Destination: Madison

If you're going to the Wisconsin game in Madison, you're in luck. Not just because the last two games have been decided by a total of four points, but because Madison is quite simply the best tailgating town in the Big Ten.

The state capital of Wisconsin, Madison is sandwiched between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. The capitol dome lies in the center of an isthmus, walking distance down State Street from the university.

No trip to Madison is complete without heading to the student union (which serves beer, but that's not why you're going there). The union building is on the shores of Lake Mendota, and there's a massive multi-level patio facing the lake. Stop by the Badger creamery which makes arguably the second-best ice cream in the Big Ten (tied with Penn State, behind MSU), then take the ice cream and a book and just spend some time near the water.

The walk to the stadium is a difficult, yet rewarding one. Difficult, because a good half of the fans will trash talk you the entire way. Rewarding, because the other half will invite you over to their house for beer and brats. Both of those are Sconnie specialties, by the way.

The brats in Madison are the stuff of legend. It's no surprise, given that the town is home to a working Oscar Mayer factory, while the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum sits just a 20 minute drive from the city. My recommendation for the best of Madison brats is at a joint called State Street Brats, just a few blocks from the heart of campus. Get a red and a white brat, add spicy mustard and relish to taste.

The beer is also sublime, thanks to a preponderance of craft breweries in the area. The pick here is the Great Dane, a pub with a pun name that only true Wisconsinites would get because only they'd know that Madison is located in Dane County.

Speaking of food, let's talk about the press box spread for a moment. Indiana has a burger buffet, MSU gives you two hot dogs and all-you-can-drink soda. Penn State has ice cream. That's all nice. Wisconsin does brats and Amish sticky buns. My friends, that's what we in the media world call game, set, match. I know some folks who will argue for Notre Dame's layout (I had great roast chicken there once), but to me, nothing tops Camp Randall.

Now that we're talking about Camp Randall, let's talk about what happens inside. Wisconsin gives some visiting fans tickets in the first row, in addition to the normal visiting sections. The two things to watch for are the fifth quarter, a great post-game band concert, and the infamous "Jump Around". For the uninitiated, that's when, after the third quarter ends, the entire student section jumps around to the old House of Pain song so much that the entire stadium shakes.

I took my dad to a game at Camp Randall when he lived in Madison and he swore to me that the upper deck would fall down it was shaking so much. In fact, Wisconsin officials have had to ask people in the upper deck not to jump because fans were genuinely concerned about the structural integrity of the stadium. That request is generally ignored.

Needless to say, if you have a chance to go to Madison this weekend, go.

Spartan Stadium makes World Cup shortlist

MSU's Spartan Stadium has been selected as a finalist for inclusion in U.S. Soccer's bid for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.

Seventy stadiums, representing 31 states and the District of Columbia, were picked for the list. To be considered, stadiums must seat at least 40,000 people. Venues must top 80,000 (which Spartan Stadium doesn't, topping out at 72,000 and change) to get the World Cup opener or final.

Spartan Stadium would be considered a big - no, make that massive - longshot to make the cut considering a) how far East Lansing is from a major global airport (Detroit) and b) that two other Michigan stadiums are much closer. Those other two are Ford Field in Detroit and Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The Pontiac Silverdome, which hosted games during the 1994 World Cup, was not on the list.

Other Big Ten/Midwest stadiums on the list include:

• Beaver Stadium, State College, Pa.
• Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisc.
• Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
• Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
• Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisc.
• Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
• Metrodome, Minneapolis
• Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Ind.
• Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati
• Soldier Field, Chicago (which hosted the opening match in 1994)
• TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis (still under construction, will host Minnesota football beginning this year)

U.S. Soccer will trim the field to 12 - though two of those spots will be for the final and opening game, which Spartan Stadium isn't big enough to host. One ray of light in this: The press release does note that the list includes stadiums in "college towns", meaning that the federation may have already made a conscious decision to host at least one series of games in a college town. And Lansing does have an international airport...

Click on this link for the full list of 70 finalists.