Vanderbilt’s stadium construction was the talk of college football during Week 0 and Texas Tech just made it look even worse. The Red Raiders are also undergoing a significant renovation to their athletic buildings, but their accommodations for visitors are much better than that of the Commodores.
It is not uncommon for college football programs to play at a stadium amidst construction. It happens more often than you might think.
However, there are levels to the process.
At Vanderbilt this year, according to Andrew Graham of On3, an opposing team did not have access to a locker room. Hawaii rolled into Tennessee for Week 0 and was forced to use a sizable outdoor tent.
The temporary accommodations have showers and bathrooms, so it’s not a full-blown Fyre Festival situation. But it’s not great!
Visiting teams will not enjoy their experience on the road when playing in Nashville. They will tolerate it.
Conditions at Vanderbilt look even worse when compared to that of Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are currently redoing a good portion of their football stadium and surrounding facilities.
Both locker rooms are part of the multi-million dollar makeover. That includes the visitors.
Unlike Vanderbilt, though, Texas Tech is not using a tent. It’s using a trailer!
The accommodations in Lubbock are not great. Visiting teams won’t be living in luxury.
But they will be comfortable! The Red Raiders’ visitors locker room is nicer than that of most high schools.
Vanderbilt caught a lot of heat for its midseason stadium renovation over the last few weeks. None of it was warranted, because it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
With that being said, though, the visiting locker room tent deserves all of the jokes. Texas Tech proved that it can be done differently and made the Commodores look even worse in the process.