EA Sports College Football 26 toughest stadiums rankings: Stats don't add up
It's who has the toughest one where the punches are thrown.
In one of the most argumentative-driven sports, perhaps nothing gets the blood boiling − other than playoff rankings − than trying to determine which stadium is the class of college football, and hardest to play in.
Home field advantage is what makes college football great. Crazed student sections, packed stadiums in football cathedrals with more than 100,000 people partaking in traditions while ensuring their team has the best possible chance to win, no matter the opposition.
EA Sports tasks itself with trying to determine the top 25 toughest stadiums to play in for its annual video game. For College Football 26, EA Sports gave the top honors to LSU's Tiger Stadium, with Beaver Stadium (Penn State), Ohio Stadium (Ohio State), Sanford Stadium (Georgia) and Bryant-Denny Stadium (Alabama) rounding out the top five.
EA Sports College Football 26: See full rankings of toughest places to play
Is there a consensus agreement on it? Not even close.
The social media replies to EA Sports' account are filled with people questioning the rankings, wondering how could it come to such a conclusion. Even Florida's Swamp, ranked seventh, and Tennessee's Neyland Stadium, ranked 12th.
They certainly have a point. There isn't a correct or wrong way to determine the rankings, but there are statistics that back it up or disprove it. So, which stadium really is the toughest to be in?
How does EA Sports determine toughest stadiums?
What's certain in the top 25 rankings is the stadium size and attendance. The nine biggest stadiums in the country are on the list, and 20 of the 26 largest college football stadiums by capacity made it. National success is also consistent with 27 of the past 29 national champions on it, which plays a role in the EA Sports rankings.
Ahead of College Football 25, EA Sports said there are several factors that are considered in the rankings, but more notable ones are home winning percentage, home game attendance, active home winning streaks and team prestige, among other factors. USA TODAY Sports reached out to EA Sports did n for more information into this year's rankings.
Home stadium success
After stadium size, a great starting point would be a team's history at home. Sixteen of the 25 teams with the best home winning percentage since 2004 made the rankings. Ohio State has the highest figure at a 91.6% win percentage (141-13) in that timeframe. In the top eight, only Boise State (89.2%) didn't make it.
In it are:
Meanwhile, the worst top 25 team on the list is Mississippi State. Their 58.2% win percentage (82-59) is 90th.
Comparing 2024 rankings to 2025
Another way it could be looked is what last year's rankings and how it affected the 2025 edition. In College Football 25, Texas A&M had the top spot, followed by Alabama, LSU, Ohio State and Georgia.
Texas A&M went 5-2 at home, with two top 10 victories and two close losses to Notre Dame and Texas. Yet the Aggies dropped to No. 11 this year, the biggest fall in the rankings. Meanwhile, LSU rose from third to first after a 6-1 home record. However, that included the laugher against Alabama, when the Crimson Tide beat the Tigers so bad the stadium was emptying out early in the fourth quarter. At the top, plenty of cases could be made for who should be where.
There were moves that made sense. After the abysmal season, Florida State went ninth to 14th with a 2-5 home record, and Wisconsin's 3-4 mark dropped it from seventh to 15th. Washington joined the party at No. 18 following a 6-0 mark at Husky Stadium.
Yet there were head-scratching decisions. Five teams on the list had perfect home records, but arguably the most questionable move is Alabama. It went from 7-0 at home in 2024, including wins over Georgia and Missouri, but went from second to fifth. Plus, Oklahoma State jumped into the rankings at No. 23, even though it went 2-4 at home with the wins against South Dakota State and Arkansas. Meanwhile, Boise State continued its blue turf dominance with a 7-0 record, yet completely fell out.
In total, there are six teams − Auburn, Utah, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Mississippi State and Florida State − that were .500 or worse at home in 2024 and still in the rankings. All dropped spots except for the Cowboys.
Margin of victory
Winning at home is necessary, but what really determines the strength of the home field advantage is how a team does it. When it comes to crushing teams, no one on the list did it better than Tennessee. Not only did the Volunteers go 7-0 at home, but they won by an average of 33.6 points at Neyland Stadium, second-best in the country behind Indiana. How was Tennessee rewarded? Moving up just one spot to No. 12. Sure, the Volunteers have won just 67.6% (100-48) of their home games since 2004, but it's coming off a dominant season in Rocky Top.
Eight teams − Tennessee, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, Penn State, Notre Dame, Georgia and Iowa − won by an average of at least 20 points at home, showing how they mostly dominated opponents. Four are in the top five, yet Iowa (19th) only moved up one spot, and Notre Dame (21st) didn't move at all.
No. 1 LSU's average margin was 10.4, 18th-best on the list. The Tigers were winning, but "Death Valley" wasn't a terror. At No. 14, Florida State had a -6.3 average margin, the worst on the list, yet it's ahead of eight teams that were positive, including the Hawkeyes and Fighting Irish. Oklahoma State (-4), Mississippi State (-4.1) and Michigan State (-4.3) were the others with a negative margin.
Did EA Sports get stadium rankings right?
It's anyone's guess how EA Sports made its rankings, but it's safe to say they aren't the end-all-be-all list.
Based on these determinations, Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon, Texas should have been ranked higher, while LSU likely shouldn't have the top spot. Teams like Florida State, Auburn and Utah should've seen more dramatic drops than Texas A&M.
The cowbells can be tough to play in, but it's evident Mississippi State shouldn't be on a list where the only wins with against Eastern Kentucky and Massachusetts. North Carolina State's admission is questionable but Oklahoma State had zero business moving into the top 25, resulting in Boise State being wrongfully punished.
Of course, these opinions won't be correct to everyone. Determining the toughest − not the best − stadium isn't an easy task, but there's data that certainly backs it up.
Think your team deserves to be higher? Then show up, be raucous and hope your team wins, and wins by a lot.
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