USA Today ranks Arizona Stadium as fourth-best in Pac-12

According to USA Today, next week Oklahoma State will travel to the fourth-best stadium in the Pac-12 when it faces Arizona in Tucson.

Here’s how the newspaper ranked the conference’s venues:
1. Oregon (Autzen Stadium)
2. Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
3. USC (Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum)
4. Arizona (Arizona Stadium)
5. Stanford (Stanford Stadium)
6. Arizona State (Sun Devil Stadium)
7. Oregon State (Reser Stadium)
8. Colorado (Folsom Field)
9. California (Memorial Stadium)
10. UCLA (Rose Bowl)
11. Washington State (Martin Stadium)
N/A Washington (Husky Stadium currently under renovation)

As many of you know, I hail from Pac-12 country. Phoenix, specifically. I’ve seen games at seven of these stadiums, and I don’t exactly agree with this list.

Arizona has a very rowdy crowd environment, mostly because its student section takes up an entire side of the lower bowl. All that red looks absolutely awesome in person and on TV. But the stadium itself needs an overhaul, and there’s nothing particularly special about the scenery or anything like that. Overall, it’s nowhere near the stadium setting that Autzen, the Rose Bowl or the Coliseum provides.

Here’s how I’d rank the Pac-12 stadiums I’ve visited.

1. Oregon
2. UCLA
3. USC
4. Arizona State
5. Colorado
6. Arizona
7. California (before the renovation)

Of course, this is one gal’s opinion. Although Tucson Citizen beat writer Anthony Gimino seems to agree with me, as he tweeted “Arizona Stadium fourth?!” when he posted the link to the USA Today story earlier this evening.