The return of EA Sports’ school football video game brought a wave of anticipation during the offseason, and after 11 years of production inactivity, the game’s developers have made a great effort to present the newest edition as realistically as possible. On Tuesday, EA Sports revealed the Most Difficult Places to Play as part of College Football 25, a ranking of the 25 most practical stadiums that will pose even more demanding situations for players playing as a visiting team.
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Rating the hardest places to play was a staple in previous editions of the game, and its return comes with countless innovations in the game’s depictions of the environment and environments that make school football an exclusive experience. As the official online game page boasts that “you may encounter wavy lines, game art may appear incorrectly, audible and active paths may not be able to log in at higher speeds, or receiver icons may fade at a very important moment in your gameplay. “Players on a visiting team may also experience more common losses of confidence and composure depending on the game setting and the enthusiasm of the crowd.
But before enthusiasts see how ultimate challenge puts their gaming experience at stake, we want to talk about EA’s rating of the 25 highest challenge environments in school football. EA claims to have taken into account “house win percentage, house game attendance, active players. “house win streaks, team prestige and more” when appearing on this list. Did the game developers get the right rating? Below, our editors talk about the biggest surprises, snobs, and debates within the maximum of 25.
Sam Khan Jr. : Autzen Stadium and Rice-Eccles Stadium seemed too low. Oregon enthusiasts make Autzen one of the loudest stadiums in the country, and the Ducks are 28-1 there over the past five years, tied with Georgia for the house. record among the most powerful convention groups in that period. Utah has “the MUSS,” one of the loudest and loudest student chapters. And the Utes are just as tough to beat at home, going 27-2 over the past five years.
Max Olson: I think a lot of school football enthusiasts will be surprised to see a school other than LSU in the most sensible place. I haven’t played that game yet, but I’m in a nervous position that the first five-star team of my Dynasty team. Last year, the QB will have to play a game on Saturday night in Death Valley. He is not in a position to do so, especially if the data are true: “Cuello” is indeed in the party.
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Chris Vannini: “I think qualifying is smart overall, unless there are some quirks. Notre Dame, at 21, is strangely short. This stadium has seen so many wonderful games over the decades, and the crowd is up to the task. They were penalized in 1988 for being too loud. This position deserves to be closer to the 10 most sensible.
Audrey Snyder: Where is Michigan’s stadium? La Grande Maison at number 16 is a hallucination. The giant of a stadium is by no means the fourth most complicated position to play in the Big Ten. It would put Michigan around fifth or sixth overall and definitely put them ahead of Camp Randall in the conference. At worst, it’s the third most complicated place in the Big Ten and, at the most productive time, Ohio Stadium. These “Mr. Brightside” moments are a viral sensation. The spectacle of so many other people crammed into a room of this length really helps you when the Wolverines are standing. The big divide between Horseshoe and Big House here doesn’t make much sense to me.
Pete Sampson: Maybe it’s a home bias, but Notre Dame Stadium ranked 21st?A position above the state of Michigan? The Irish have a top-10 home winning percentage over the past decade and at one point enjoyed a 26-game winning streak at Notre Dame Stadium. Jesus’ touchdown wouldn’t possibly scare many opponents, but the Irish are a very difficult team to beat. in Curva del Sur.
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Khan: I hate to say it, but Kyle Field at No. 1 turns out to be too high. Not because there is anything with the fans. It’s arguably the most productive playing environment in the sport, with more than 30,000 students waving towels and screaming. from start to finish in a noisy crowd of over 100,000 people. But “the hardest part” involves it’s hard to win there, and for opponents, it hasn’t been that hard in the past decade. Appalachian State notoriously disappointed the Aggies in 2022, a season in which they finished 4-3 at home. In Kevin Sumlin’s time, A
The moment in this century when Texas A
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Olson: Georgia coach Kirby Smart is 44-4 in home games and has won thirteen straight games against ranked conflicting parties at Sanford Stadium. Their teams are incredibly intimidating to play on any court, and Sanford’s playing experience has taken a step forward in recent years, however, I’m sure there are several fan bases (Penn State, Florida State, and Florida in particular) who would say they deserve the Bulldogs’ place in the top five.
Vannini: I’m going to say Oklahoma ranked No. 8, but with a caveat. Because Texas’ annual game is played in Dallas, the Sooners don’t have a smart home schedule. That will replace this year with Tennessee and Alabama joining OU. First list of the SEC. No I can wait to see if Sooner enthusiasts can live up to the rankings.
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Snyder: Spartan Stadium at issue 22. Me I realize that the lens through which I view this (as a Penn State editor taking that holiday over Thanksgiving weekend for the Land Grant Trophy game) is never the most productive representation of a crowd. I try not to focus too much on it, but in all my holidays there I never had the feeling that it was actually one of the most productive atmospheres in this sport. Maybe I just took some uncommon vacations there, which is possible. . However, when it comes to fickle weather situations in the Big Ten that can complicate visitors’ lives, this position really delivers. Through snow, lightning delays, and everything in between, you might find yourself gambling in a hostile winter wonderland in East Lansing.
Sampson: I know this game just came off an 11-year hiatus, but Lane Stadium’s “Enter Sandman” might be an iconic entrance, but it doesn’t translate to the game itself. The Hokies are 2-10 at home compared to the top 25 teams of the past decade. Once the game starts, Lane Stadium is just the school’s football venue.
Khan: There’s no place like Tiger Stadium for an LSU home game. A Saturday night in Death Valley is as intimidating as it gets. Because LSU enthusiasts know how to make the tailgate, they enter Tiger Stadium well-lubricated and in a screaming condition. for three and a half hours. Former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow put it best in a 2021 verbal exchange with Paul Finebaum: “When you get there, the enthusiasts push your bus. When you get off the bus, you are served beer. When you walk into the ballpark and you have 3 generations, face to face, saying things I can’t tell you. And then the game starts and they make a lot of noise.
Olson: The two loudest reports about stadiums I’ve ever received in Texas A
Vannini: It has to be LSU’s Tiger Stadium. Who else can claim an “Earthquake Game,” as LSU did in Auburn in 1988?There’s nothing like a night game. Death Valley is “the position where the dreams of the warring parties come to die. “
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Snyder: LSU. Saturday night in Death Valley, an occasion I’ve only enjoyed from afar but hope to see one day, turns out to be one of the most impressive atmospheres in the sport. It’s pretty clear to me, even on TV, that it’s special. Like Beaver Stadium with the White Out, Ohio State’s I, the Rammer Jammer in Alabama, and the Wave at Kinnick Stadium, the Death Valley experience is one of the many moments I hope the game captures well for fans. Good luck to those playing at Tiger Stadium at night with over 102,000 people losing their minds.
Sampson: In my personal experience, it doesn’t get much better than the Sanford Stadium in Athens. Georgia embraced the trend of friendly displays early on and knows how to throw a party that lasts all day and all night. And good luck to win the ball back. In Georgia, no one hears you shout “walk. “It’s the best combination of fan culture and five-star talent.
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Khan: Ask ACC groups how they like to get to Carter Finley Stadium for a night game at NC State. It’s complicated. The Wolfpack is 27-7 at home over the past five years, only Oklahoma State among the strength convention groups not included in the top 25. They sold out all their home games last season, and their 57,600-seat stadium has averaged more than 53,000 a year since 2003 (excluding 2020). Carter-Finley has a strong case to include.
Olson: I was a little surprised to see that Oklahoma State’s Boone Pickens Stadium was left out of that more sensible 25. It’s a tough road for any visiting team from the big 12, with its incredibly narrow sidelines and all those enthusiasts hitting the walls with paddles. The Cowboys are 27-5 at home over the past five seasons under Mike Gundy, tying them with LSU for the 10th-most productive home-win percentage among Power’s five schools in that span.
Vannini: I had to double- or triple-check to make sure Washington was out of the top 25. This is obviously my biggest slap in the face. With overhangs on the sidelines, this stadium becomes noticeably loud for any game with a shaky press box, and the Huskies’ run to the national championship illustrated how tough they are at home. I was there last season for the win against Oregon. and I’m convinced the crowd helped influence a missed Ducks basket at the end of time.
Snyder: Nebraska Memorial Stadium. Maybe I’m leaning too much into nostalgia and we’re all thinking too much about the past thanks to the return of video games, but not having the Huskers here is out of place for me. I guess the sell-out series and the Red Sea matter very little to developers.
Sampson: The Los Angeles Coliseum: One of the sport’s most iconic venues, a Heisman Trophy factory, and a fan base that will turn out to be, at least for one winner. Few stadiums serve as national stages, and the parties to the conflict feel it. USC may not be a daunting situation for anonymous conflicting parties, but it can be a prime-time snake pit.
(Screenshot courtesy of EA Sports)