ESPN: Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium one of top venues in college football

Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium landed at No. 8 in ESPN’s latest ranking of the top 25 college football venues on Thursday.

The Badgers’ home turf was ranked just above Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium and Clemson Memorial Stadium.

The playing grounds for five Big Ten rivals landed higher than UW’s gridiron including UCLA’s Rose Bowl Stadium, Michigan’s Michigan Stadium, Penn State’s Beaver Stadium, Washington’s Husky Stadium and Ohio State’s Ohio Stadium.

LSU’s Tiger Stadium captured the No. 1 overall spot while Texas’ Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium rounded out the list at No. 25.

Home of the iconic “Jump Around” tradition, Camp Randall was established in 1917. The grounds originally served as a Union Army training camp during the Civil War before being morphed into a football and baseball playing field in 1895.

More than 100 years later, Camp Randall can now host a capacity crowd of 75,822 and welcomes fans from across the country to witness the Badgers during Saturday home games every fall.

Deep-rooted tradition and history likely vault the stadium’s position into the list’s top 10. Camp Randall may not provide fans with scenic views of geographical wonders, but the spirit and passion associated with Badger football are undeniable.