What is your favorite college campus?
I have a healthy obsession with college campuses and spent a good chunk of the last couple years visiting campuses across the United States. While I would never turn down a campus visit, let's call a spade a spade: Some campuses suck. Some are old, stale or awkward. Others are ugly, dirty, segmented and not inviting. Others, meanwhile, are gorgeous, calming and inviting. Some have beautifully blended old and charm and modern and accessible.
MORE: Top 100 CFB Teams for 2018
These are rankings from this singular road trip around the United States.
Yes, I went to Duke and North Carolina State but not North Carolina. That's how travel plans shook out. I've been to Northwestern but not on this trip. Same with UCLA, Colorado State, Marquette and many others (including non-D1 schools) but, again, not on this trip.
[divider]
35. Cleveland State
35. Cleveland State – Cleveland, OH
Downtown, no campus feel, very few decent buildings pic.twitter.com/CjpwsEvqDR
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
34. Indiana State
34. Indiana State – Terre Haute, IN
It's not nice, clean or unique. And that's being very kind. pic.twitter.com/sWzOtW9BkT
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
33. NYU
33. NYU – New York, NY
Like most downtown schools, it's difficult to have a real campus. You can hardly tell you're walking through NYU pic.twitter.com/9GJLpSy0pd
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
32. Lipscomb
32. Lipscomb – Nashville, TN
Defined campus, some nice buildings but feels like the forgotten stepchild to Belmont and Vandy pic.twitter.com/HgzwYJTz1K
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
31. George Washington
31. George Washington – Washington, D.C.
Not the best or most exciting area of DC, awkward campus layout. pic.twitter.com/BYeSE8Lq1C
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
30. VCU
30. VCU – Richmond, VA
The new athletics facilities are IMPRESSIVE. But they're the only thing keeping VCU from dropping below 30th pic.twitter.com/LWEaMOmA5D
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
29. Montana State
29. Montana State – Bozeman, MT
Simple, quiet, tons of common areas but too spread out for its size and too many crap buildings. pic.twitter.com/cx4PYkvIuR
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
28. Rhode Island
28. Rhode Island – Kingston, RI
Really disappointing campus. Few cool areas but feels like they're unwilling to invest in upgrades, maintenance. pic.twitter.com/Wi4z40Ov9h
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
27. Arizona
27. Arizona
Sorry to the good folks of Tucson, but outside the PIMA Air & Space Museum, I wanted to get the hell out ASAP. Campus was very unimpressive pic.twitter.com/p26ZUCkR0O
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
26. Arizona State
26. Arizona State – Tempe, AZ
Much better than its rival to the southeast but that's saying very little. At least the area around ASU is among the best in the entire metro pic.twitter.com/sNI3WFH2BQ
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
25. Oregon
25. Oregon – Eugene, OR
It's almost impossible to look past the rain (non-stop for 3 days) but I'll try. The athletics/football facilities are unbelievable, though it sucks they're separated from campus. pic.twitter.com/60DYdGRdvI
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
24. Georgetown
24. Georgetown – Washington, D.C.
This will be very unpopular since Georgetown as widely regarded as one of the best campuses in America. Georgetown Gate and the campus entrance are stunning but the rest is shockingly bad. Jumbled, dated, not welcoming pic.twitter.com/AthKmyS4Kk
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
23. Brown
23. Brown – Providence, RI
Once you get past the "Ivy League" mystique, there's not much to love. Very average campus pic.twitter.com/2S4yZkhnjh
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
22. Providence
22. Providence – Providence, RI
The area is rough but campus is a good mix of new and old. Nice common areas, green space, etc. pic.twitter.com/PsLyJG5vjG
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
21. Butler
21. Butler – Indianapolis, IN
The northeastern part of campus (Hinkle, Sellick Bowl, rec center, etc.) is wonderfully done. Very clean, accessible. The rest is mostly unexciting and dated pic.twitter.com/wyT5ej7smr
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
20. Yale
20. Yale – New Haven, CT
New Haven is bad … really, really, really, really bad. Campus is solid, laced with history, old buildings, etc. pic.twitter.com/sEt3rZzz5O
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
19. Vermont
19. Vermont – Burlington, VT
Like Burlington, the University of Vermont has some a mix of everything. Many areas and buildings need love but overall great campus feel, very comfortable pic.twitter.com/9xKjZXzwvR
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
18. The Citadel
18. The Citadel – Charleston, SC
Unique, as expected for a military institution. Not as dramatic or nice as service academies but very well done pic.twitter.com/XMYHbKNgy5
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
17. Colorado
17. Colorado – Boulder, CO
I worked at CU for a couple years after college. Boulder is wildly overrated but campus is clean, most buildings look like the same (can be both good and bad…in this case, it works for CU). pic.twitter.com/rlsLP7PUOB
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
16. Kansas
16. Kansas – Lawrence, KS
Hurts a little to put my alma mater this low, especially with the facilities investments they've made in the last decade. Very comfortable, inviting and one of the best campus walks you'll find but still too many old, dirty, out-of-place buildings. pic.twitter.com/hzXZLLDFwr
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
15. Wisconsin
15. Wisconsin – Madison, WI
Once you get past the nauseating Madison bros, Wisconsin has a great campus on the lake. Could use more common space and a more defined campus but still, tons of nice buildings and well-done updates everywhere. pic.twitter.com/G49GFCmc0P
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
14. Minnesota
14. Minnesota – Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
If you can get past the massive, ugly apartments sprouting up on the edges of campus,, Minnesota has a great campus. Great blend of huge, new and huge, old buildings with smaller unique buildings. pic.twitter.com/soO5UdM34E
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
13. Virginia Tech
13. Virginia Tech – Blacksburg, VA
VT and Blacksburg don't get enough credit. Great campus in a very underrated college town. Green space, old buildings, winding roads and small pockets of elevation pic.twitter.com/BR2MdyVrKu
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
12. South Carolina
12. South Carolina – Columbia, SC
South Carolina is a tough evaluation. The athletics area is incredible…expansive, clean, updated. Most of campus is old, unique. But the separated, segmented areas hurt, as do too many gross buildings pic.twitter.com/6WTReC2SOx
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
11. Clemson
11. Clemson – Clemson, SC
Not many better places in the country for a college football gameday. The campus itself is improving dramatically. Lot of new buildings, tastefully done that fit campus. pic.twitter.com/lKJzyP6mMR
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
10. North Carolina State
10. North Carolina State – Raleigh, NC
It's hard to create a true campus feel in or near a large downtown area. NC State has nailed it, mixing new and old while keeping commons areas and blending the various pockets together as much as possible. pic.twitter.com/vK3dE8qXZE
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
9. Vanderbilt
9. Vanderbilt – Nashville, TN
Parts of campus (and the surrounding area) are kind of jumbled but overall Vandy does a lot of things right and almost nothing wrong. pic.twitter.com/zwgxa8tDlV
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
8. Maryland
8. Maryland – College Park, MD
College Park is bad and the surrounding area is worse. It's remarkable that such a great campus can sit in the middle. Not the most unique campus but it's very beautiful pic.twitter.com/WjzgU7m1Fm
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
7. Cal
7. Cal – Berkeley, CA
I was under the impression Berkeley — the city itself — was great. Nope. The area hurts campus little but not much. It's still a sprawling, unique, fun campus you can get lost in pic.twitter.com/XezhtPAswz
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
6. Belmont
6. Belmont – Nashville, TN
Vandy folks won't love this. But Belmont is phenomenal and better than their neighbor. This area of Nashville is great and campus is clean with massive, dramatic buildings and common areas. pic.twitter.com/WmpM19FMQk
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
5. Navy
5. Navy – Annapolis, MD
Annapolis RULES. Awesome, old city with loads of charm. Campus is, as expected, clean, well maintained, filled with history and cool facilities. Having Memorial Stadium on (or closer to) campus would be ideal but isn't a deal-breaker pic.twitter.com/qcHW3B3W12
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
4. Washington
4. Washington – Seattle, WA
At first, I wasn't impressed. Campus seemed jumbled but that's not the case at all. The entire campus is impressive and the setting is among the best in the country pic.twitter.com/iklB9x7YBL
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
3. College of Charleston
3. College of Charleston – Charleston, SC
The most unique campus I've ever seen and it's not even close. It takes a few minutes to notice and appreciate all the small things in each area of campus. Once you do, it's marvelous and a must-see on a Charleston trip pic.twitter.com/sxK4hTdUvR
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
2. Duke
2. Duke – Durham, NC
Put aside your Duke hatred and appreciate the beauty and charm of campus. Tons of trees and hills and although they have defined areas, everything flows together perfectly. pic.twitter.com/oiNeUXDchL
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
[divider]
1. Notre Dame
1. Notre Dame
It's almost uncomfortably perfect. Everything is manicured and clean. There are hardly any dated pieces of the sidewalk, let alone entire buildings or areas of campus. South Bend sucks but Notre Dame is flawless pic.twitter.com/xYvdb4yJei
— Andrew Doughty (@Adoughty88) May 22, 2018
