Can't Compare to Autzen

David R.

November 27, 2009 - 5:22 PM

Anyone who is familiar with the Big 12 Conference knows that the University of Colorado is located in Boulder, about 45 minutes away from Denver, where I stayed for the Thanksgiving break. While I was home, I attended a Colorado football game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers with my dad and my little brother.

The University of Colorado has one of the prettiest campuses I have ever seen. Folsom Field, where the football team plays, is located right at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Gorgeous red cliffs can be seen extending into the the sky from the east side of the stadium.

When we arrived we took a walk through the stadium parking lot where tailgaters were busy preparing for the rivalry game. The rivalry was much more significant when Colorado and Nebraska were good, but it never dies. The loud, boisterous marching band was at work moving its way through the parking lot, finally stopping in the field house, where the masses gathered to hear the Colorado Fight Song and an array of other energetic rally songs. As game time nears, and the stands are filling, a great Colorado tradition takes place: The running of Ralphie. Ralphie is a live male buffalo that leads the team onto the field before each game. Surrounded by multiple men to ensure safety, Ralphie sprints a lap around the field as the crowd erupts, and finally runs into the trailer that is used to transport him.

As the game progressed, the score remained relatively close until the Cornhuskers were able to put it away with a late score by one of their running backs. Unfortunately for the Buffaloes, their three and nine season was nothing short of a disappointment.

As a young kid I always grew up being a Colorado Buffaloes fan. My dad went there, and he took me to many games. While I am in Oregon, I am consumed by nothing more than the Ducks and Pacific 10 football. It is fun to come home because I can go to Colorado football games, and I am able to make a comparison between this experience and the experiences I have at the University of Oregon games. I also enjoy being able to experience different games from two very prestigious conferences known around the nation.

As fun as this game was, I would never trade it for a game at Autzen. As cool as it is to run a buffalo around the field, no other team in American takes the field behind a roaring harley davidson motorcycle. Folsom Field holds about 53,000 people, and it sounds like 53,000 people. Autzen Stadium on the other hand can hold about 59,000 people, but it sounds more like 90,000 on a consistent basis. From my personal observations, Oregon fans are much more passionate about Ducks football than Colorado fans are about Buffalos football. This is probably because of the success that Oregon has had in recent years. There is never an empty seat in Autzen, while Folsom Field struggles to fill all of its seats. A game at Autzen Stadium has been considered by some sports writers to be one of the best college football experiences in the nation. If you want to go to a school with a big time football atmosphere, come check out a game at the University of Oregon. You won't regret it.