re: Just Back From Tuscaloosa--Impressions:

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That's what happens when your state has 8,000 public Universities. Not enough money to go around.

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LA has one more 4-year school than AL and roughly the same amount of people.

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Why are you here? Self-esteem issues?

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Sure thing buddy...just reading stuff...does that hurt your feelings sensitive guy?

I'm not getting into the broader facilities debate. Back to the OP.

Things I liked:
Bryant-Denny is a pretty nice facility. It is well designed and well integrated so that it appears that the whole thing was built at one time. They also have resisted the post-911 trend to push the entry gates back away from the stadium. I sat in the lower bowl, and was underneath the upper deck supports before I had to show tickets. And since they don't have to dodge around dorms, they had a lot of gates that facilitated going through the lines quickly.

The fans I was around were pretty okay. Sometimes they would look at me funny when I was cheering or disagreeing with the refs, but otherwise they were cordial and even asked me if I had been treated well before the game.

What I didn't like:
The atmosphere was way too artificial. How many times do we have to see videos of Bear Bryant before the game? Everyone thinks Bama fans live in the past--well, their pregame videos make that mandatory.

Speaking of pregame, the band was completely irrelevant. They marched out to the music from their band hype video. WTH? Their lines were bad, they did scatter drills to get to the B A M A formations, and once they were in the tunnel, the piped in music started up again while they waited for the team to march out (filmed of course for the video boards).

Additionally, the band was irrelevant to the crowd. Even when you can't really hear Tiger Band, you can tell they are playing the "GO TIGERS" cheer because everyone is yelling it. Nothing the MDB did had that kind of reaction, because all of the crowd hype was coming from the videos of the maniac strength coach.

Reminded me of an NFL game, and not in a good way.

The strip did look nice, but after the game I really wasn't in the mood.

GEAUX TIGERS

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Band Sucks

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Yea. I asked a bump sitting behind me a one year what the frick did they spend their million dollars on when the band was on the field. Even he agreed they are terrible.

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Chicago, Pennsylvania, California



Wow. Each of those areas has so many better choices.

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Fully academic scholarships. Room..Board..out of state fees..total free ride.

They are attracting those kids who want to go out of state and can't get enough funds to cover the top schools.

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Their band really is garbage and they have nothing else to do besides roll tide. Complete lack of ingenuity from the student section. Just a bunch of gumps hollering roll tide

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If only they could steal a song from the HBCU's like "Neck" so the students could then chant "Suck that elephant dick."

Also if you want to know why rap music is blared over the PA check out the visiting recruits to see if they like it or not.

I was there. My summary, four of us siting in the middle of all of the crowd. They were tolerable but we're definitely worried in the first half. They got real cocky in the second half.

The strip is really not that great. Mostly franchise quick food or homegrown bars.

The campus is undergoing a complete makeover and it appears to be better planned than what we have at LSU. Sidewalks are all in much better shape than ours and many of the buildings are definitely in better condition than ours. Most are not as elegant as some of our older buildings.

The crowd before the game was tolerable with a few saying welcome.

The Bear Bryant museum is a nice idea but is very cheesy. Content is interesting and a decent tribute to the man but very simplistic.

Piped in music, videos of key plays against LSU over and over again throughout the game. No Patrick Petersen highlights though.

Silly Pom poms but you have to give it to them they all use them throughout the whole game.

No. Profanity during songs and no one is siting on their hands.

Not as loud as Tiger stadium but consistently loud throughout the game.

Their circular exit ramps are nicer than ours which makes for easier exit from stadium.

Good time was had but very uncomfortable when we are getting beat.

Thanks for compliments on the stadium and campus. I tend to agree with you.

As for the atmosphere (band, fans, etc) you have to understand that you are dealing with the uber fanbase when it comes to comparison.

Nothing compares to you guys when it comes to band cheers and the such.

It wasn't the loudest game I've attended at BDS but the atmosphere was as good as it gets in college football. Not sure where you sat but one thing about putting a lot of y'all in the planeraker seats is that you never can really tell how loud it is.

Alabama has - in the last seven years - branded itself academically and athletically as a national school. The majority of students here in Tuscaloosa are from out of state.

The school has expanded drastically, altered its academic focus drastically, and taken a different direction. The money and applicants have poured in, and the campus and stadium have been beautified to perfection as a result. I also think the cheesy NBA-like atmosphere is the stadium is a side effect of this change in identity. It wasn't like that it the 90s, it was much more akin to the other SEC stadium atmospheres.

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LSU offered him $2000 on top of TOPS. So it would have cost me several thousand more just to send him to his state flagship.

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Sounds like he didn't list LSU as his first choice.

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LSU National Scholars' Award

Any student who scores in the eightieth percentile of the PSAT, SAT, or ACT and/or ranks in the top 10 percent of their class; and who has been recognized as semifinalist or finalist in a national academic competitive program such as, but not limited to, National Merit, National Achievement, National Hispanic Scholars, Wendy's National Collegiate Heisman Award, Westinghouse Scholars, Gates Millennium Scholars, and Davidson Fellows. This award will be the equivalent of tuition, the nonresident fee (if applicable), and the registration fee.

Distinguished Freshman Awards (National Merit Finalists)

National Merit Finalists (college-sponsored) indicating LSU as their first choice institution are eligible for this award.

A cash award ranging in value from $3,000 to $8,000 ($750 to $2,000 per year based on financial need)
An opportunity to participate in the Chancellor's Future Leaders in Research program or to become a Chancellor's Student Aide and earn up to $6,200 ($1,550 per year) working in a campus job
Nonresident students receiving this award are eligible to receive the LSU National Scholars award which covers tuition and the nonresident fee

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