IGN, the gaming and everything-else-that-is-interesting news website empire that I have come to love, has just lost a ton of respect. Just a few days ago, they released a feature article entitled "NCAA Football 08: Home Field Advantage". The article depicts the top 10 "toughest places to play int he country, along with screenshots of each stadium". Here is how the list goes, I will space them out so as to draw out the suspense for where Nebraska will land. (In order from most to least toughest)
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/794/794559p1.html
1. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Florida
With more than 88,000 seats, the Swamp is the largest stadium in the state of Florida. Former coach Steve Spurrier so named the Swamp in 1991 when he said, "The swamp is where Gators live. We feel comfortable there, but we hope our opponents feel tentative. A swamp is hot and sticky and can be dangerous." If opponents can manage the heat --temperatures often hit 100 degrees -- the defending national football (and basketball) champions probably will. The Gators are 14-0 at home under coach Urban Meyer. EA Sports is definitely not the first to believe that Florida has one of the greatest home-field advantages in college football and all of sports.
2. Ohio Stadium, Ohio State
Ohio Stadium is known as the Horseshoe because of its distinctive architectural design. Big Ten opponents call it hell on earth. With a capacity of 101,000 fans, the Shoe is the fourth-largest stadium in the country and also one of the loudest thanks to the intimate seating arrangements. Opponents unable to handle the pressure will most likely become immortalized as a Buckeye leaf on the helmets of Ohio State players after getting creamed. Buckeyes with helmets full of leaves have a good shot of being named an All American and getting a tree planted in their honor in Buckeye Grove, located in the southwest corner of the stadium. And if you need an arsenal of assault rifles, don't forget about former running back Maurice Clarett.
3. Tiger Stadium, LSU
Nicknamed Death Valley, Tiger Stadium is so loud that even its nickname has a nickname: Deaf Valley. In its history, the noise has been so loud that fans in the surrounding area have come out of their homes to see just what the noise was all about. In 1988 when the Tigers scored a game-winning touchdown against Auburn, the celebration was so great that it registered on a university seismograph, a day that became known as "The Night the Tigers Moved the Earth." Ranked sixth in attendance in 2006, Tiger Stadium is a frightful place to play for opponents, and on Saturday nights it becomes the sixth largest city in the entire state.
4. Beaver Stadium, Penn State
The second largest stadium in the country -- only a few hundred seats behind The Big House -- Beaver Stadium continue to get bigger as Joe Paterno gets older. Named after a former Pennsylvania governor (rather than a favorite sorority), Beaver Stadium has been the home of Penn State football since 1909, about the same year Paterno got his driver license, we're almost certain. We kid. JoePa was the all-time winningest coach before Bobby Bowden eclipsed him, but the two are still only separated by just a few wins. Entering his 57th season, he could steal the record back inside Beaver.
5. Lane Stadium, Virginia Tech
Loud. This place is loud. Va-Tech fans get more excited for their home games than a Michael Vick sanctioned pit bull battle. With the addition of new sections in the south end zone -- inspired after the old Cleveland Dawg Pound -- Lane continues to grow, now topping out at about 65,000 seats. While Tech has yet to emerge as a truly elite program -- the team reached a pinnacle with Vick at the helm in 1999 when the Hokies lost to Florida State in the national title game -- the hostile environment is always enough to intimidate opponents. Or make them go deaf.
6. Neyland Stadium, Tennessee
With a capacity of just over 104,000, Neyland Stadium is the third largest football stadium in the country and a site to behold. Crazed fans pack it in every Vols' home game, and the magnitude and noise alone is enough to rattle any visiting player. After a game on this famed turf you'll be seeing orange and white for weeks. And you probably won't be able to get rid of the smell of delicious Tennessee barbecue, either.
7. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, USC
The Coliseum is home to a number of teams over the years, including the LA Raiders, LA Rams and rival UCLA Bruins. It's also where Jack Bauer foiled the plans of a sinister terrorist group in 24, season 2. We're not sure exactly why this particular stadium is so high on the list of toughest stadiums. We suppose players could be distracted by the super-model coeds littering the stands. Most likely, it's because USC is always loaded with talent, a tradition that continues in 2007. And because players' parents get student housing discounts. In other news, Reggie Bush went to USC...
8. DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, Texas
Hook 'em horns! Constructed in 1924, Texas Memorial Stadium was renamed in 1996 after Darrell K Royal, the legendary Longhorns coach that guided the team to three national titles. Texas is stocked with tradition, including the Hook 'em horns hand signal (named the nation's top hand signal by Sports Illustrated!), to Bevo, the famed longhorn cow present at every home game, to Smokey the Cannon, the cannon that is fired after every Horns' score. You may also get a contact high if you spot Ricky Williams in the stands.
9. Michigan Stadium, Michigan
They don't call it The Big House for nothing. With a capacity of more than 107,000 -- sometimes exceeding 110,000 when you add in staff, players and scantily-clad cheerleaders -- Michigan Stadium is the largest football stadium in the country. The chants of "Go Blue" rain down on Big Ten opponents every fall, and in 2003 fans piled in to set an NCAA record for attendance with 112,118 fans against Ohio State. Hail to the victors indeed.
10. Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame
Home to Touchdown Jesus, Notre Dame is the house that Rockne Built. Constructed in 1930 and expanded to hold a capacity of more than 80,000 rabid Irish fans, the turf in South Bend is alive with ghosts. If the sheer history alone isn't enough to intimidate you --- Notre Dame has won 11 national titles, nine of them since the stadium's construction -- then playing every game on national television just might, thanks to the annual NBC TV deal. If you're still not scared, watch out for Charlie Weis's beer gut.
OH! Don't worry about not seeing Memorial Stadium on there, I haven't posted the honorable mentions yet!
IGN Honorable Mentions: Texas A&M, Clemson, Oregon, Georgia, Auburn, Wisconsin.
Double-u...........tee...............eff :steam :WTH
