Top Five Stadiums & Home Field Advantages
Playing anything competitively means focusing on advantages and disadvantages. It doesn't matter if someone is playing chess, bowling, or baseball, they are trying to exploit an advantage they have over their competition. There are a number of advantages that one football team may have over another; one team may be faster, one team may be bigger, and one team may better coached. These are all advantages that some teams can use to outplay the opposition. One of the most talked about advantages in college football though is home field advantage. Also known as the "12th Man", home field advantage is something that coaches and players alike will say is one hundred percent real. Some NCAA football teams have a much better home field advantage then others. Some teams dread going to play in some college football stadiums. Here is a look at the teams with the best home field advantage as we rank the five home fields in college football:
- LSU Tigers @ Tiger Stadium - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
With well over 100,000 fans taking part in tailgating and other pre-game functions, Tiger Stadium and the LSU Tiger fans make the most of their home field advantage. Nicknamed "Death Valley", Tiger Stadium has no open ends and the opposition team is subjected to one of the loudest football venues of any where in the country. The stadium has a capacity of over 91,000. As 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."
- Ohio State Buckeyes @ Ohio Stadium - Columbus, Ohio
Few stadiums match the visual impressiveness that Ohio Stadium provides the football fans that go there. Nicknamed "The Horseshoe" because of it's shape, Ohio Stadium is not only one of the most famous and recognizable college football stadiums, but it is also listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. The stadium has a capacity of over 102,000
- Oregon Ducks @ Autzen Stadium - Eugene, Oregon
The smallest stadium on this list, Autzen Stadium's size doesn't inhibit it from being one of the rowdiest and noisiest college football stadiums around. Autzen Stadium has developed a well earned reputation as the toughest place to win in on the entire West Coast. The stadium has a capacity of 54,000.
- Virginia Tech Hokies @ Lane Stadium - Blacksburg, Virginia
One of the things that works in Lane Stadium's advantage in terms of making it an unfriendly place for the opposition is Virginia Tech's relative remoteness and the fact that it isn't the easiest place in the world to get to. These tight quarters, loud rabid fans, and lack of any sizeable fan base from the other side make Lane Stadium truly a tough place to win. The stadium has a capacity of over 66,000.
- Wisconsin Badgers @ Camp Randall Stadium - Madison, Wisconsin
Built on and named for a Civil War era military camp, Camp Randall Stadium features many intimidating features including the fact that opposing teams must pass through the Wisconsin student section on their way to the field. The stadium is enclosed on both ends and lacks the openness of some other fields, this only adds to the volume levels achieved by the fans there. The stadium capacity is over 82,000.
Players, coaches, and fans all agree that home field advantages are real. The loudness of a stadium and the fans it hold can and do have an affect on the game being played. These stadiums are just examples of some of the best home fields in college football. There are many other great places for home teams to play football, the hard part is playing there as the visiting team.
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