EA Sports has sparked a lot of discussion by releasing a ranking of the toughest places to play in the upcoming video game, College Football 25. I’ve been covering the sport for almost 30 years and have been on the sidelines of many of the most passionate stadium atmospheres in the country, so I have my own thoughts based on that experience.
The loudest, craziest venue I’ve been to is the old Orange Bowl, when they had a big Miami game there (usually Florida State visiting) it was nothing like it, the closest I’ve seen is Tiger Stadium at Louisiana State University. Athletic Everyone has their own opinions on EA Sports’ list, but here is our ranking of the top 10 hardest teams to play in college football.
Going deeper
College Football’s 25 toughest places to play: Discuss the rankings
1. LSU: Tiger Stadium
It’s pure chaos at the stadium, starting long before kickoff. We’ve heard stories of hostile treatment of their teams from many coaches over the years, from shaking down buses on arrival to pouring alcohol on visitors. Seeing Mike the Tiger in person makes it even more terrifying.
Mike Leach told me a story about the first time he went there when he was the offensive coordinator at Kentucky.
“Old ladies with their grandkids were giving the bus the finger,” Leach said, “and as we got closer they started rocking the bus!”
Leach is among those who were in awe of Mike the Tiger and the whole experience.
I remember being there in 2007 when Florida and Tim Tebow came to Death Valley on a Saturday night to play a Top 10 showdown. Les Miles had five tries on fourth down and his team and their loyal fans supported him every step of the way for a come-from-behind 28-24 victory. The attendance was a record 92,910. It sounded like twice as many people were packed into a stadium that now holds over 100,000.
There was also the legendary Earthquake Game in 1988. Technically, fewer than 80,000 fans turned out to watch Louisiana State beat Auburn 7-6, but the seismograph recorded an earthquake just after Tommy Hodson’s fourth-down touchdown pass with under two minutes to go.
I asked former LSU staffer and longtime Louisiana media insider Derek Ponumski about the loudest sound he’d ever heard at a game venue, and he said it was in 2019 when another No. 6-ranked Florida team visited.
“That game was amazing from the moment I got off the bus,” he said. “Ja’Marr (Chase)’s touchdown and fourth-down stop in the red zone were just as amazing as the Earthquake game or Reuben Randle’s catch-and-run against Alabama in 2010. But that stadium was like a jet engine for six hours. It was loud before the players even took the field. It was College GameDay on campus. It was exciting.”
If you ever meet someone who has never experienced college football but wants to experience it all, there is only one place to go to get the full experience: LSU’s Death Valley.
2. Alabama: Bryant-Denny Stadium
My favorite visit there was the Iron Bowl, the Cam Newton game, in 2010. That season, Auburn and Newton were embroiled in a lot of drama surrounding the NCAA investigation into his recruiting.
After the game, Alabama staff was fired for their decision to play the Steve Miller Band song “Take the Money and Run” over the stadium’s sound system during warmups, which only added to the raucous energy in the stadium that day. The Tide outplayed the Tigers early, jumping out to a 24-0 lead, but Newton was the Superman of the season. He led Auburn to a 28-27 comeback victory, ending the Crimson Tide’s 20-game home winning streak.
Alabama also deserves a lot of credit for increasing the energy of their stadium over the years by adding lighting, audio and video boards, so when they get going, it can feel like a pretty head-spinning experience.
3. Penn State: Beaver Stadium
The Nittany Lions’ white-out games are deafeningly intense, and while Penn State typically saves the white-out for its toughest matchups of the season, that may not be the case with Fox’s recent “Big Noon” strategy being worked into the Big Ten schedule.
The Nittany Lions have won six of their last seven primetime whiteouts, including six wins against ranked opponents, including a win over No. 2 Ohio State in 2016. The lone loss came when they were down one point to No. 4 Ohio State, 27-26, in 2018. Last year, Penn State shut out No. 24 Iowa, 31-0.
But I can tell you from experience that it’s not just the whiteout that makes this place special. When No. 3-ranked Michigan came to Happy Valley last November, the atmosphere was the loudest noon kickoff game I can remember in the last decade. It was louder than any “Big Noon” game I’ve ever attended. Nearly 111,000 people were in attendance. Michigan, which has the most experienced team in the country in 2023, won the game 24-15.
4. Ohio State University: Ohio Stadium
The Buckeyes have long been the most dominant team in the Big Ten Conference, and teams that compete there usually face stronger teams with more talent. Still, the Horseshoe is a towering building, very different and more intimidating than rival Michigan’s Big House. Fans come in ready to beat the opposition quickly, and seem shocked to see anything other than the dominant Buckeyes.
5. Virginia Tech: Lane Stadium*
I put an asterisk because I’m thinking about what this place has been like in the past, not necessarily what it has been like in recent years. I get it. Recent results suggest otherwise. As my colleague Pete Sampson pointed out, the Hokies are 2-10 at home against Top 25 teams in the last decade, but when the Hokies are on a roll, this place is unique. I’ve been to a few games where the Hokies have beaten Top 10 teams, and when they have, it’s a great place to be. It has a Tiger Stadium-like atmosphere, and there’s something special about it.
It takes just two seconds for “Enter Sandman” to start and I get goosebumps. It happens every time, even after more than a decade. I’m immediately reminded of how Lane Stadium is more energized than any other venue, in a way that Camp Randall Stadium and “Jump Around” weren’t. That was frenetic, but this is more sinister.
It also suited their style of play perfectly: Based primarily on their vaunted special teams but also featuring an aggressive defense, the Hokies were one of the best breakout/fast break teams in college football, and they often felt like they could change the tide of a game or take a huge lead with one big swing.
During Frank Beamer’s heyday in the late 1990s and 2000s, when Lane Stadium was a chamber of horrors, the Hokies magic lasted for more than a decade. In 1999, Virginia Tech played three top-25 teams, Syracuse, Miami, and Boston College, winning at home by a combined score of 143-24. In 2002, Virginia Tech defeated No. 14 Louisiana State, led by Nick Saban, 26-8. The following year, a top-10 Hokies team thumped 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 hosted back-to-back top-20 wins over Nebraska and Miami.
If Brent Pry can get the Hokies going again, Lane will be any opponent’s worst nightmare.
6. Florida: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
In my experience, The Swamp isn’t as good as LSU or Alabama, but it’s on the same level as Tennessee and Georgia when it comes to big time, true heavyweight SEC experiences.Watching the Gators play against FSU and Bobby Bowden in the Steve Spurrier era in the 90’s was awesome.
7. Tennessee: Neyland Stadium.
My first time in Knoxville, I saw the Tennessee vs Georgia game in the late 90’s. Tennessee was really good at the time and I got to be on the field in the end zone when the Duggs’ offense was pushed back inside their own 10 yard line. I couldn’t hear the people next to me. With the field all orange, it’s easy to see why top 25 teams got blown out there during the years UT was on their heyday. Georgia was ranked 13th that day and lost to Tennessee 38-13.
Autzen Stadium exceeds expectations as the crowd roars. (Tom Hauck/Getty Images)
8. Oregon: Autzen Stadium
I remember a guy from a rival team telling me that they had to be really loud at practice the week before they played the Ducks. It didn’t make sense to him that it couldn’t be that loud in a venue that size, 54,000 seats. But in a matchup between two top 10 teams, the Ducks dominated the visitors by almost three touchdowns.
Autzen Stadium is also a place where you can experience just about any type of weather imaginable in the course of a day. Oregon has had a strong record there over the years, winning 31 of the last 32 meetings at Autzen.
9. Georgia: Sanford Stadium
I remember in 2005, #18 Boise State played #13 Georgia. The Broncos looked totally confused and outplayed and lost the game 48-13. The score was 38-0 before the Broncos settled in. Jared Zabransky, a very good Boise State QB, had his first two passes intercepted and turned the ball over six times in the first half.
Now that the Duggs are more talented, it’s hard to imagine things getting any easier for the visiting team. Georgia State has won 13 straight games against Top 25 opponents at Sanford Stadium.
10. Texas A&M: Kyle Field
I’ve experienced the press box shaking. Kyle Field is an amazing building and gets extremely loud. Opponents complain that the sidelines smell like horse manure. The first game I went to was Johnny Manuel’s debut against Florida. He was dynamic. The building shook. But A&M lost. So, even though it’s #1 on the EA Sports rankings, Kyle Field isn’t high on my list.
Even when A&M is really good, the Aggies struggle more than they should at home: In 2012, Manziel led the team to victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium, but the following year, a rematch at Kyle Field was rapturous but A&M lost.
(Top photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
