re: Advice needed for a Dutch College Football fan

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for the Clemson Carolina game

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Did they move that up to September?

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I seem to notice not everyone thinks my question is genuine (alter? I don't know what it exactly means), i have no idea why I gave some of you that idea, but I can assure you that we we are serious about our trip to college football games.

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Its a cautious response many have on here for various reasons.

But like I said, its really hard to plan the perfect games right now, simply because the schedules are not out and your timing is a time frame in which games dont occur on the same weekend every year. You would be better off planning when they get released, which could be this fall.

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If you can make the Florida vs. Georgia game, that is one of the best of the year and a great atmosphere

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You been? I'm just curious what makes people say this if they haven't been.

I didn't go into the Super Bowl but the atmosphere wasn't the same as FL-GA.

FL-GA was/is much better. The weather for the Jacksonville super bowl was crappy though so maybe that had something to do with the tailgating.

If Alabama plays a decent team like Ole Miss or Arkansas that early in the season, and you are willing to make a pretty lengthy drive to Tuscaloosa, you won't be disappointed. Tailgating is pretty good there, and you can visit the Bear Bryant Museum which is pretty cool if you are into the historical aspect of college football. It's one of the best college football museums outside of the College Football Hall of Fame.

You can't go wrong with Bama/UGA in Athens either. Athens is a pretty cool college town. But who knows yet if it'll fall in your time frame.

I know you've been to the USA before, but you may not realize how big the country is and how long these drives are. Taking two full days out of your trip to drive back and forth to a game is not a good idea. You will hate it. Driving on the interstate highways is easy enough -- but killingly boring and tedious. There is nothing to see from the road.

The only stadium close to Orlando is at the University of Florida. You can do that as a day trip - or do it as you planned with in on Friday; out on Saturday. Maybe you don't want to repeat that experience since it is somewhere you have been.

UCF is an option, since it is in Orlando. However, if you want the big-time atmosphere, UCF won't cut it. Their stadium is only about 40,000 and is rarely full.

Going to Miami is worth the trip to see South Beach and the city -- not for a football game. They have no college atmosphere -- and play in a mostly empty NFL stadium.

Figure out somewhere else you would like to go. For example,such as Charleston or Atlanta. Charleston is one of America's greatest cities with amazing dining, beaches, nightlife, history and architecture. It truly is the best small city to visit in America.

Atlanta is okay -- it suffers from being generic like most every newer American city. Sort of like Orlando without the theme parks. No real reason to visit there, other than it being central to UGA and Auburn, plus direct flights from
Amsterdam.

Try to make some friends on this board. Maybe you can join someone's tailgate and get tickets ahead of time that way. Not that it really matters -- walking around and being friendly will get you invited to a tailgate (especially when they find out you are visiting from Holland). Tickets are easy enough to scalp.

Note that game times are controlled by TV and are not announced until a couple of weeks before the game. Most big games are either 3:30 in the afternoon (CBS TV), or at night. Night games are the best.

You may also want to plan your trip around catching a Thursday and Saturday game.

Here are my two suggestions:

1. Fly from Amsterdam to Columbia, SC on a Friday. Columbia is a short 1 hour plan flight from Atlanta. Give yourself at least 90 minutes because you have to clear customs.

Stay in Columbia on Friday and Saturday nights. Go to the USC game. Do not be dissuaded by the location of the stadium. It does not have the nearby bar scene you have with Gainesville or Athens, but there is plenty of tailgating. Game day atmosphere is one of the best. If you don't mind hoisting a beer with an old fart, I can give you two of my tickets (35 yard line; 25 rows up). I bet SC Rooster will invite you to his cockaboose.

Sunday morning, drive your rental car to Charleston. It's an easy 110 mile trip. Spend Sunday and Monday nights there. Then drive from Charleston to Orlando. It's 380 miles; about 6 hours drive time.

2. Fly into Atlanta. From there, you have an easy day trip to Athens or Auburn. Both are limited on hotel options -- good ones fill up a year in advance and they are small towns -- so you might be forced to stay in Atlanta or somewhere off the interstate. I personally think Auburn is better for the in-stadium atmosphere, but no doubt Athens gives you all the bar/tailgating/walking through campus atmosphere you are looking for. Athens is the classic American college town. And honestly, UGA has a great big-time in-stadium atmosphere (90,000+ people barking at the top of their lungs) -- just not quite on the level of South Carolina or Auburn.

On Sunday, drive to St. Petersburg. Spend two nights at the Don Cesar hotel. Buy the Honeymoon spa package. Beautiful white sand beach on the Gulf.

From there, on to Orlando -- about a 2-3 hour drive.

Re-send this post when the SEC schedules come out. We could help you to find your best possible games then.

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Now for the part where I needed advice, My girlfriend and I are getting married

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Jk, but seriously, lsu @ florida or florida/Georgia are both great bets.

Eta: misread the OP. Would recommend SEC matchup @ Florida or @ UGA for stadiums close enough to you

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UCF vs Penn State game in Dublin.

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Ooh I'd love to be at that one. Have a great time and cheer for Penn State