I don't know if anyone else noticed this from a few days ago but I hadn't seen it in any of the threads...
ACC stadium experiences:1. Clemson2. VT3. FSU4. NC St5. Miami (better big game)6. Lou (better on avg)7. GT8. Virginia9. Cuse10. Wake11. UNC12. DukeHaven't been: Pitt, BC*Based on a mix of big game & avg game environment— A special place in Hale (@DavidHaleESPN) June 27, 2018
Seeing this tweet is great; however, I feel like there is work to do to substantiate this rank and to maintain it going forward. While I agree that Lane is DEFINITELY top 3 in the ACC, I feel like we are as far as we ever have been from the Terrordome days and I, for one, would love a resurgence of those types of game atmospheres. A couple of games had great vibes last year, but I want more!!! To be fair, it was my first season in the West stands (I'll be back in the East this year).
What can we do to keep up the momentum (besides winning all the games) and return Lane to THE most feared place to play in all of CFB? (paper airplanes are not an acceptable answer)
Comments
Less paper airplanes, more airplane bottles.
Why can't they do digital tickets on cell phones. It's completely doable in today's day and age.
They are starting. The Beamer Ball Mobile Pass this year is 100% mobile.
There are also cell phone flasks... I know because I used to sell them. This would also eliminate airplane bottles and keep the crowd just as bourboned
But then the students would throw their phones on the field.
I expect throwing a $500+ cell phone would slow this activity down pretty quickly, especially since to most college students a cell phone is like an oxygen source.
there, fixed it
Yes. This!
I think the Staff and Whit have done everything they can to get us back to a good environment. Night games, Thursday games, better scheduling from previous years. But at the end of the day, it comes down to winning football games and getting exposure. If you win and you have a consistent top 10 rank, you will have things like College Gameday, and prime time games, which leads to a better atmosphere.
Oh, and beer sales would definitely help.
This is it. No one would have Clemson as #1 before they went on their run. Sure Clemson, FSU, and VT are going to draw decent crowds without winning 11-14 games a year, but the order for the top 3 is largely going to be based on who's winning lately. People show up for big games. By definition, big games happen between big opponents that matter. If you don't matter, you won't have a highly ranked game day experience that people care about. Even Miami at #5 is laughable before this past season.
Miami at 5 is laughable still for an opponent they don't give a damn about. I know Lane isn't exactly rocking for the lower end of the conference, minus UVA, but at least we bring more than 10,000 people for those games, even in the leanest of years.
Outside the top 3, who would you pick from 4 down?
The ACC lacks atmosphere. It's why our traveling fans dominate any game in the state of NC, Lane North, and ATL. This conference is empty seat central.
If the U keeps winning, they'll get a home atmosphere like none other. Our game with them was one of the best in Miami in a very long time.
Yikes...uhhh...ok, well, oustide of this past year's massive resurgence from Miami, I'd put GT and Louisville ahead of them...maybe. Never been to a GT game but they're student section seems to be into it. Been to a handful of UL games (never a big game)...decent tailgating, alcohol sales in house, and "ok" crowds.
But yeah...maybe "laughable" isn't the right word. I just have the images of 50-60k orange seats open at the Orange Bowl from the past 8-10yrs burned into my memory. And I hate Miami and that fanbase.
I have and you're right, the students do get into it, but other than that they don't have a lot going for them. The rest of the crowd can be pretty lackluster or nonexistent depending on the game, which I wouldn't expect seeing as GT's campus isn't exactly remote.
I was surprised how much the student section was into it when I went there. Thought they had an OK atmosphere for what they are.
Sidenote:
Did you notice how many Gingers went to GT?
My wife and I couldn't get over it. Everywhere you look there was another Red Headed Student.
In all fairness to them, I have no idea how you get excited to watch that style of football
Obligatory
This goes to both of our points, but once you get out of the top 3-4 the order gets fairly unimportant. Like you said, if Miami keeps winning, they'll get a great atmosphere. Completely agree, but hell, if in some strange alternate universe Duke started competing year in and year out for an actual ACC championship and playoff birth, they'd all of a sudden have a great atmosphere too. On the flip side of your point, when Miami ISN'T winning, they could rival Duke, UNC, or even UVA for complete snoozers.
Maybe David Hale just really likes balloons.
Nah, he had a pet rock growing up and is nostalgic.
I heard he really really likes running down hill as well.
I have never been to Clemson, but from what I have heard, it's not nearly as load as we are. So I disagree with the ratings.
I think on average you're right; however, they do have one of the top 2 loudest moments in CFB history (we got number 5 last year during the Clemson game).
We do more with less. If we had 80+k, it wouldn't be close.
Agreed. But I don't think that's gonna happen any time soon, or ever. I do kind of wish that they'd rebuild the NEZ stands to be more of a permanent structure that looked like the other structures and added another 1-2k for students.
I don't think it will happen soon either (possibly ever). I hear what you're saying, but I don't think it would be as loud if the NEZ wasn't bleachers though. Those impermanent bastards do contribute to the decibel level. Especially, during Enter Sandman. I wonder if the extra 1-2k would make up for their loss?
According to whom and by what standardized measure?
Based solely on this article: https://www.diehards.com/virginia-tech/virginia-tech-crowd-noise-lane-st...
"Here are the games that had the top five loudest recorded moments in college football history:
1. Husky Stadium, Washington, 1992 – 133.6 dB
2. Memorial Stadium, Clemson, 2007 – 132 dB
3. Tiger Stadium, LSU, 1998 – 130 dB
4. Autzen Stadium, Oregon, 2012 – 127 dB
5. Lane Stadium, Virginia Tech, 2017 – 126.2 dB"
Wow, hard to believe '17 outdid '03 (Miami), '05 (Miami Pregame), '09 (Miami), '11 (Miami) & '15 (OSU).
So was every game measured - and was the measuring standard (same weighting, same location, same distance from crowd, etc) exactly the same? The answers are almost certainly no and no.
Plus when looking at the numbers like this, it makes it seem like LSU at 133.6dB is just 5% louder than Lane's 126.2dB. But that's not how dBs work. 126dB is ungodly loud. Almost 134dB would be like 50% louder than ungodly loud.
I have no doubt the stadiums listed are among the loudest, but the variables are huge. That's why lists like this should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt.
I think we all get that, it's an imperfect measurement just like many other things... it's just a talking point...
I thiiink it was 2005. Miami was playing at Clemson and I swear the announcers were having to scream over the crowd it was so loud. There's a video (it's nearly 13 years old, so the quality isn't superb) on youtube from that game that shows some plays in the 2nd half from the broadcast, then shows the same play from a camera field level. If anybody on that field says they could hear themselves think they're lying. I, for one, cannot wait to go down there in a couple years for that game.
I've been to Clemson for a few of the recent FSU games, and Death Valley certainly gets as loud as Lane.
I've been to 2 or 3 games since 2013. Definitely louder than us. The do seat 20k more people...
Nah, i went when we played them last and it was incredible. Constant energy and deafenjngly loud. Tons of stadium wide chants. Balloons were fun.
Enjoyed it waaaaaay more than the horseshoe and if i werent a hokie, i would like it more than Lane.
Hopefully ill get to go back someday.
Im a jaded hokie fan since people didnt really seem to be interested in the team while i was there. But that happens when you are bad.
Get the rush defense back near the top of the board.
2017 #17
2016 #36
2015 #78
2014 #43
2013 #9
I will say that last season's Clemson game was the electricest I've ever seen Lane before kickoff. (I attended 2011-2015 football seasons). NEZ was jam-packed a full 60 minutes before kickoff. Miami in 2011 (these people are losing their minds!) and OSU 2015 (Sam Rogers earthquake) were the loudest, craziest in-game moments I experienced in Lane.
The best way to charge up Lane is for the football team to win and the defense and special teams to play to the level we know we are capable of playing and racking up the turnovers, the big hits, and the non-offensive TDs.
As much as I would 100% love to win each game 38-0, those kinds of one-sided games aren't inherently conducive to Big Loud Moments where the game is hanging in the balance. A winning team makes every game a big game by default.
Nothing will beat 2003 Miami. People were sitting in the aisles. That was place was insane.
Close second would be 2004 Maryland Thursday Night game. We have a huge population of Maryland people, and it was the first time we had played them in a really long time, and we were in the hunt for the ACC Championship. The crowd got noisy for the entrance, and didn't die down from peak noisiness until a good 5 minutes or so into the game.
Although I think we're all prob biased towards our own years at VT, I'd have to add Coale/Roberts catches against Nebraska and the GT David Wilson TD return. "Losing their minds" might take the cake though (not pie, pie is fake cake)
The David Wilson return is my all-time favorite moment and the craziest I've seen Lane in person. That place was fucking shaking. People watching on tv were texting me "HOLY SHIT."
But as I said in a previous, like, 400 threads, Miami of 05 was the best pregame I've ever seen (I didn't get to go to the 03 game.) The commuter lot was jam packed by noon.
The Coale/Roberts catch isn't that far up on the list because a lot of people had already begun leaving the stadium. The offense was anemic that day and it looked like Tech wasn't going to get the ball back. I am glad I stayed and I couldn't speak well for two days after, but not even close to the loudest moments in Lane.
Some of my loudest and craziest moments:
2004 vs #6 WVU when Vinny Fuller ran back the blocked FG
2005 vs #5 Miami. We were sitting undefeated and #3. Winner was on the path to the national championship. Place was packed for the team walk, just crazy.
2007 #2 Boston College. Even in the rain people were pumped up.
I don't remember playing Miami in 2005.
Only one team showed up that night, and it wasn't VT
I agree Miami 03 was CRAZY. I was there with HokieEnginerd and we were standing shoulder to shoulder and still had to yell to try to communicate with each other.
Yeah people snuck in and were sitting in the aisles. I got tickets last minute and I was super lucky.
Umm...expanding the English language, are we?
i love a good nonsense word every now and then
That's a pretty fair ranking.
UVa #8???? He must've visited during a Commonwealth Cup game
But then you think about who's behind them and you realize just how bad the bottom third of the conference is...
Well, he got to pick where he sat with all the empty seats. I'm sure that is enjoyable.
Yes, you did that right.
I love how on twitter the UNC/Duke/UVA/Wake fans are arguing over the order of the bottom half. Seems there's a consensus that Pitt sucks.
Shocked Cuse is so low. I thought they sold that dome out all the time.
Yeah, maybe in the mid-late 90s or whenever they were playing us at home.
that Klempson entrance though..
It's not really environmentally friendly...bus team around stadium to run down a hill and release balloons...why does Clemson hate the environment? /s
My dad went to Clemson, went to a lot of games as a kid. I get why it's on par with VT's entrance. Pretty cool to have the players basically run through the crowd onto the field.
Similar vibe to enter sandman where there is a build up to the climax, with players standing on top of the hill until their fight song chorus is played.
I don't know about loudest, cause there are several moments that come to mind, but 1999 BC...Post Game Celebration...will always be my top craziest experience in person!!
I've been to a shit ton of Clemson games and VT games. It's not close how much better our environment is. If things aren't going well for Clemson the only thing you can hear in the stadium is them talking shit about their own players. The Louisville Gameday game in 2016 when Clemson blew their lead was dead silent outside of people talking shit about their own players.
Both times I've been to Clemson, you could hear a pin drop (vs VT in 07, vs FSU in '13).
As to the Clemson sentiment from above...
I've known a couple of recruits (that we've missed on) who have been to the "best" every school east of the Mississippi has to offer, and the rank from them came in like this...
1. Georgia (not ACC, I know)
2. Clemson
3. VT
I never cared after that.
Guys on the radio in Raleigh were talking about this with a former Duke player last week. A couple points...
1. Considering this was about Gameday experience it must include quality of the team, so they get why Clemson is #1.
2. Lane Stadium is a great venue and opposing players look forward to playing in Blacksburg every year. The energy is just an experience they all love.
3. Cutcliffe hates Paul Johnson. Like seriously hates him. He's an asshole to the media and fellow coaches. Walks into every room thinking he's the smartest one there. Everyone looks forward to the day he is fired.
4. Virginia might be the most disliked fanbase in the league for every reason we have grown to ridicule them over the years. Especially for a team and venue as forgettable as they have.
That's why he's such a perfect fit for Georgia Tech
I would expect Miami to be the most disliked fan base. The things that come out of Florida Man's mouth...
They went into great detail on why. Basically, its the popped collar, seersucker, wine and cheese, nose hung way up in the air, Auld Lang Syne signing, air of douchiness that surrounds their fanbase that media and players alike secretly despise. Other than that, according to them, Scott Stadium is just a bland, sterile, forgettable venue.
Hard to argue with literally any of that.
Unpopular opinion: "loud for 67K" just means you're not as loud as the big boys. You don't get points for being louder per capita. I love the atmosphere in Lane, but if you have to resort to that argument, you've already lost.
I get what you're saying, but I think it's less "loud for 67k" and more of "loud as the 100k seaters." In other words, the motion of our ocean far out-cedes the size of our boat.
Clemson has loud moments, they don't get loud every defensive down like Lane is. They are really loud the first drive or two on defense and then will be loud during some important moments. The consistency is not there.
Wanna know how to get to #1? Add that animatronic Bud Foster head that shoots fire to the scoreboard.... It's long overdue.
Our entrance is better but with with 15K+ additional people at Memorial and a team that has been much more successful in the last 10 years the overall experience is going to swing in their direction.
I'm fine with this.