadium since UK football sucks. [Google]

There is nothing like SEC sports and football is the main attraction! CWS is a beautiful stadium. Not the biggest but the atmosphere on game days is terrific. Tailgating around the parking areas is a blast with friendly fun people. The staff has been very “fan friendly” on game days too. Visiting teams fans will love Lexington and CWS.

My only suggestion would be fan tours of athletic facilities on gameday weekends, like Friday all day. Limited time slots would be OK but this is such a neat place they should show it of. [Google]

Missouri’s Memorial Stadium

Tucked away in a natural valley carved between twin bluffs south of campus, Mizzou’s Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium has stood the test of time with its traditional horseshoe-style architecture and natural surroundings

Classic stadium. A great stadium to watch a football game. Classic horseshoe. Very impressive. Built in 1926. Proof that older is indeed better. [Google]

It has a 72k capacity and is a really great, yellow and blue stadium, but it doesn’t have as intense of an atmosphere as some of the other big college stadiums for some reason. The stadium feels smaller than it is. [Yelp]

The Mizzou fans are awesome. Despite being from the opposing team’s group, everyone was very welcoming and I heard “Welcome to Columbia” and/or “Welcome to Mizzourah” at least 100 times while we were in town and at the stadium. [Yelp]

Vanderbilt Stadium

Vanderbilt Stadium’s the smallest in the SEC, but also the most intimate at just over 40,000 fans on gamedays.

This would be a great high school stadium, but unfortunately Vandy is in the SEC. This may be the worst SEC football game experience one can go to. [Yelp]

Went to the Vanderbilt- Wake Forest game. They ran out of food before half time! No hot dogs, no pizza, no hamburgers! What? Small stadium, tight seating. [Yelp]

Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium

Paralleling the Tennessee River, Rocky Top’s been home to the Orange and White during six national championship seasons and was the starting point to illustrious college careers for players like Johnny Majors, Reggie White and Peyton Manning.

This is one of the best venues to see college football in the nation and it should be, as one other reviewer noted, on your bucket list if it isn’t. Having visited other SEC and ACC school stadiums – Neyland is the biggest and best. Where else can you sing Rocky Top with 100,000 others? If you are on the upper deck be prepared for a long arduous effort to your long journey to the top, but its worth it. I haven’t had a bad seat yet in all of my visits. Get there early to experience the Pride of the Southland Marching Band and the splitting of the T. Place Neyland on your Bucket List if you are a college football fan – it won’t disappoint. [Yelp]

stadium is awful. felt like an asian in tokyo. [Google]

The size of the stadium makes some seating undesirable. Unfortunately, most super-large stadiums have this issue. You don’t want to watch a game from the top. The structure itself is also old. It is in dire need of renovation. The framing and walkways are unattractive and the bleachers can also use some work.

The Vol fans are good people for the most part. You’ll have a few people straggle out of the mountains and that can be a rough group. However, overall, you’ll find that the Tennessee fans are solid individuals and very pleasant to interact with at a football game. They know their football and most are very nice people.

Tennessee has some unique traditions. Watching the players run through the “T” is very cool and they love to sing “Rocky Top.” If you dislike this song, you’re in for a long day! Smokey, their dog mascot, can be found roaming the sideline. And the color orange…. It’s everywhere!

This is another must-see stadium in the South. Neyland Stadium is a bit outdated and can use some work, but it’s a massive structure filled with some of the nicer football fans in the country. [Yelp]

The UT fans had to be the most polite and tolerant bunch I’ve ever met – even with drunken Cajuns yelling incoherently in their faces. I can’t count how many strangers in orange shook our hands to congratulate us after the game. Southern hospitality indeed. [Yelp]