Picking the toughest stadium to play at in all of college football- 07/21/2010
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Written by Rob Weil
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July 21, 2010
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In anticipation of the upcoming 2010-2011 college football season (which is only a little more than a month away) I’m going to try and answer an age old question that has been debated and argued to death. That question being…… What is the toughest place to play in all of college football? As I started thinking about all the different stadiums in college football many deafening venues immediately came to mind. In the end though, four stadiums stood out above the rest as places that opposing coaches hate to travel to. The top 4
I will explain what makes these venues so unbearable for opposing teams and why each one has such an excellent home field advantage. Penn State Stadium Name-Beaver Stadium
Just until recently Beaver Stadium held the distinction of having the largest seating capacity in all of college football (Michigan just recently reclaimed the top spot after adding 2,000 more seats to the Big House). Nittany Lion fans do their best to make sure every seat in the massive stadium is full on game day. Penn State holds the record for the largest single game crowd (In 2002 a crowd of 110,753 people watched Penn State beat Nebraska 40-7) and the largest seasonal crowd (In 2002 a record 1,257,707 watched Penn State home games at Beaver Stadium over the course of the season).While the community and alumni consistently show up on Saturday’s to cheer on the Nittany Lions, it is the Penn State student section that gets praised for making life miserable for opposing teams. ESPN College Gameday analyst Kirk Herbstreit said in 2008 that Penn State has the best student section in the country. What really makes people take notice of the awesome game day atmosphere at Beaver Stadium is when Penn State does their famed “whiteout”. Other schools do events such as whiteouts and blackouts but it is the Nittany Lion fan’s dedication to the event which makes it so special. On these game days all 110,000 + Penn State fans where white. Traditions such as the whiteout, Penn State’s awesome student section, and the Nittany Lion’s massive crowds make Beaver Stadium such a tough place to play at. Ohio State Stadium Name- Ohio Stadium
In 2009 Ohio State broke the record for largest attendance at a spring game when a crowd of 95,722 fans showed up to watch the Buckeyes inter-squad scrimmage. That dedication alone shows why Buckeye fans make the Horseshoe such a tough venue to play at. Since 1985 only nine night games have been played at the Horseshoe, the stadium doesn’t even have permanent lighting and temporary lights are brought in for the few night games that are played at Ohio Stadium. Also, the Bucks won’t play a night game against just any squad. No, night games are reserved only for when top tier teams come to Columbus. Since 2003 the Buckeyes have only played four night games at the Horseshoe (they played #17 Washington in 2003, #2 Texas in 2005, #3 Penn State in 2008, and #3 USC in 2009). There have also been six crowds of over 105,000 fans since 2004, a testament to Ohio State’s massive fan base. A tradition at every home game at Ohio Stadium is a performance by the OSU band that is capped off by the historic “dotting of the eye”. Ohio Stadium gets so loud that in 1985 Iowa coach Hayden Fry suggested that teams should be penalized if the sound level gets too high and that the fans were too loud for his quarterback Chuck Long. "It's a realistic fact that happened. He became mentally disturbed for the first time since he's been a starter for us because of his inability to communicate” Long said. This statement alone is enough to put the Horseshoe in the argument of being the loudest stadium in the country.
Stadium name- Tiger Stadium
On October 8th, 1988 LSU played a home game against Auburn which would eventually come to be known as “The Earthquake Game”. During the course of the game Tiger Stadium got so loud at one point in the game that the sound level registered as an earthquake on the seismograph in the Louisiana Geological Survey Office on campus. Many former coaches and sideline analysts speak of just how loud Tiger Stadium gets. Former Alabama Hall of Fame coach Paul “Bear” Bryant once said, "Baton Rouge happens to be the worst place in the world for a visiting team. It's like being inside a drum.” Also, in 2001 ESPN sideline reporter Adrian Karsten said "Death Valley in Baton Rouge is the loudest stadium I've ever been in.” While night games are in the extreme minority at Ohio Stadium, day games are hardly ever played at Tiger Stadium. Almost all LSU home football games are played at night giving the LSU fan base more than enough time to tailgate and get “prepared” for the game. LSU is also in the top ten in for most consecutive sellouts throughout their seasons. Florida Stadium Name- Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
While Ben Hill Griffin Stadium may not sit as many people as the other three stadiums on the list; Florida fans make it a point to fill up every seat on game day. The Gators have sold out every single home football game since 1979. The elements at Ben Hill Griffin stadium also contribute to making the Swamp such a tough place for opponents to play. The field was originally built in a sinkhole, thus the playing surface is below ground level which allows opposing teams to feel the full force of the Florida heat (temperatures reach over 100 degrees on the field on gameday). Florida has many gameday traditions that add to the atmosphere such as the Gator chomp, Mr. two bits, and the fans and players singing the University of Florida National Anthem together after home games. The combination of the Florida heat, Gator Nation, and numerous traditions make it easy to understand why Florida has posted a record of 113-13 at the Swamp since 1990. Former Gators Head Coach Steve Spurrier may have said it best when he explained his reasoning behind calling Ben Hill Griffin Stadium the Swamp. Spurrier said ". . . a swamp is where Gators live. We feel comfortable there, but we hope our opponents feel tentative. A swamp is hot and sticky and can be dangerous. Only Gators get out alive." Conclusion: In my opinion these four stadiums are the gold standard for what it means to have a truly intimidating home field atmosphere. Each one has different traditions that make them unique and especially nostalgic. The one common thread between all four venues is that their fanbases consistently pack these large stadiums and show a level of commitment to their teams that is unparalleled in college football. These are the rare cases in which the people who pack a stadium are a 12th man for the home team. To pick the top venue is truly splitting hairs so I ask your opinion. What is the toughest place to play in the country: Happy Valley, The Horseshoe, Death Valley, The Swamp, or have I left one off my list entirely. Send me your comments and let me know. Finally, follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/RWEILnumonefan
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