[Spiny_Norman]

cctop - USC has just completed a $500M renovation of the Coliseum. They took out 16,000 seats. It should be a more comfortable experience for the fans. It was pretty cramped before.

However they did not change the basic configuration of the stadium. There still are seats in the open (peristyle) end of the stadium that are 30-40 yards behind the end zone. That is where they have seated the Stanford fans in the past and where we are again this year. When AJ Tarpley recovered the fumble at the end of the 3rd OT in 2011 to clinch that epic game, I had to rely on the video board replay to understand what had happened. We were 150 yards from the action.

I have been in the closed end of the stadium before, among the USC fans. You will have to cheer gently for Stanford. Most fans won't care but you might be in the section with the one jerk who wants to harass you all game. And perhaps worst of all, you will have to listen to everyone jump up and cheer for the Trojan band. You will feel like Henry Jones in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as he and Indiana watch a Nazi rally in Berlin - "my son, we are pilgrims in an un-holy land." But there certainly are a lot more tickets available on StubHub in the USC sections than the Stanford area.

Still, my experience recently with the USC fans around campus and around the stadium has been pretty benign. They seem to respect Stanford. It has been a number of years since I had an unpleasant experience.

If you have time before the game, take a walk around Exposition Park, adjacent to the stadium. Enjoy the Rose Garden, the Natural History Museum, the California Science Center. Take a look at the brand new Bank of California Stadium where the LA Football Club plays MLS games. Walk around the Coliseum to see the human torso sculptures in front of the peristyle end. Take in the history of a building that has hosted 2 Olympics, NFL football, the Dodgers, and even Billy Graham crusades (the largest crowd in LA history). The big construction project on the west side of the stadium will be the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. It's an area rich in history.

I'll be working one of the check in roles at the tailgate. Please say Hi. It's always nice to meet Boardies.

Mark May (class of 83)

[Spiny_Norman]

cctop - USC has just completed a $500M renovation of the Coliseum. They took out 16,000 seats. It should be a more comfortable experience for the fans. It was pretty cramped before.

However they did not change the basic configuration of the stadium. There still are seats in the open (peristyle) end of the stadium that are 30-40 yards behind the end zone. That is where they have seated the Stanford fans in the past and where we are again this year. When AJ Tarpley recovered the fumble at the end of the 3rd OT in 2011 to clinch that epic game, I had to rely on the video board replay to understand what had happened. We were 150 yards from the action.

I have been in the closed end of the stadium before, among the USC fans. You will have to cheer gently for Stanford. Most fans won't care but you might be in the section with the one jerk who wants to harass you all game. And perhaps worst of all, you will have to listen to everyone jump up and cheer for the Trojan band. You will feel like Henry Jones in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as he and Indiana watch a Nazi rally in Berlin - "my son, we are pilgrims in an un-holy land." But there certainly are a lot more tickets available on StubHub in the USC sections than the Stanford area.

Still, my experience recently with the USC fans around campus and around the stadium has been pretty benign. They seem to respect Stanford. It has been a number of years since I had an unpleasant experience.

If you have time before the game, take a walk around Exposition Park, adjacent to the stadium. Enjoy the Rose Garden, the Natural History Museum, the California Science Center. Take a look at the brand new Bank of California Stadium where the LA Football Club plays MLS games. Walk around the Coliseum to see the human torso sculptures in front of the peristyle end. Take in the history of a building that has hosted 2 Olympics, NFL football, the Dodgers, and even Billy Graham crusades (the largest crowd in LA history). The big construction project on the west side of the stadium will be the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. It's an area rich in history.

I'll be working one of the check in roles at the tailgate. Please say Hi. It's always nice to meet Boardies.

Mark May (class of 83)