Ad Disclosure
The regular season has concluded, and the only games left are conference championships and neutral-site bowl games. Rivalry Saturday gave us a lot of memories until 2015.
Looking back at Saturday’s schedule of games, let’s take a final trip around the country to the five best environments in Week 14:
1. Bryant-Denny Stadium, Alabama
If you’ve never experienced it, the Iron Bowl is a bucket-list event. The Yellowhammer State shuts down on Iron Bowl Saturday, and either Auburn or Tuscaloosa becomes the epicenter of college football. More than 100,000 people filled Bryant-Denny Stadium and witness history as the Tide and Tigers combined for 99 points, most in Iron Bowl history. Alabama exploded on a 34-3 second-half run to put the game away, and the Alabama faithful exploded as well.
Bryant-Denny Stadium is so loud my brain’s having trouble getting the signals in to my typing fingers.
— John Zenor (@jzenor) November 30, 2014
2. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Ole Miss The Grove vaulted itself onto the national scene earlier this season with ESPN’s “College GameDay” in town, and this last week, SEC Nation received its turn in Oxford. The 111th renewal of the Egg Bowl brought the third-largest crowd in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium history — 62,081 — and a huge Rebels win.
Vaught Hemingway Stadium is busting at the seams. — Brad Logan (@BradLoganCOTE) November 29, 2014
3. Memorial Stadium, Clemson
The other Death Valley was rocking on Saturday afternoon as Deshaun Watson led the Tigers over arch rival South Carolina for the first time in five years. Clemson’s seniors finished an astounding 26-2 at Memorial Stadium. Fans rushed the field after the win, a tradition after every Clemson win. A sold-out crowd of 82,0oo-plus was on hand for the Palmetto Bowl.
No place we’d rather be right now than beautiful Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. #home pic.twitter.com/6yuN4bNUpT
— Clemson Athletics (@ClemsonTigers) November 29, 2014
4. Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, Louisville How fun was the back-and-forth affair in the Governor’s Cup? The Wildcats and Cardinals matched each other score-for-score, though Kentucky couldn’t hold the momentum thanks to a defense that was shredded by a team down to its third-string quarterback. An announced attendance of 55,118 was on hand for a bitter rivalry. Both teams engaged in numerous skirmishes throughout the game.
5. Lane Stadium, Virginia Tech There’s nothing like “Enter Sandman” blaring as the Hokies take the field, and Friday night proved no different as Virginia Tech rallied from behind to grab the 24-20 win over Virginia as Frank Beamer’s team earned bowl eligibility for the 22nd year in a row. A capacity crowd of more than 62,000 descended on Blacksburg on Black Friday for the Commonwealth Cup. If you’ve never been, a game at Lane Stadium is a must.
Lane Stadium jumping now with ‘Enter Sandman’ rolling out the speakers #Hokies
— HokieHaven.com (@Hokie_Haven) November 29, 2014
After living in Birmingham, Ala., Jordan left the ground zero of SEC Nation to head south to Florida to tell the unique stories of the renowned tradition of SEC football. In his free time, his mission is to find the best locales around.
