College Football Stadiums: Iowa State Cyclones - Jack Trice Stadium

As an active college football fan, I have attended games at dozens of locations throughout the country. I compiled the high points and low points of my trips and put them into a series of articles for your viewing pleasure.

This time, our series takes us to Ames, Iowa, home of the Cyclones. It may not sound like much, but Ames has plenty to offer the football fans of America...

On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the best football experience of a lifetime), let's take a look at how Iowa St. stacks up.

Friday Night: 7

Since I attended a night game, I did not arrive in Ames until game day. However, after the game my group frequented the local night life. The bars were average at best, but the people were incredibly friendly to our group and the ladies seemed to love us...was it the smell of success?

Tailgate: 8.5

In my opinion, tailgating can always improve and Iowa St. is no different, though it's not far from perfect. Hundreds of people play ladder golf, bean bag toss, and other tailgate games. Visitors are usually welcome to participate with the locals. As you would imagine, there was tons of food and beer on hand. Jack Trice Stadium sits on 30-acres of land so there is a ridiculous amount of space to set up shop; this played a big role when I ranked it near the top of my tailgate list.

Pre-Game: 3

As I recall it was not an overly exciting entrance onto the field by the home team. They did a video...kind of; and they stormed the field...sort of; and the band played...a little. If you're a bit late to the gate, don't sweat it.

Atmosphere: 6

I have to give respect to the Cyclone fans. My expectations were very low heading into the game, but Jack Trice Stadium is pretty cool (did you know it's the only Division I stadium named after an African American?). I feel like it could be a little more energetic in there, and there's not a lot of tradition and history. But for the most part, it's a decent setting on a college football Saturday.

Stadium Engineering: 8

There are huge grass areas for overflow fans and visiting spectators...almost guaranteeing a chance at a ticket on your road trip. Another positive is the decent bathroom to spectator ratio, which came in handy.

Decibel Level: 5

Come on Iowa St...you can do better than that. Get loud in there and get on your feet!!

Overall: 6

You will not find easier access to a stadium in the entire Big 12...maybe even the nation. If you're a fan of open air and wide open spaces, Ames is the place for you.

Sources:

http://www.cyclones.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=46691&SPID=4256&DB_OEM_ID=10700&ATCLID=541499

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blackhistory2008/news/story?id=3242390