SEC stadium rankings: Newcomers Oklahoma, Texas fall behind legacy league members after conference expansion

EA Sports got everyone’s attention when they released their assessment of college football hardest place to play Ahead of the upcoming “College Football 25” video game release. The game developers rated Texas A&M as the game’s top home-field environment and listed nine SEC venues in the top 15.

While great respect was shown towards the SEC and its fanatical fan bases with a strong representation near the top, EA’s command of the SEC environment was a lightning rod for controversy. Did Kyle Field really deserve the top spot ahead of LSU’s Tiger Stadium, which is extremely dangerous for visitors during night games?

How about Georgia coming in at number 5 on the list? The Bulldogs have been dominant at home under coach Kirby Smart. But is it mostly a byproduct of the talent advantage and 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 plan 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 in two seasons under coach Brian Kelly. Its only home loss in the Kelly era came in 2022 against Tennessee in an 11 a.m. local time opener, lending credence to the belief that there is something different about Tiger Stadium at night. The venue is aptly named Death Valley because it’s a place where dreams go to die, especially when the lights are on and fans have spent the day in high spirits.

2. Alabama

Alabama had a 21-game home winning streak before losing to Texas at Bryant-Denny Stadium last season. The Crimson Tide under Nick Saban was so dominant at home that the great coach sometimes had to motivate Bama students to stay engaged during a never-ending series of blowout wins. But when a good enemy comes to town, the place is a deafening and often demoralizing place for opponents.

3. Florida

The Gators have lost two home games in each of the last two seasons while finding their footing under coach Billy Napier. However, it would take more than a few years to change Ben Hill Griffin Stadium’s reputation as a nightmare venue for opponents. The Gators went 32–2 in “The Swamp” from 2005–09 during Urban Meyer’s heyday as coach.

4. Tennessee

Neyland Stadium ranks only seventh among SEC venues on EA Sports’ list of the toughest venues to play. Underestimate orange madness at your peril. Former Oklahoma star quarterback Baker Mayfield once called Neyland Stadium “a different kind of noise” and said that “it was probably the best sports experience I ever had.”

5. Auburn

Auburn is just 12-10 at Jordan–Hare Stadium over the past three seasons after close losses against top-15 foes Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss last season. But Auburn is unmatched in its capacity for miracles. Just consider that the “Prayer in Jordan-Hair” and the “Kick-Six” occurred in consecutive games during November 2013 to defeat Georgia and Alabama.

6. Georgia

Georgia is 41–1 at home over the last seven seasons and owns the nation’s longest home winning streak at 32 games. While the Bulldogs faithful deserve a lot of credit for the team’s success at Sanford Stadium, much of the credit for that dominance should probably be given to the talent advantage UGA earned under coach Kirby Smart.

7. South Carolina

South Carolina’s stadium is full of excitement, especially for a program that is not considered a historical power. Williams-Brice Stadium rocks when the “Sandstorm” comes on, and the Gamecocks have posted some big home wins under Shane Beamer. Beating Florida and Auburn were key to making the Gamecocks bowl-eligible in 2021, and the upset of No. 5 Tennessee changed the playoff picture in 2022.

8. Texas A&M

Texas A&M’s “12th Man” and “Aggie Yale” are among the most distinctive college football traditions and give Kyle Field a unique experience among its SEC peers. But EA Sports put a lot of stock Those factors factored into A&M being ranked as the toughest place in the country to play. Appalachian State certainly looked fearless heading into 2022 as it won 17-14.

9.Oklahoma

If it were 2023 and we were ranking the best Big 12 stadiums, “The Palace on the Prairie” would likely sit at No. 1. But the faithful will soon have to prove that OU’s home-field advantage is better than the SEC’s. Heritage Program. Visits to Tennessee and Alabama in 2024 will give the Sooners a chance to set the record straight.

10. Texas

Texas went 6–0 on its home field in 2023, but the key visitors were Kansas and Kansas State. The Longhorns were 9–4 at Darrell Royal Memorial Stadium in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. A trip to Georgia on October 19 this season will give Bevo and “The Eyes of Texas” an opportunity to emphasize the SEC and show that DKR belongs in the conversation as a premier SEC environment.

11. Mississippi State

The noise generated by thousands of cowbells ringing gives Davis Wade Stadium a loudness factor you wouldn’t normally expect from a venue with a capacity of *only* 61,337. Drop the Bulldogs to any other league and their home field advantage would be considered one of the best.

12. Arkansas

When Arkansas is blowing up and pigs are called, this is one animal that can outdo some of the other animals on this list. But the Razorbacks are 15-11 at home under coach Sam Pittman after stumbling to a 3-4 home record last season. Some of those losses were of the non-competitive variety, and the wins were against Western Carolina, Kent State and FIU.

13. Ole Miss

If we were ranking the best pregame scenes, Ole Miss would be pretty high on the list due to The Grove’s enviable reputation as a must-see tailgating destination. The 19-2 home mark over the past three seasons is impressive, but the atmosphere inside Vought-Hemingway Stadium is more civilized than challenging compared to its SEC competitors.

14. Missouri

Since joining the SEC in 2012, Missouri has made progress to bring Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field up to par with other SEC venues. If the Tigers had pulled off an upset against No. 1 Georgia in 2022, this venue probably would have ranked higher on the list. Alas, they lost 26–22 and missed out on a huge home win.

15. Kentucky

Any program that sells the naming rights to its football stadium to a grocery store chain is betting on this competition. Kentucky’s 9-6 home record over the past two seasons is nothing special, and UK is just 2-6 against SEC visitors over the past two seasons.

16. Vanderbilt

FirstBank Stadium is undergoing stadium renovation to modernize it. Unfortunately for the Commodores, those improvements will make the venue even more attractive to opposing fans looking to enjoy a weekend in Nashville.