Ok, so whenever there is a post on here about Best M.A.C. stadiums everyone toots their own horn and belittles everyone else and it gets old and annoying. I would say from top to bottom the M.A.C. has a decent assemblage of stadiums for the size of our schools.

Therefore I would like to invite people to comment on stadiums they have been to, BUT in order to criticize, you must add a positive aspect of the stadium as well. I want to hear what people like most about their own stadium and also what they dislike about others in sort of a constructive criticism of each stadium. Thanks for humoring me :)

AKRON
Plus+
historic stadium, countersunk with trees outside of the perimeter, good sightlines(for most part)

Minus-
Light standards are IN FRONT of the seating bowl (!?), dated facility, but has much potential and still a good place to see a game,
MY GRADE= B-

BOWLING GREEN
Plus+
Easy access from I75, ample parking, sightlines are all good in the stadium, food and drink establishments near for meals and last minute tailgating supplies, GRASS

Minus-
No endzone seats, exterior although actually concrete as opposed to metal, looks dated, endzons are empty (for now), tunnels in and out can get congested, concessions are slow and very basic, at ground level which creates wind and poor aesthetics
MY GRADE= B

CENTRAL MICHIGAN

Plus+
Great student section, countersunk, parking and tailgating is easy and good,

Minus-
Not enough concession stands, congested traffic when arriving at the stadium/driving around to "family" parking lot, open endzone could use work
MY GRADE= B-

EASTERN MICHIGAN
Plus+
Easy parking, stadium looks great with hill and inclusion of basketball arena, Countersunk

Minus-
Poor atmosphere (lack of people), very concrete looking b/c lack of people, open endzone looks a bit odd with not much there
MY GRADE= C+

MIAMI
Plus+
tons of renovations going on, great concessions choices and stand alone vendors, location near campus, slope is good on press box side

Minus-
Not easily accessable IMO, parking kinda tricky,
MY GRADE= B+ (A- potential, will see how it is this season with improvements)

NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Plus+
Great student support, loud stadium, stands are angled nicely to provide view, field although at ground level (or maybe just below) is below the front row of the sideline stands, bars/restaurants within walking distance

Minus-
slated metal stands on the non-pressbox side, no endzone seats, endzone seats in one endzone covered with tarp
MY GRADE= B

TOLEDO
Plus+
great WPA era theme with the stone, enormous press box / suites, good sitelines for an older stadium, near the campus, accessable concessions on press box side, student spirit has grown ten fold in last 5-7 seasons

Minus-
non press box side is cramped under neath, cocnessions workers appear to be caged in, parking not the easiest, "older" fans can ask you to sit down even if you are standing and cheering for the rockets
MY GRADE= B+

Dayons_Den Wrote:AKRON
Plus+
historic stadium, countersunk with trees outside of the perimeter, good sightlines(for most part)

Minus-
Light standards are IN FRONT of the seating bowl (!?), dated facility, but has much potential and still a good place to see a game,
MY GRADE= B-

The light standards are where they are due to FAA regulations. The Rubber Bowl is just outside Akron-Fulton Airport and the FAA only allows poles and towers to be a certain height around airports. Thus the location...

If you caught the Marshall game last year.. UA actually had the standards removed and used temporary lighting on the press box side.. Better site lines for ESPN2. .

Thanks for the kind comments on Huskie Stadium. The endzone seats that was covered with tarp has been removed. The university is going to build the Academic and Athletic Performance Center where those stands used to be. It will be kind of hard to get endzone seating since a major road runs just south of the field and the AAPC with be North of the field. You can probably expect more seating to be built after the 3 following conditions are met... 1. the AAPC gets built, 2 an indoor practice facility is built, 3 NIU football keeps on winning year after year.

I can't say much about any other stadiums since I haven't been to any others.

Only been to Dix

Positives-very functional stadium adn i thought good sightlines, plenty of parking (no pun intented)...I was there in like '91 so my thoughts maybe rusty...

Negatives-As a younger Kent fan when I was there, I hate to say it but I have more negatives than positives...The stadium seemed like quite a drive fron campus...I remeber limited concessions... the stadium did not seem to be built for fanciness...Dix is built like a large high school stadium but 2x the size of course...square with two grandstand at the time... as big not meant for thrills...hopefully this will change but the crowd and enthusiam was like going to a game at stepford high...robotic

More gameday activity and letting people "losse" will help along with more victories...

I really like Rynearson. I was there before the expansion. They did a great job with the expansion. However, we always play there in late November, and no one is ever there.

NIU70 Wrote:I really like Rynearson. I was there before the expansion. They did a great job with the expansion. However, we always play there in late November, and no one is ever there.

besides the central and western game.... is anyone ever there?

I have only been to Dix stad, the Rubber Bowl, and Peden Stadium.

The Rubber Bowl: The two drawbacks to this stadium are it's location (as far as campus goes) and the light fixtures. I understand what was said about the lights, but it still can be annoying to have to see around them during a game.

+ I like the shape of the bowl. It can make for a great homefield adv. to have the place 3/4 to all the way filled.

Peden: It has been a while, but I liked the views from the stadium. I also liked the views of surrounding areas. Parking seemed easy when I went as well.

- The only thing I don't like is getting to the stadium from out of town. No good straight drives into Athens.

Dix: Minuses: It can seem a little drab. Especially if it is at low capacity. (Insert joke here). That hurts, b/c it is my team.. Not a lot of character to the stadium. Traffic can back up easily, even if there isn't a big crowd. They are pretty light on the concessions as well.

Pluses: Good amount of parking. New FieldTurf will be a plus over the former astroturf which seemed to be fading in color. New student seating section is nice. It is flanked on each side by "patio/deck" areas to watch the game. These are close to the field and are a good place to get a drink or some food.

Overall, I think that Dix Stadium is becoming a better place to see a game. Hopefully, a new scoreboard will come along in the next few years.. At least that is my wish.

Zippy989 Wrote:

Dayons_Den Wrote:AKRON
Plus+
historic stadium, countersunk with trees outside of the perimeter, good sightlines(for most part)

Minus-
Light standards are IN FRONT of the seating bowl (!?), dated facility, but has much potential and still a good place to see a game,
MY GRADE= B-

The light standards are where they are due to FAA regulations. The Rubber Bowl is just outside Akron-Fulton Airport and the FAA only allows poles and towers to be a certain height around airports.

We had a similar issue in Bowling Green.

Luckily, BGSU didn't ask questions. The university just went ahead and built the lights and pleaded ignorance once the lights were up.

The FAA made BGSU go back and put red flashing lights on the top of the towers.

I'm shocked, frankly, that this hasn't become a huge issue in Athens.

Schadenfreude Wrote:The university just went ahead and built the lights and pleaded ignorance

Was anyone surprised that they bought it? :rolleyes:

Schadenfreude Wrote:Luckily, BGSU didn't ask questions. The university just went ahead and built the lights and pleaded ignorance once the lights were up.

The FAA made BGSU go back and put red flashing lights on the top of the towers.

I'm shocked, frankly, that this hasn't become a huge issue in Athens.

ROTFLMFAO!