Title game atmosphere unmatched

<p>You can have Army-Navy.</p><p>You can have Auburn-Alabama. Even Florida-Georgia. Ohio State-Michigan? Puh-lease.</p><p>I’ll take this game.</p><p>The SEC Championship Game.</p><p>For my money (aka loose change) the SEC game at the Georgia Dome has the best game atmosphere in college football.</p><p>Bold statement, huh?</p><p>Does it matter who is in the game? It certainly doesn’t hurt when it’s Florida vs. Alabama. In fact, that’s the game you want to see unless you are a fan of one of the other possibilities. Old school vs. new wave. Alabama has all the tradition a school could want. Florida’s is growing with every season.</p><p>This is my 10th one in Atlanta since the paper has sometimes sent me even when Florida was not there. Still loved it.</p><p>You want a reason why it’s the best? I’ll give you five.</p><p>1. The stadium.</p><p>Most of you know the first two SEC games were played in Birmingham. If you were there, you might have lost the end of a finger to frostbite. Thank goodness former SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer attended a Peach Bowl game at the Dome. He knew that was where the SEC belonged even if it meant his staff would have to escape the cocoon of its home office and travel.</p><p>The Georgia Dome is a combination of comfort and chaos. We talk about how The Swamp is built to hold in noise but a dome holds it better.</p><p>2. The split crowd.</p><p>I know there are other games with split crowds but this game beats them all. Why? Because these teams are playing for rings in front of the most passionate fans in America.</p><p>And it’s not like a bunch of corporate people are sitting in the stands. They may buy a lot of the tickets but they sell them or give them to fans of the two teams. Certainly, I’ve seen Gator fans celebrate a win over Georgia in front of 40,000 Dog fans. But it’s nothing like watching them celebrate in Atlanta.</p><p>And when they crank up “Sweet Home Alabama” on the loudspeakers before the game when the Crimson Tide is there, there’s nothing like it.</p><p>3. What it means.</p><p>There is a certain look, a certain attitude you don’t see for even the fiercest of rivalry games. These players and coaches know what it means. Even the members of the media understand what it means.</p><p>You know that at the end of the day, one of the teams is going to be parading around with that bulky SEC sign and its fans are going to be chanting the initials of the conference.</p><p>4. The press box.</p><p>You don’t care but I do. This is why it blows away Florida-Georgia for me. Sitting in the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium press box, you only hear a muffled roar because it’s closed. At the Georgia Dome, it’s open and it’s cool. You could practically hand drinks to the fans on the row directly in front of the press box.</p><p>And unlike so many of today’s new stadiums, it’s located in the middle of the field and not too high up. How many press boxes have a spiral staircase? Food’s good, too.</p><p>5. The walk.</p><p>It’s the best walk in sports. Most of the hotels in downtown Atlanta are within walking distance. You walk through Centennial Park and the zingers start flying between the fans. Atlanta is a great town to have a game like this because of the restaurants and bars and the walk makes it even better.</p><p>Those are my five reasons. You don’t have to agree. But if you’ve been there, I’ll bet you do.</p><p>Best atmosphere no matter who is playing. When it’s Gators vs. Tide, it’s off the charts.</p>