Stanford Football: 8 Reasons Why Palo Alto Has the Best Game Day Experience

Palo Alto, California is a great place to be.

It's in California, so what is there to complain about? The city itself is the center of the Silicon Valley economy. It's also the home of Stanford University football.

What's a better way to spend a warm, sunny Saturday in Palo Alto than to take in a Cardinal home game?

Follow along as we count down the eight reasons why Palo Alto has the best game-day experience.

Weather

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PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Anthony Wilkerson #32 of the Stanford Cardinal in action against the Oregon State Beavers at Stanford Stadium on November 27, 2010 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Any great game-day experience starts with great weather.

In a typical Stanford football season, there are home games from September to November.

The average high for each month in Palo Alto follows:

• September: 78.2 degrees
• October: 73 degrees
• November: 64.4 degrees

Being an Indiana native, I'd beg for that kind of weather during that three-month stretch.

Again, the weather ultimately is the foundation of the overall game-day experience.

Warm fans are happy fans, cold fans are sad fans.

Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band

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MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 03: The Stanford Cardinal marching band performs against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the 2011 Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium on January 3, 2011 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Perhaps the most controversial of all marching bands, the LSJUMB never fails to entertain.

The band has been disciplined on a number of occasions for displays of off-color humor.

There is no official number of members of the band and anywhere between 20 to 400 will show up on game day.

The band also has a number of traditions, including the "Breakfast of Champions" on game day, which consists of beer and doughnuts.

The New Stanford Stadium

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PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Tyler Gaffney #25 of the Stanford Cardinal in action against the Oregon State Beavers at Stanford Stadium on November 27, 2010 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Following the 2005 season, construction began on the renovation of Stanford Stadium.

The renovated stadium seats 50,000 people and is one of the better complexes in the Pac-12 Conference.

The first game in the new stadium was a 37-9 loss to Navy on September 16, 2006.

Since then, the Cardinal football team has gone on to win many big games on its home turf.

The Pacific-12 Conference

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MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 03: Derek Hall #53 and Ed Reynolds #29 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates after Stanford won 40-12 against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the 2011 Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium on January 3, 2011 in Miami, Florida. (Phot

Last summer, Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott announced that the conference would be welcoming two new members in Utah and Colorado.

That addition created the newly-coined Pacific-12 Conference.

It also caused a major stir in the college football landscape.

The Big Ten added new member Nebraska, and the Big 12 nearly lost Oklahoma State, Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech to the Pac-10.

The 2011 home schedule features games against San Jose State, UCLA, new member Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Cal and non-conference rival Notre Dame.

The Big Game

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BERKELEY, CA - NOVEMBER 20: Wide receiver Mark Bradford #4 of the Stanford University Cardinal is tackled by cornerback Daymeion Hughes #13 of the University of California, Berkeley Golden Bears during the game at Memorial Stadium on November 20, 2004 in

One of the biggest rivalries in college football, the Big Game between Stanford and Cal might be the most storied.

The rivalry began on March 19, 1892, a 14-10 Stanford win at Haight Street Grounds in San Francisco.

Stanford leads the all-time series 56-46-11.

One interesting tradition associated with the Big Game is the Big Game Bonfire Rally at the Hearst Greek Theatre on Cal's campus the night before the game.

For a more detailed description of that rally, follow the Wikipedia link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Game_%28football%29

Tailgating

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MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 03: Fans play beer pong in the parking lot as they tailgate prior to the Stanford Cardinal playing against the Virginai Tech Hokies during the 2011 Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium on January 3, 2011 in Miami, Florida. (Photo

While many of you may disagree with this, no college-football game day is complete without a little bit of tailgating.

On a typical game day in Palo Alto, the parking lot is filled with people, portable grills, food, drinks and plenty of intense bag games.

The tailgate scene outside of Stanford Stadium might not be the greatest, yet it is still a crucial part of the game-day experience.

Night Games

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PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 28: Clinton Snyder #20 and the rest of the Stanford Cardinal run out of the tunnel for their game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Stanford Stadium on November 28, 2009 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty

Many of Stanford's home games begin at 5 P.M. Pacific Time, which is 7 or 8 P.M. for a majority of the country.

Those night games are usually broadcast on national television, particularly home games against USC, Notre Dame and top conference opponents.

Late games give fans the opportunity to create a buzz around campus all day leading up to the games, resulting in a more frenzied crowd.

BCS Aspirations

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MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 03: The Stanford Cardinal huddle on the field prior to playing against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the 2011 Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium on January 3, 2011 in Miami, Florida. Stanford won 40-12. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann

Despite the departure of Jim Harbaugh to the San Francisco 49ers, Stanford still remains a talented football team.

Many critics have postulated that the team will take a step back under new head coach David Shaw.

However, the roster is still chock full of talented Harbaugh recruits.

Heck, even Andrew Luck will still be under center and gunning for a Heisman Trophy.

Because of those reasons, the Cardinal should be aiming for an invitation to a BCS game.

With the Cardinal in contention, the fan base will be stirring with excitement at every home game.