Kinnick Stadium takes No. 1 on one B1G writer’s stadium ranking

The Big Ten is known as an elite college football conference, and along with the territory comes elite college football venues.

Catch a game in any of the Big Ten’s college towns and you’re sure to enjoy yourself, but not every stadium and not every experience is made the same. Sure, they all have charm and they certainly all have history, but there’s just a certain feeling in the air when you’re at Michigan’s Big House, compared to, let’s say, HighPoint.com Stadium.

Those are just two different experiences…and that’s hard to argue.

But argue it Graham Couch of the Lansing State Journal did. And by argue I mean rank.

The veteran Big Ten writer took a stab at ranking all of the Big Ten’s college football stadiums, and he used some of his colleagues to help him with the job. The rankings are, of course, 14 deep, with Purdue’s Ross-Ade stadium bringing up the rear.

Up first on the list? Well, Wisconsin gave Camp Randall a run and The Big House got a huge shutout, but those Hawkeyes over in Iowa won the day in this ranking with their venue over at Kinnick Stadium.

Here’s the scoop, from Couch:

There is nowhere else in the Big Ten where you can be so close to the game — I once sat with my feet on the field in the end zone. More than that, Kinnick has a classic feel, with the brick and arches, and a welcoming vibe. You aren’t likely to be spit on by the home fans. The new tradition of waving to the patients and families watching from up high at Children’s Hospital makes this a bucket-list college football venue.

Kinnick Stadium is a great choice for No. 1 on this list.

Iowa is a state that’s dominated by Hawkeye football, and that hub is Iowa City — a quintessential college football town.

Iowa City bleeds black and gold and the whole city literally feels like it revolves around Kinnick — much like Lambeau Field in Green Bay.

Of course, there’s plenty of great football to be seen at other venues across the Big Ten, but it’s hard to argue what the Hawkeyes have going on, especially now — as Couch mentioned — that the wave to the Children’s Hospital is a game-day tradition.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew covers the B1G on Saturday Tradition.