If you could pick one Navy road game to attend this year, which would it be? Assume that you get to spend as long as a week in the area. And no, Annapolis doesn’t count if you live in Timbuktu of something. Seriously though, have you looked at the possibilities? You have BCS matchups with Ohio State and Pitt, the traditional game against Notre Dame, Dallas, Houston, and friggin’ Hawaii. The potential for entertainment is off the charts. So weigh the criteria however you’d like; competition, destination, quality of stadium nachos, whatever. If you had to pick one, where would you go?
The Birddog 
For me, gotta go with Ohio State just for the Horseshoe and being in a stadium with 105,000 fans. Only downside is that the game might only be close for a quarter or a half.
Pittsburgh is a good little town, but watching a college regular season game in an off campus, pro stadium lessens the appeal.
I lived in Hawaii for 3 years in the Navy and don’t much feel the need to go back, especially with the reputation their fans have.
Not a fan of Texas and I have been to Notre Dame and thought it was grossly overrated.
I’m going to Columbus, but if I had to pick ONE, I’d rather take the family to Hawaii.
Got tix to Columbus for the once in a lifetime match-up and the huge, hostile crowd, but Hawaii for the return to the paradise duty station and the birthplace of my son. Maybe I’ll be able to hit Hawaii and make it two for two this year.
Been to ND, would happily go again, especially if there is a ‘W’ in it for us!! Damned that I missed the last one!!!
However, to take the crew on a road trip to Hawaii, regardless of the fans, would fulfill a lifelomg dream! So, for the sake of family harmony— we go to visit the islands, all of them… and catch the game in the middle of it all!
’89
@tOSU From everything I’ve heard, it would be an awesome experience to just take in the CFB atmosphere.
@Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh doesn’t seem to be a CFB city to me. I was listening to the radio today and they host was even talking about how they just care about the Steelers, so I wouldn’t do this game.
@Rice/@Houston ehhh….
@Notre Dame: Had an awesome time when I went up there in 2006. It’s CFB history. But once you’ve gone once, you don’t need to go back I think.
@ Hawaii: would be an awesome game to go to but it would be because of everything else you could do there. I would put money that you wouldn’t want to leave your chair on the beach and actually go to the game.
So in conclusion, go to Columbus.
OSU. Would love to go to the Horseshoe — great game atmosphere — but what would you do after the game? It’s Columbus, Ohio, for Pete’s sake.
ND is a great atmosphere. Fans are spirited and decent to visitors, even when they lose. But need to drive 90 min for a decent meal in Chicago.
Rice — couldn’t have said it better, it’s Houston.
Pitt — see Rice.
Hawaii would be a decent game, but what a location! I’d pick a week in Oahu.
What about Dallas?
Hawaii…… how could pick anywhere else?
There’s a lot of great away game locations, but considering the food, the beaches, the beauty of the State… day for day there’s no better place.
Most University of Hawaii games finish under the lights…. awesome sunsets from Aloha stadium.
For football ND without question . Hawaii is great for other things but not football. I may change my mind after I visit Columbus in Sept but for now I’ll stick with ND. Going to Pitt too but just don’t see it as a very good football atmosphere.
1) Notre Dame
1a)OSU, if I had already done the ND thing.
gotta be tOSU.
-The ‘shoe
-105K fans
-Plus, it’s the only venue where chances are we won’t return for 50+ years.
Everywhere else we will be back again…
I hate Dallas. But a warm afternoon in a college town could be “sundress city”!!! Outside of that, I don’t see anything appealling about Dallas.
Ohio State would have been nice to see except the game will be competitive for only 2 minutes and as always nothing would beat seeing a college game in South Bend.
I would have to pick Ohio State. They are my #2 team mostly because it is the team that my wife and her family follow.
I already know that, no matter where we wind up watching the game, that we will be throwing chips and wings at each other the whole game.
Ohio State — I imagine that this is just an entirely different kind of environment for football than our own small (but awesome) NMCMS. Can’t wait to make it to the game …
Second would probably be Notre Dame. I grew up in South Bend and my family is still there. I hate, absolutely hate Notre Dame — not just ND football — but will have to admit that the university has a beautiful campus and having the stadium right on the campus makes for a very nice gameday experience.
85’er — there are some decent places in South Bend, just have to know where to look. Best pizza in the region can be had at Giannetto’s in Mishawaka, and there are a few mom and pop restaurants around that serve up a great dish — you just have to put up with the ND trash all over the place.
It’s off to the horseshoe for this old goat.
the shoe…i’ve been to games at the swamp and LSU and there is simply nothing like a CFB game in a sea of people like that. i still don’t think anything i ever go to will come close to the craziness of the LSU-Bama game I went to in 2000…it was LSU’s first home win over bama in something like 30 years
next would be ND…just because I hate myself for not being there 2 years ago
Went to the Nebraska at Pitt game a few years ago. Don’t know that I would go back to a game in Pitt again. Just walking to my seats before the game I had empty beer cans, pretzels, etc. thrown at me, and plenty of insults and foul language thrown my way. Same for walk to head at halftime. Even had young kids (like around 10 years old) constantly shouting foul remarks and “you guys suck” throughout the game. Hardly a fun experience.
Now to be fair, I seriously doubt most of the offenders (and there were a lot of them) were Pitt grads or even really fans, but Steelers fans with some extra time on a Saturday. One guy sitting in front of us was a Pitt grad who apologized to us saying that most of the people in that section did not go to Pitt.
Regardless, it was not a pretty sight or fun event, and I would seriously consider not bringing any kids to the game.
The Shoe would be the first just for the game itself.
Hawaii would be next for the entire vacation aspect.
Going to South Bend this year to repeat the magic of ’07. A win there beats any extracurricular entertainment. Just for the whole experience, Ohio State would be my other pick, since it’s close to my old Kentucky home, which I don’t visit near enough.
I doubt those were “true” Pitt fans- they were totally a class and fun bunch last year at NMC. But going to that PRO stadium would make it feel like a non college game and there will be abiout 47,000 tops in a place that will have 30,000 empty seats- a horrible place for a game- But the city itself is great!
Regarding Pitt — Is there a chance Pitt is trying to find a way to get back to having a place on campus? That is the biggest reason I think the Pitt game will be the only away game I don’t go to this year — no “ahhhh – this place is cool! ” to look forward to .. Heck the guys that mentioned that Dallas is just a boring place to go to are forgetting that SMU has a neat on campus joint that they will like. That is a reason enough alone to get on a plane.
Apparently Heinz Field is a recruiting win for Pitt. The fan experience isn’t all that, but the players really like it.
Hawaii. Aloha also means goodbye. I would be there in a second if I could
I guess playing at Heinz Field or any NFL stadium would be appealing to the 17 year athletes .. heck, even our sports info people pointed out after the 2006 season how our guys played in 4 NFL stadiums between 28Oct and 30 Dec that year …. (Ravens, Lions, Eagles, and Panthers) and that no college team had ever played in 4 different NFL places in one year.
chbags,
I was there for the bowl game in Charlotte and the empty seats were a little disheartening. However, having a professional quality field and professional video screens for replays and such were quite nice. Bank of America Stadium is a mostly decent place to watch a game, I like it a lot better than Lincoln Financial Field.
chbags,
That last post was from me, I was logged into the wrong account.
Kaigun — yeah, all those empty seats in the upper level of a massive pro stadium make a crowd look small — that rain did not help and it was a little chilly too. I went to all 4 of those games. I think M&T Bank is the best.
In response to newt91, “probably won’t be back for another 50 years.” Isn’t there a return matchup scheduled for 2014? Thought I saw that in the original agreement between the two schools. Maybe that has been changed?
2014 is Navy’s home game.
It’s a tough decision, so I think I’ll go to three – OSU, ND, and Hawaii.
Apparently the Ohio State fans have invaded the poll.
Mike:
On your list Why San Diego State?