Welcome to the Campus Builder Series. In this column, I’ll be dissecting every aspect of a college football team, from tailgating experience to coaching staff. To start the series, let’s look at some of the most unique college football stadiums. Thanks to the respondents at r/CFB.
Criteria
First, let’s take a look at stadium criteria. The criteria that I’m using are personality, novelty, location and architecture, and categories will be ranked out of 10. So, what are the stadiums that we’re looking at?
Sun Bowl: El Paso, Texas
The home of the UTEP Miners is built into a mountain, making for some amazing scenery. Constructed in 1963, the stadium has a capacity of 45,971. While it may not look super imposing from the outside, the Sun Bowl has a friendly feel to it. The outside architecture is nothing to write home about, but it executes a simple style well and blends in nicely with the rest of campus. It may not be super intricate, but the aesthetic meshes well with the landscape and surrounding area.
Personality: 8 | Novelty: 7 | Location: 10 | Architecture: 6
Scott Stadium: Charlottesville, Virginia
Scott Stadium serves as the home venue for the University of Virginia. Most recently renovated in 2000, most of the Cavaliers’ stadium seems fairly generic. However, the unique approach to the North end zone vaulted Scott Stadium onto the short list. Rather than having seating wrap all the way around, the stadium features lawn seating which is flanked by pillars. It’s a nice feature, but the rest of the venue consists of a standard bowl stadium with an overuse of bricks.
Personality: 6 | Novelty: 7 | Location: 3 | Architecture: 6
Oklahoma Memorial Stadium: Norman, Oklahoma
With a capacity of 86,112, the Sooners’ stadium is one of the largest in the country. But unlike massive venues like the Big House in Ann Arbor, Oklahoma Memorial packs in as much personality as it does fans. From the outside, Oklahoma Memorial is reminiscent of a fortress, with turret-like features capping the walls. With a stunning exterior and a well-done interior, the stadium is one of the top places to visit for any college football fan.
Personality: 9 | Novelty: 6 | Location: 4 | Architecture: 10
Superior Dome: Marquette, Michigan
While it may be a few coats of paint away from being a Mario Kart blue shell, the Superior Dome can’t be beat in terms of sheer novelty. Built in 1991, the dome hosts the Northern Michigan University Wildcats. The Superior Dome is the largest wooden dome in the world, and also has a great location just off of Lake Superior. Although it only has a capacity of 8,000, the dome is a great fit for a smaller school like NMU.
Personality: 8 | Novelty: 10 | Location: 5 | Architecture: 7
Jones AT&T Stadium: Lubbock, Texas
Jones AT&T Stadium, home to the Texas Tech Red Raiders, might not be the biggest stadium in the conference. However, it has a ton of interesting and amazing aspects to it. First off, it’s important to notice the awe-inspiring design on the East wall of the stadium (the first thing you see in the tweet above). Additionally, Jones AT&T has not one, but two suite/press boxes. One of the best touches is the Texas Tech “Double T” shaped scoreboard. Overall, Jones AT&T is one of the more underrated stadiums in college football, and should only get better after ongoing renovations are completed.
Personality: 8 | Novelty: 7 | Location 3 | Architecture: 8
Conclusion
All of these stadiums have their own unique features that make them attractive, but for the sake of carrying on the series one must be picked. I’m going to pick the Sun Bowl– the way it fits in with the landscape is unbeatable and the skyline is magnificent. Which was your favorite? Let us know on Twitter.
Quad Sports 
[…] Welcome to the Campus Builder Series. In this column, I’ll be dissecting every aspect of a college football team, from tailgating experience to coaching staff. This week, we’re looking at the best tailgating experiences in the country. Read our last post about stadiums here. […]
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