Cole Cubelic ranks the Top 5 most difficult SEC stadiums to play in
The SEC is jampacked with some of the best stadiums in the country. From the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to past the outskirts of Houston, the conference has a number of the sport’s cathedrals.
Ranking them is no easy task. Picking just a top five ranking is even more difficult — and set up for arduous debates. But Cole Cubelic decided to give his ranking this past week on the Cube Show podcast.
Before heading into his list, he did give some notable omissions. Cubelic said Auburn, South Carolina and Texas A&M were all considered for his top five SEC stadiums list but missed out. Instead, it was a certain SEC East school that slid in and grabbed the fifth spot.
5. Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
The Swamp — aka Florida‘s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium — slots in as the SEC’s fifth toughest stadium to play in according to Cubelic. From the chomp to singing “I Won’t Back Down,” there’s few atmospheres that compare to the one in Gainesville, Fla. But Cubelic also added that they aren’t higher on the list because of a lack of consistency from the Gators in recent years, affecting the environment.
“I had to go with Florida,” Cubelic said. “I had to go with The Swamp because like I said before, even though it might not be at its best recently or everything it can be right now, this place always has the potential to be ungodly. It can get there in a hurry. It can get there really quick. I’ve witnessed it both standing on the sideline calling a game and I’ve witnessed it as a player trying to make calls on the field. The Swamp packs that punch just not as consistently as some of these other places and obviously things not as good as they’ve been right now.”
4. LSU’s Tiger Stadium
LSU‘s Tiger Stadium — or Death Valley as it is known — is one of the most intimidating places to play in college football. It has a capacity of 102,321 fans, which is the third-largest in the conference and sixth-largest among all college football stadiums. Cubelic said he expects the stadium to potentially be higher next year after a second successful season under Brian Kelly continues the program resurgence.
“This is not as much an indictment on LSU as it is crediting some of these other teams,” Cubelic said. “This is always one of the loudest places to play. It’s always an insane place to play. It’s always a fun place to go. They had a big bounce back year last year, which I think will help going into this year. I would anticipate maybe they’re a little bit higher on this list this year.”
3. Georgia’s Sanford Stadium
Georgia‘s Sanford Stadium is most well known for the Hedges but it’s not just the beauty of the stadium that makes it a top-five choice. It is also the environment of the crowd and the success of the Bulldogs at the stadium. The last home loss for the Bulldogs came on Oct. 12, 2019 to South Carolina in double overtime.
“The most difficult place to win right now in the SEC,” Cubelic said. “You realize Georgia is 15-0 at home the last three years. One-five and zero at home the last three years. That is pure insanity. 92,000-plus going to be packed in there, going crazy, barking at you. They’ve been unbeaten in five of the last six years at home. At some point when we’re talking about the most difficult places to play, we at least have to allow the numbers to be a part of that conversation. George’s home numbers have been absolutely dominant at home in recent memory.”
2. Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium
Tennessee football was back last season, and Neyland Stadium reintroduced itself to the country with its electric environment. Rocky Top just finished up new renovations last year to help refurbish the stadium. But Cubelic said there’s an x-factor to consider with Tennessee: the long-awaited return to potential SEC glory that has been hanging over the program for years.
“Another part of this is kind of where they are versus where they’ve been,” Cubelic said. “This is the hungriest fan base in the Southeastern Conference. Now, do they stay there? Probably but I don’t know. Baseball, rippin’. Basketball, pretty good. Football, back. They have a lot of things to be happy about right now. A lot of things. You look at just exactly what Tennessee football can be, I think the fans see that again. They feel that again. When I was there for the Ole Miss game two years ago, it was back. Neyland was back. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. It’s way I remember it. It’s the way people know it. So if that’s the case, then there aren’t too many places that are better.”
1. Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium
When people rank the toughest SEC stadiums to play in, they normally base it off crowd noise and environment — which is the right way to think about it. But Cubelic added that those shouldn’t be the only qualifications. The actually difficulty of the team you’re playing — and their success at home — should count a great deal as well, he said. That’s why he named Alabama‘s Bryant-Denny Stadium, where the Crimson Tide have lost just five times since 2008, as the SEC’s most difficult stadium to play in.
“You probably say, ‘I’ve heard it’s not that loud,'” Cubelic said. “Alright, fine. It might not be as loud as LSU’s Tiger Stadium, Death Valley. It might not be as loud as Neyland. It’s not as loud as Neyland. I don’t think it’s as loud as Auburn. But to go win there, you have to play that team. That has to be a part of this practice. I don’t know why we don’t allow that to be a part of this when we discuss it so often. They’ve been unbeaten at home seven of the last eight years. I’ll say that one more time. Seven out of the last eight football seasons, Alabama has not lost a game at home. Since 2007, they have not lost multiple games at home.”
While Cubelic said this is his list for this season, he expects to look different come next year. In fact, he even made a prediction for which SEC stadium he thinks will crack the top five: Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium. But as of right now, the Tigers are on the outside looking in at Florida, LSU, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama.