How Texas has fared in the toughest stadiums according to EA Sports College Football 25
By Lawton Paddock: EA Sports College Football 25 recently announced the game’s 25 toughest stadiums to play in ahead of its July release. Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium ranked No. 19, alongside many familiar foes and future SEC opponents. Today, we will be evaluating how Texas has fared in some of these high-pressure atmospheres and locations of imminent battles.
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Topping the list is an old foe to the Longhorns. In-state rival Texas A&M and Kyle Field was ranked by EA College Football 25 as the toughest venue to play in the game. Though history is in Texas’ favor, as they are 19-11 in Kyle Field dating back to 1953. Of course, nobody on the Texas roster today (other than a handful of transfers) is familiar with the Kyle Field atmosphere the team will be facing this November. This bodes well for Texas as the rivalry is renewed this fall, with both teams eager to set the tone for the future of the series.
Of course, Steve Sarkisian himself knows the environment his team will enter. He believes it’ll be prepared for it.
Nine of the other 23 teams in the ranking are SEC members, while Michigan stands out as a team on the list from this year’s non-conference schedule. In total, Texas plays five teams that possess top 25 atmospheres this year, and two of those contests will be away games in unfriendly confines. Hence, let’s take a quick look at the Longhorns’ record in these atmospheres that are to be played in in 2024 or 2025.
Michigan: Texas will be playing in Michigan Stadium for the first time ever in 2024. That said, the Longhorns’ history against UM is short but sweet; UT boasts a 1-0 record against the Wolverines, with the only matchup between the schools resulting in a 2005 Rose Bowl win for Texas largely thanks to an electrifying performance by Vince Young. Michigan Stadium is ranked No. 16 on the top 25 rankings.
Oklahoma: Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium ranked No. 8 on the list, but this is irrelevant for the Longhorns since the Texas-OU rivalry is played at the Cotton Bowl, a neutral site. However, this game is still worth mentioning due to the intense crowd engagement found in the Red River Shootout. The Longhorns lead the all-time series against OU at 63-51-5, but have struggled recently, losing ten of the last fifteen games in Dallas. However, coming off an 11-1 regular season in 2023, the Longhorns aspire to flip the script in the coming years of the SEC rivalry under Sarkisian.
Georgia: The Longhorns have never played in Sanford Stadium, but do possess a 4-1 record against the Bulldogs with their only loss occurring in the tragic Craig Curry game in the 1984 Cotton Bowl. Sanford Stadium will host Texas in 2025, and is ranked as the No. 5 most difficult environment to play on the list.
Florida: The last time the two teams met was 1940 in Gainesville, Fla., Texas’s sole away game against UF. Texas won 26-0, although “The Swamp” obviously wasn’t quite what we know it to be today. All-time, Texas is 2-0-1 against UF and will head to Gainesville next year for the first time in 85 years. The Swamp is ranked as the No. 10 toughest stadium to play in.
Arkansas: The resumption of this rivalry has been remarkably understated and overshadowed by that of Texas A&M, but many forget the true disdain the teams had for each other as Southwest Conference foes. This rivalry is a little dislocated as it has been played in Little Rock almost as many times as it has in Fayetteville. That said, Texas boasts an all-time 56-23 (.708) record in the series, going 16-4 (.750) in Razorback Stadium. The home of the Pigs was ranked as the No. 23 most taxing atmosphere. The Longhorns hope to continue their winning tradition in Fayetteville this November, playing there for the first time since 2021.
Although they don’t face off in 2024, Texas stands to play in Columbus against Ohio State the following year. The Longhorns have played OSU once in Ohio Stadium, listed as the No. 4 most difficult environment. In 2005, Texas topped the Buckeyes en route to National Championship victory later that January. The 2025 matchup will be the first between the two teams since Colt McCoy’s heroics in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl.
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With Texas’s move to the SEC and thus ascent to play in tougher environments, the Longhorns’ ability to compete and succeed in these challenging venues will be imperative as they navigate the demanding landscape of the conference. However, fans should be encouraged that UT fares well in many of these imminent, burdensome atmospheres, and can believe in the continued improvement of Sarkisian’s program entering the fourth year of his tenure as head coach.
