College Football GameDay Experience #9 (Madison)

And the countdown of College Football GameDay experiences continues. I liked the feedback I received about the Iowa City experience at number ten. For number nine, I had to go with Madison, WI, and Camp Randall Stadium.

GameDay in Madison- Wisconsin Badgers (Camp Randall Stadium)

The Wisconsin Badgers have been a dominant team the past two season appearing in two consecutive Rose Bowls. Names that stick out to me when I think of Wisconsin football is current AD Barry Alvarez, who coached the Badgers from 1990-2005, and 1999 Heisman winner Ron Dayne. I have honestly only experienced Wisconsin football twice. Both times this past season. So I am still learning about what Wisconsin football is all about.

First, I just want to let you know how awesome the city of Madison is. You have the Capital building and next to the UW campus is Lake Mendota. It really would be an awesome place to go to school. They also have a ton of bars you can go to as well. On gameday, it is a great place to be and you see a lot..I mean alot of Miller Light and brats being grilled. I even noticed in their student union that there was beer on tap. Welcome to one of the biggest party schools in the country. 

Camp Randall Stadium, which seats a capacity of 80,321, is a very cool atmosphere to be apart of. I was not able to attend a night game there, but I bet that Ohio State game in 2010 and the Nebraska game last year were crazy. The stadium definitely needs a facelift though, this place is old and the concourses specifically need to be upgraded. The game experience consisting of the band and student section is what makes a game at Camp Randall so memorable though. The game experience starts with the Wisconsin Marching Band filing onto the field where they play “On Wisconsin”. The band by the way is one of the most important parts of the Wisconsin gameday experience. They are so important that at the end of the game they get their own “Fifth Quarter.” This is the reason why you are obligated to stay until the end of the game, because the band plays a selection of songs and the students have choreographed dances to all of them. 

The student section is probably one of the best in the country. They are crazy and can get pretty nasty to opposing teams and their fans. Student section “O” can be heard starting the chant “F*ck You” and the rest of the student section chanting back “Eat S*it.” They also have a choreographed wave during the game and of course last but not least “Jump Around” between the third and fourth quarter. Jump Around is definitely in my top 10 for coolest traditions in college football. Honestly, the main reason I wanted to see a game at Camp Randall was to see “Jump Around” live. The crowd at Camp Randall stadium goes nuts and the student section singing and jumping up and down is quite a sight to see in person. The Wisconsin gameday tradition is one of a kind, from the great city of Madison to the cool traditions that occur during and after the game, Wisconsin places at an easy number nine on my list. 

Game attended in Madison:

9/10/2011   CFB  Wisconsin 35, Oregon State 0

Field level at Camp Randall

Rock outside of Camp Randall Stadium