In Alabama, Mike Hensley noted Troy will "officially open up the North Endzone Facility" of Veterans Memorial Stadium for its opener against Boise State on Saturday. Troy coach Neal Brown said, "That facility is going to enable us year in and year out to have the opportunity to compete at the top of our conference and make us competitive against anybody in the Group of Five in recruiting." Brown hopes the new facility, paired with BSU being in town, will "drive in the crowd." Brown: "Alabama and Auburn are both out of town so we expect to have a huge crowd. Hopefully it will be the largest crowd we have ever had" (TROY MESSENGER, 8/28).
SECOND CHANCE: Colorado State AD Joe Parker said that the long lines fans "experienced trying to get into Canvas Stadium" for last week's game against Hawaii "should be shorter" when CSU plays its next home game Sept. 8. In Colorado, Kelly Lyell noted the school will "add 'express' lines to get fans who are not carrying bags into the stadium faster." Some fans "complained on Twitter, Facebook and other social media of waiting in line for an hour or more trying to get into the stadium" for the Hawaii game. Parker said that stadium contractors Landmark, which handles the entry gates and security, and Ovations, which handles concessions, were "understaffed for the opening game" (Ft. Collins COLORADOAN, 8/28).
WORK IN PROGRESS: In Missouri, Daniel Jones reported the area behind the south endzone at Missouri's Memorial Stadium, formerly a 10,000-seat stand, "will be a construction zone" for the '18 season. The new south endzone structure is "set to be completed" for '19. The main impact will be the "lack of a south concourse," which will "restrict traffic flow within the stadium." MU Dir of Event Management & Sustainability Coordinator Tony Wirkus said that pregame activities, including the Tiger Walk, "will not change" (COLUMBIA DAILY TRIBUNE, 8/26).
NEW ADDITIONS: In Athens, Marc Weiszer reported Georgia is "adding HappyOrNot terminals in Sanford Stadium on the 100 level to provide instant feedback for fans ... on concessions and restrooms." UGA Deputy AD/Operations Josh Brooks said that the units were "already used at baseball's Foley Field this season and it could be expanded for home football games in the 200, 300 and 600 levels." The platform has a client list that also includes Levi's Stadium. UGA is also "adding 'Grab-n-Go' concessions on the south side on the 100 level around the 50-yard line." There will be another "Grab-n-Go" between sections 130-131 (ATHENS BANNER-HERALD, 8/29).
FANS IN MIND: Oklahoma State opens its season tonight against Missouri State, and in Oklahoma City, Nathan Ruiz noted Boone Pickens Stadium's "massive video board" will make its debut. The new video board is college football's "eighth-largest." Meanwhile, beer sales, a food court and "cool zones" also have been "added as part of OSU's continual efforts to improve the fan experience." This all follows OSU in '17 "undergoing an effort to expand seats in the stadium, shrinking its capacity to 56,790" (OKLAHOMAN, 8/29).
