In Expanded Big Ten, Is Michigan Still One of the Best Gameday Experiences?

I haven't had the pleasure of witnessing a game inside The Big House, but I've been in Ann Arbor during gamedays for most of them the past two years. Coming from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the gameday atmosphere from Michigan Wolverine fans is a bit rowdier and takes up a lot more space than for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

It's tough to admit, but I've told some of my fellow Alabama alumni and fans the same. Wolverine fans know how to have a good time on gameday.

But, the Big Ten is considerably bigger this year. Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington all bring another element on and off the field to the conference. It may have once been easier to say Michigan had one of the best gameday experiences in the conference, but does that hold up in a new-look conference?

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Bookies.com recently handed out grades to the Big Ten teams to rank each program based on their pregame gameday experience. Bookie looked at the location or proximity of the fun to the stadium, the quality of the tailgating, the entertainment options around the stadium, and the family safety factor.

Two of the four new teams scored in the top half while the other two scored in the bottom half. Oregon, #7, and Washington, #5, bring a high quality pregame atmosphere to the conference, so anyone making out to some cross-country conference matchups, these are the ones to shoot for.

USC, #14, and UCLA, #16, understandably didn't score particularly well. There's plenty to do in LA, but not all of it is particularly relevant to the programs.

As for Michigan, the Wolverines surprisingly landed square in the middle at #9. Michigan's rankings were:

• Location: 17
• Tailgating: 10
• Entertainment: 7
• Safety: 9

Of course, Michigan Stadium sits in a mostly residential area across campus from downtown Ann Arbor while still a comfortable drive from the shopping areas around State St and Eisenhower Pkwy near I-94. Still, Michigan gets a high score in location because a considerable amount of tailgating is at Pioneer High School and the university golf course across from the stadium. However, most other tailgating locations aren't particularly close to the stadium at all.

If you can find somewhere to tailgate, you're going to have a great time. Unfortunately, Ann Arbor is a tightly packed city, so most tailgating areas are already accounted for - so get ready to talk with your wallet to get a spot.

You could always enjoy downtown Ann Arbor or the shopping area near Eisenhower Pkwy instead. There are great bars and local restaurants - and wild parties in between along Packard St. Again, the problem is that most of the entertainment and food are far from the stadium.

Safety isn't too much of a concern on gameday outside of the absurd mass of humanity taking over the city. While hectic for drivers, pedestrians are well taken care of as the stadium empties. Plus there is a clear divide on where families will have a good time enjoying gameday activities and where partiers will have a good time of their own.

Unfortunately, being average in this regard did rank the Wolverines below Ohio State. The Buckeyes took the #2 spot while being honored with the best tailgating. Still, OSU was deemed the 3rd-least safe gameday, so there is something to brag about there.

The Wolverines did squeeze by Michigan State though, topping the Spartans by one spot.

Wisconsin took the top spot overall while Rutgers landed at #18. The full breakdown can be found here.