How does South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium stack up with toughest places to play?
The countdown is nearing the home stretch. In just 22 days, EA Sports’ College Football 25 will officially be released.
With a few weeks to go until the new video game hits store shelves, EA has been dropping different rankings, showcasing some of what to expect before release day. On Tuesday, a list of the top 10 toughest places to play was revealed.
Surprisingly to some, South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium didn’t make the cut.
Now, that’s a little misleading. While “Willy-B” didn’t crack the top 10, it did make the top 25. EA views Williams-Brice as the 15th most difficult stadium to play in.
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When looking at the overall rankings, some of the listed stadiums definitely belong in the top 10. But to say South Carolina’s home-field advantage isn’t right up there among the best could be a hot take.
Here’s a look at EA’s top 25 rankings.
- Kyle Field
- Bryant-Denny Stadium – Alabama
- Tiger Stadium – LSU
- Ohio Stadium – Ohio State
- Sanford Stadium – Georgia
- Beaver Stadium – Penn State
- Camp Randall Stadium – Wisconsin
- Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium – Oklahoma
- Doak S. Campbell Stadium – Florida State
- Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – Florida
- Autzen Stadium – Oregon
- Memorial Stadium – Clemson
- Neyland Stadium – Tennessee
- Jordan-Hare Stadium – Auburn
- Williams-Brice Stadium – South Carolina
- Michigan Stadium – Michigan
- Lane Stadium – Virginia Tech
- Rice-Eccles Stadium – Utah
- Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium – Texas
- Kinnick Stadium – Iowa
- Notre Dame Stadium – Notre Dame
- Spartan Stadium – Michigan State
- Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium – Arkansas
- Albertsons Stadium – Boise State
- Davis Wade Stadium – Mississippi State
It’s definitely hard to argue with the stadiums in the top seven. Those are the cream of the crop. But Williams-Brice is arguably a tougher place to play than some of the other stadiums in front of it. And that’s more or less just personal opinion. A lot of Gamecock fans are especially going to be hard-pressed to believe Clemson’s Memorial Stadium is ahead.
And some would agree that EA got it wrong when it comes to the placement for South Carolina.
“Scouted games at all these venues and South Carolina @GamecockFB belongs on this list,” Reese’s Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy said in an X post. “No hotter stadium in CFB early in season. Williams-Brice is a WILD environment!”
Nagy would definitely be right about the heat. That Aug. 31 season opener with Old Dominion is sure to be a scorcher. But when the games are meaningful, especially at night, there might not be a better atmosphere.
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When examining how EA came to a conclusion on this list, there were plenty of factors involved. Some of which included win-loss record, home game attendance, active home winning streaks, team prestige, and more, according to EA’s website.
That’s probably part of the reason why Williams-Brice isn’t higher on the list. It’s not a knock on how crazy and loud it can get. But South Carolina isn’t on the same level in terms of winning like other programs around the country.
Either way, it’s an interesting discussion to be had. EA got it right including the Gamecocks in the top 15. But you could make the argument that Williams-Brice should be higher up on the list. EA added that the rankings are subject to change in future updates. So as the new season progresses, there’s always a chance there could be some movement.
