EA Sports turned heads when it released its assessment of college football’s toughest places to play ahead of the upcoming “College Football 25” video game release. Game developers pegged Texas A&M as the sport’s top home-field environment and listed nine SEC venues among the top 15.
While plenty of respect was shown to the SEC and its rabid fan bases with a strong representation near the top, EA’s ordering of the SEC environments was a lightning rod for controversy. Did Kyle Field really deserve the top spot ahead of LSU’s Tiger Stadium, which is notoriously perilous for visitors during night games?
What about Georgia coming in at No. 5 on the list? The Bulldogs have been dominant at home under coach Kirby Smart. But is that mostly the byproduct of a talent advantage and a favorable SEC East schedule?
While some factors are quantifiable, selecting the best stadium environment in the SEC requires nuance. As Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC for the 2024 season, we set out to take a deeper and more detailed look at the hierarchy of SEC home environments.
1. LSU
LSU is 11-0 in home night games through two seasons under coach Brian Kelly. Its only home loss of the Kelly era came in an 11 a.m. local time start against Tennessee in 2022, lending credence to the belief there is just something different about Tiger Stadium at night. The venue is appropriately nicknamed Death Valley as it’s a place where dreams go to die, especially when the lights are on and the fans have spent all day fueling up.
2. Alabama
Alabama owned a 21-game home winning streak before a loss to Texas at Bryant-Denny Stadium last season. The Crimson Tide were so dominant at home under Nick Saban that the legendary coach occasionally had to prod Bama students to remain engaged…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/sec-stadium-rankings-newcomers-oklahoma-texas-lag-behind-legacy-league-members-after-conference-expansion/
Author : David Cobb
Publish date : 2024-06-30 16:27:24
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