ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Nick M. from New Jersey writes: Hi, Brian. Can you do one of those favorite stadiums piece that Tim Griffin did on his Big 12 blog? Thanks!

My colleague Tim weighed in on his favorite Big 12 stadiums earlier this week, and Chris Low did the same for the SEC earlier in the month. I've had several requests like Nick's for me to rank my favorite Big East stadiums, so I figure this is as good a time as any.

This league doesn't have some of the venerable old fields like other conferences. There are two teams playing in NFL parks and two stadiums that were recently constructed. But each has its own selling points, and I don't think there's a bad stadium in the entire conference.

Here is my list:

1. Milan Puskar Stadium, West Virginia: To me, this is the one place in the Big East that feels like it would be at home in the SEC or ACC. It's a true on-campus stadium surrounded by throngs of tailgaters before the game and filled with dedicated fans during the action. It just feels like college football here.

2. Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati: There is no place quite like Nippert in major-conference college football. It's historic, having been completed in 1923, and is incredibly intimate, with only 35,000 seats. And it's dug right into campus, nestled among school buildings. The stadium felt like a morgue at times during the 1980s and 1990s, but with the program humming now under Brian Kelly, it's become a great place to watch a game.

3. Raymond James Stadium, South Florida: Yes, it's an NFL building. But I sure love that pirate ship. It's a really comfortable place to watch a game in all aspects, and when the Bulls have a big game at night, the crowd can really get loud and rowdy.

4. Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, Louisville: This was an incredible upgrade from the old baseball stadium that Louisville played in until the mid-1990s. It has all chair-back seats, the statue of Johnny Unitas in the open end zone and a crowd that used to be really loud when the Cardinals were flying high. Expansion on a second deck will be completed for 2010.

5. Rutgers Stadium, Rutgers: This is another nice, on-campus stadium, and it could climb up my list once I see the current expansion project completed. The fans are right on top of you here. The one drawback is the traffic in and out of the stadium for big games, which can be a nightmare.

6. Heinz Field, Pittsburgh: This has a beautiful setting, right on the river in downtown Pittsburgh. But for some reason, much more so than at Raymond James, I always feel like I'm in an NFL stadium that's merely posing as a college football home for a day whenever Pitt plays here. Maybe it's the acoustics, but it doesn't seem like it gets all that loud. And the turf, at least in past years, can really be chewed up by late in the year.

7. Rentschler Field, Connecticut: The Huskies are lucky to have such a nice, new facility, which opened in 2003 on the site of an old airfield. It has a lot of modern amenities and plenty of parking. The minuses include its remote location and a general lack of color.

8. Carrier Dome, Syracuse: As much as I appreciate not having to sit outside in the Syracuse weather, there's something I just don't like about football indoors. I understand the Carrier Dome used to be a rocking, even deafening place when the Orange were really good. My only experiences came during the Greg Robinson era, when the place was more like a mausoleum. I'd love to see it packed and buzzing again. 

Now it's your turn to sound off. Let me know what your favorite Big East stadiums are, or why I should have ranked these differently.