Ranking all 14 SEC football teams by home-field advantage
Is there anything better as a fan than walking out of an opponent’s stadium with a win?
Yes, that is an exhilarating feeling for everyone but that is easier said than done, especially for your favorite football team, depending on which SEC stadium you are visiting.
Leaving Vanderbilt Stadium with a win? Expected. Jordan-Hare Stadium or Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge? Not as much.
So how do the 14 stadiums rank when it comes to giving their teams a pure home-field advantage? Here are my rankings. I’m sure everyone will agree.
14. Vanderbilt
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Stadium: Vanderbilt Stadium Capacity: 39,790 There aren't many more depressing things for a fan of a home team than having your stadium being taken over by the opposing fan base. This tends to happen at Vanderbilt at least two or three times during conference play. It would help to put a winning product on the field for the Commodores but that rarely happens.
13. Missouri
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Stadium: Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium Capacity: 61,620 This is the only SEC stadium I have yet to be too so I can't say personally how the atmosphere is but reviews I heard it was quite quiet. Granted, this was during a 51-14 victory by Auburn that these people were at but still, they were unimpressed with the entire experience. I hear Homecoming is great, though.
12. Kentucky
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Stadium: Kroger Field Capacity: 61,000 It's not that Kroger Field (nee Commonwealth Stadium) can't get loud and be an advantage for the Wildcats, it's just that it doesn't happen that often. The problem? An apathetic student section. It's much better than when I was growing up and going to games all the time during the 1980s and 1990s, but still pales in comparison to many of the rest of the SEC.
11. Ole Miss
Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Stadium: Vaught Hemingway Stadium Capacity: 64,038 Hotty Toddy, gosh almighty, the stadium experience is ... just okay. Personally, I think The Grove is also overrated but a lot of people tend to enjoy it. If I wanted to sip out of a red Solo cup while sitting in 100-degree heat, I would rather be at the beach. Seersucker goes well with everything, though.
10. South Carolina
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Stadium: Williams-Brice Stadium Capacity: 80,250 One of the more underrated places to see a game, negative points go toward the fact that the Gamecocks rarely pull out the big wins inside their own stadium. Of course, don't tell Bo Nix this. The Auburn quarterback has to return to Columbia this season after his three-interception performance last year.
9. Arkansas
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Stadium: Razorback Stadium Capacity: 76,000 When the Razorbacks are rolling? Yeah, this place is as intimidating as it gets. With the renovations to the stadium and the arrival of Sam Pittman, Razorback Stadium could get rocking again.
8. Mississippi State
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Stadium: Davis Wade Stadium Capacity: 61,337 Do you like cowbells? Well, you will feel different after attending a game in Starkville. It is still a great home-field effect and something you will always remember. Trust me, opposing teams do.
7. Alabama
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Stadium: Bryant-Denny Stadium Capacity: 101,821 You can't really blame Alabama fans for being spoiled over the past 13 years but, with that, Bryant-Denny Stadium has turned into a cemetery unless the Crimson Tide (gasp!) fall down or face a big opponent. Tracking students' attendance, though? That's pretty lame.
6. Tennessee
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Stadium: Neyland Stadium Capacity: 102,455 If you were to base Rocky Top on the 2015 Oklahoma game, it would be higher. Instead, Tennessee fans have grown apathetic as they continue to find a coach that will lead the Big Orange back to glory. When you lose this much at home, it tends to happen.
5. Georgia
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Stadium: Sanford Stadium Capacity: 92,746 Adults barking at you can only go so far for intimidating but Sanford Stadium still has its moments. Auburn definitely has had its problems winning there but, a lot of times, that has come to mere incompetence on the Tigers' part. Georgia fans pretend they invented holding up the spotlight feature on their cell phone.
4. Florida
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Stadium: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Capacity: 88,548 Back in the 1990s when Steve Spurrier was roaming the sidelines, The Swamp was the most intimidating environment possibly in all of sports. After some up-and-down years (and even during the Urban Meyer era), that fervor has died down a little bit and the headaches are just a little more bearable after leaving.
3. Auburn
Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports
Stadium: Jordan-Hare Stadium Capacity: 87,514 Best student section in the conference and nation? Absolutely. When it matters, Jordan-Hare Stadium rocks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ako06L9wTc8
2. Texas A&M
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Stadium: Kyle Field Capacity: 102,733 When you are afraid that a stadium is going to completely collapse into ruins due to the swaying and crowd noise, you know you are witnessing something special. Kyle Field should be on the bucket list of any college football fan, especially for the Fighting Texas Aggie Band. I'm still wondering if it safe to have a bunch of men yielding large swords on the sidelines, though.
1. LSU
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Stadium: Tiger Stadium Capacity: 102,231 The clear winner and the REAL Death Valley, there is nothing more scary than seeing your team take the field on a Saturday night in Baton Rouge. From the moment the band hits those first four notes in the pregame song to Mike the Tiger rounding the field, you know that it is going to take something special for your team to come out victorious.
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