EA Sports has revealed a ranking of the toughest locations to play in the upcoming College Football 25 video game, sparking a lot of debate. I have my own thoughts based on about 30 years of covering the sport, attending games and watching from the sidelines in many of the busiest stadiums in the country.
The loudest, craziest place I’ve ever been to was the old Orange Bowl. When there’s a big Miami game there – usually Florida State’s visit – there’s nothing like it. The closest I’ve seen is Tiger Stadium at LSU. My colleague is here Competitor I have my own take on the EA Sports list, and now here is my ranking of the 10 toughest places to play in college football.
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College football’s top 25 toughest spots: Ranking debate
1. Louisiana State University: Tiger Stadium
The place was pure chaos and it started before kick-off. I’ve heard from many coaches over the years how hostile their teams have been treated, from having their buses rattled upon arrival to having booze thrown at tourists. Just seeing Tiger Mike in person added another layer of menace.
Mike Leach told me the story of when he first got there, when he was the offensive coordinator at Kentucky.
“These little old ladies rushed off our bus with their grandchildren,” Leach said. “Then as we got closer they started shaking our bus!”
Leach was one of those people who was in awe of Tiger Mike and the whole experience.
I remember in 2007, Florida and Tim Tebow came to Death Valley on a Saturday night and had a top-10 matchup. Les Miles rallied five times on fourth down, and his team — and their loyal fans — had his back every step of the way to a 28-24 comeback victory. The audience reached a record number of 92,910. It sounds like twice as many people are filling a stadium that now holds over 100,000 people.
And the legendary 1988 Earthquakes game. But after Tommy Hodson’s fourth-down touchdown pass with less than two minutes left in the game, seismometers registered an earthquake.
I asked former LSU staffer and longtime LSU media member Derek Ponamsky about the loudest game location he’d ever heard of, and he said it was in 2019, That was when another No. 6 Florida team was visiting.
“From the moment we got out of the car, this game was crazy,” he said. “Ja’Marr’s (Chase) touchdown and our stop on fourth down in the red zone was almost the same as the Earthquakes game or Reuben Randle’s catch-and-run run against Alabama in 2010. OK. But that stadium was noisy for six hours before they even took the field. It’s electric.
If you meet someone who has never played college football but wants the full experience, they only have to go to one place to get the full college football experience: Death Valley at LSU.
2. Alabama: Bryant-Denny Stadium
My favorite thing about coming here was watching the 2010 Iron Bowl – Cam Newton. There was a lot of drama surrounding Auburn and Newton that season, according to the NCAA’s investigation into their recruiting.
After the game, an Alabama staff member was fired because they decided to play the Steve Miller Band’s song “Take the Money and Run” over the stadium sound system during warmups. This only added to the raucous atmosphere in the building that day. The Tide outscored the Tigers early and took a 24-0 lead, but Newton was Superman that season. He led Auburn to a 28-27 comeback victory, ending the Crimson Tide’s 20-game winning streak at home.
Bama also deserves credit for increasing the energy in the stadium over the years by adding lights, audio and video boards. When they start rolling, it feels like a very mind-bending experience.
3. Penn State: Beaver Stadium
The Nittany Lions’ White Out game was deafening. Penn State typically saves it for its toughest matchups of the season, and despite Fox’s recent incorporation of a “Big Noon” strategy into the Big Ten schedule, sometimes that’s not the case.
The Nittany Lions have won six of their past seven primetime whiteout games, six of which were against ranked opponents — including a 2016 victory over No. 2 Ohio State. The only loss came in 2018, a one-point loss to No. 4 Ohio State, 27-26.
But from my experience I can say that it’s not just the power outage that makes this place special. When the Michigan team visited Happy Valley on the 3rd last November, the atmosphere was the busiest noon kickoff in my memory in the past 10 years. It was more lively than any “grand noon” game I have ever attended. The number is close to 111,000. Michigan has the most experienced team in the country in 2023, and they did win that game 24-15.
4. Ohio State University: Ohio Stadium
The Buckeyes have long been the most dominant team in the Big Ten, so whoever shows up will usually be facing a team with more talent. Still, the Horseshoe is a towering structure that feels different and more intimidating than the big houses in Michigan, its archrival. The crowd was primed for an early win and seemed to be shocked if it was anything other than a dominant performance from the Buckeyes.
5. Virginia Tech: Lane Field*
The asterisk is here because I’m thinking of what the place looked like in the past, not necessarily what it has been like in recent years. I get it. Recent results suggest otherwise. As colleague Pete Sampson points out, the Hokies are 2-10 at home against top-25 teams over the past decade, but when the Hokies play well , this place is unique. I’ve been here a few times to watch the Hokies beat top 10 teams and it’s awesome. It’s got some Tiger Stadium vibes, but there’s also something special about it.
It only takes the first two seconds of “Enter the Sandman” to give me goosebumps. This happens every time, even more than a decade later. It immediately reminded me of how Lane Stadium was as vibrant as any other venue, in a different way than Camp Randall Stadium and “Jump around.” That’s crazy; this is more ominous.
It also suits their style of play very well. The Hokies are the best changeup/quick offense team in college football primarily based on their vaunted special teams, as well as their aggressive defense. It often feels like they’re just one step away from turning the game around or turning it on.
Hokie Magic existed for more than a decade, from the late 1990s through Frank Beamer’s heyday in the 2000s, when Lane was a chamber of horrors. In 1999, Virginia Tech faced three top-25 teams — Syracuse, Miami and Boston College — and defeated them at home by a combined score of 143-24. In 2002, Tech defeated Nick Saban’s No. 14 LSU team 26-8. The next year, the top-10 Hokies defeated No. 2 Miami 31-7. In 2004, the Hokies defeated No. 6 West Virginia. In 2005, they defeated No. 15 Georgia Tech and No. 13 Boston College by a combined score of 81-17. In 2009, Lane Stadium defeated Nebraska and Miami in consecutive top 20 rankings.
If Brent Pry can get the Hokies up again, Ryan will be an opponent’s worst nightmare.
6. Florida: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
In my experience, the Swamp doesn’t quite fit into the category of LSU and Bama, but it’s on par with Tennessee and Georgia in terms of a true SEC heavyweight experience. It was great to watch the Gators play against FSU and Bobby Bowden there during the Steve Spurrier era in the 90s.
7. Tennessee: Neyland Stadium
On my first trip to Knoxville, I saw the Tennessee-Georgia game in the late 90s. The Vols were really good at that point, and I had to stand in the end zone behind the Dawgs offense when the Dawgs defense was inside their own 10 yards. . It’s a sea of orange, and it’s easy to see why UT’s most decorated top-25 teams have been beaten there for so many years. That day, No. 13 Georgia lost to the Vols 38-13.
Otterson Stadium seemed larger than life amid the roar of the crowd. (Tom Hauck/Getty Images)
8. Oregon: Otterson Stadium
I remember a rival staff member telling me they had to be loud in practice the week before they faced the Ducks. The 54,000-seat place doesn’t seem to be that noisy. It meant nothing to him. But in a matchup of top-10 teams, the Ducks defeated the visiting team by nearly three touchdowns.
Otterson Stadium is also a place where you can see just about every kind of weather imaginable on the same day. Oregon State has been a strong performer at Otterson Stadium for a long time, defeating 31 of its last 32 games.
9. Georgia: Sanford Stadium
I remember watching a good Boise State team in 2005 take on No. 18 Georgia against No. 13 Georgia. The Broncos went on a 38-0 run to tie the game. Jared Zabransky, a standout quarterback for Boise State, had his first two passes intercepted and fumbled six times in the first half.
Now that the Dawgs have more talent, it doesn’t get any easier for the visiting team. UGA has won 13 straight games against Top 25 opponents at Sanford Stadium.
10. Texas A&M: Kyle Field
I was there when the press box shook. Kyle Field was a great building and it was very, very loud and opponents complained that their sidelines smelled like horse manure. My first game was Johnny Manziel’s debut against Florida State. He is full of energy. The building shook. A&M lost, though. That’s why Kyle Field isn’t high on my list, even though it’s No. 1 on EA Sports’ rankings.
While A&M is playing really well, the Aggies are playing better than they should at home. Manziel led them to a victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2012, but the next year, despite the crazy feeling of a rematch at Kyle Field, A&M lost.
(Top photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
