ACC Game Day Experiences: Virginia Tech Ranks the Best
We made it through the dog days of summer. College football is back! Wake Forest kicks off the season on Friday night with a home matchup with Kennesaw State. The Deacs open the season with four home games before hitting the road with a matchup in Blacksburg against Virginia Tech.
Are you planning on going to watch the Deacs take on the Hokies? We will have more on that game as it gets closer. If you go, though, you're in for an incredible game day experience.
Two members of our team here at Wake Forest On SI are on a quest to experience game day at all 136 FB stadiums. When they travel to a new stadium, they arrive early and stay past the end of the game. They become immersed in the traditions, the tailgates, and the overall atmosphere inside the stadium. To say they know their stuff is an understatement. They are on the road most weekends each fall, absorbing new college towns or revisiting others.
Andrew Bauhs of College Football Tour has experienced 115 game days, including all 17 ACC schools. His quest began 20 years ago. This season, he will add 11 new stadiums to his list, with hopes of hitting No. 136 in 2027.
Brett Gibbons of the Road to CFB has been to 116 stadiums and experienced game days at 50 of them. He plans to add five new game days to his list this season.
We asked Andrew and Brett to rank the 17 schools in the ACC and determine which one has the best game day experience. To get to this ranking, they considered these six categories:
- Stadium – Overall stadium structure, architectural features, and how the stadium contributes to the experience.
- Traditions – The unique traditions before, during, and after the game that you do not see at other schools.
- Atmosphere – What is it like inside the stadium from the opening kickoff until the clock ticks 0:00.
- Tailgating – How is the pre-game tailgating experience, and how does it compare to others around the nation?
- Fans – How are the fans before the game, and do they remain in the stands throughout the game?
- Town – How does the town compare to other college towns? A large city may be a great city, but how is it as a college town?
Each category had a maximum of 10 points. Only one school scored a perfect 10 in any category—Cal scored the perfect score in the "Stadium" category. In the event of a tie, Andrew and Brett discussed the tied teams and reassessed the points to break the tie.
ACC Game Day Experiences Rankings
- Virginia Tech (with 51 points out of a possible 60)
- Clemson (50)
- Florida State (49)
- Cal (43)
- North Carolina State (40)
- Georgia Tech (39)
- North Carolina (38)
- Virginia (37)
- Louisville (36)
- Syracuse (35)
- SMU (34)
- Boston College (33)
- Pittsburgh (30)
- Wake Forest (29)
- Stanford (27)
- Duke (26)
- Miami (25)
Ranking the ACC Schools/Stadiums
School | Stadium | Tradition | Atmosphere | Tailgating | Fans | Town | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Virginia Tech | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 51 |
Clemson | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 50 |
Florida State | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 49 |
Cal | 10 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 43 |
NC State | 7 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 40 |
Georgia Tech | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 39 |
North Carolina | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 38 |
Virginia | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 37 |
Louisville | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 36 |
Syracuse | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 35 |
SMU | 6 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 34 |
Boston College | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 33 |
Pittsburgh | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 30 |
Wake Forest | 7 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 29 |
Stanford | 6 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
Duke | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 26 |
Miami | 2 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 25 |
How did they do? Do you agree with their assessment? Let us know what you would change! And if you are going to Virginia Tech on October 4, enjoy the experience! According to Andrew and Brett, the Hokies' "Enter Sandman" entrance to the stadium is one of the best traditions you find in all of college football.
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Barry is the managing editor/publisher of both the TCU Horned Frogs On SI and Wake Forest Demon Deacons On SI sites. He oversees a team of 15+ writers, photographers, and podcasters covering all sports at both schools. He writes on football, basketball (men’s and women’s), baseball, men’s tennis, and other sports as needed. His weekly articles include ACC Power Rankings and Poll Watching during the football, basketball, and baseball seasons. Barry is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). He has covered the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, the 2023 College Football National Championship, the 2023 College World Series, the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tennis National Championship, Big 12 Football Media Days, and Big 12 Basketball Media Days. He is an avid sports fan and traveler, and he loves any opportunity to see a sporting event in person. He has been to 18 of the 30 MLB ballparks, experienced game day at 25 college football stadiums, seen 21 NFL stadiums, and been to 16 bowl games.
Andrew runs College Football Tour, which documents his journey to thoroughly experience gameday at every FBS stadium. A graduate and fan of the University of Wisconsin, his visit to Wake Forest was a favorite along the college football landscape.
Brett is the ultimate college football traveler, currently en route to experience a game day at every FBS stadium. He is a former Division I recruiter at Bowling Green and Texas State, and his writing background includes analyzing NCAA betting markets. Also a high school football coach, Brett lives and dies by the gridiron. Follow along on all socials: @ roadtocfb.