Alabama, Auburn in The Athletic’s 25 best college football stadiums—see where they ranked
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The Athletic recently polled 28 of their college football writers and editors to rank the best stadiums across the country. And to no surprise, Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium and Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium made the top 25.
Each panel member ranked their top 10 stadiums + five extra honorable mentions to help build the list. The Athletic says between the 28 writers, they have visited over 120 of the FBS stadiums across the country.
From architecture + scenery to vibes + atmosphere, the writers broke down which stadiums are the best to visit and give their home teams the best homefield advantage.
Keep reading to see where Alabama and Auburn ranked + which SEC stadium topped the list.
Best college football stadiums
Surprise!
While Alabama and Auburn both made the top 25, neither stadium finished in The Athletic’s top 10. And neither stadium received a first-place vote from a single voter.
LSU’s Tiger Stadium took the top spot, which has been a consensus among college football reporters and fans for several years. The stadium received half of the panel’s first-place votes and made the top 10 on 27 of the 28 ballots.
“The home-field advantage is substantial: LSU has won 87.7 percent of its home games since 2000. Only 16 teams out of 131 have gone into Baton Rouge and emerged with a victory over LSU in the past 25 years. The noise, the intensity, the passion? Unparalleled, especially at night.”
Sam Khan Jr., The Athletic
Bryant-Denny Stadium
Alabama officially came in just outside the top 10 at No. 11 on the list, receiving 72 total points in the poll. Bryant-Denny Stadium was ranked in the top 10 on 12 different ballots, which was tied for the ninth most top-10 votes.
“I don’t know how Alabama ever loses a home game, given the electricity in this place. It starts as early as warmups, when “Sweet Home Alabama” comes over the P.A. system. Then, just before kickoff, the Tide run onto the field to “Thunderstruck” blasting and the LED lights blaring. The crowd stays loud all game.
“And one of my absolute favorite college football traditions comes in the fourth quarter, when 100,000 fans sing along to every word of Dixieland Delight.”
Stewart Mandel, The Athletic
Jordan-Hare Stadium
Auburn’s home provides a different experience depending on whether you’re a fan of the Tigers or a visiting team.
It can be a place for memorable moments with a sense of community or it can be a house of horrors that cannot be explained by the laws of football. But that’s what makes the atmosphere special.
Jordan-Hare Stadium officially came in at No. 19 on The Athletic’s list. It was ranked in the top 10 on just three ballots.
“Jordan-Hare Stadium is big and loud, and the fans are among the most loyal in the nation — you’d have to be to put up with all of the drama at Auburn over the years — but the best part of a game on The Plains is watching War Eagle soar around the stadium just before kickoff.”
Mitch Light, The Athletic
Want to vote for your own top 10 stadiums? The Athletic is asking readers to send in their own rankings to get a broader sense of how college football fans feel about the sport’s venues across the country.
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