EA Sports activities turned heads when it launched its evaluation of faculty soccer’s hardest locations to play forward of the upcoming “Faculty Soccer 25” online game launch. Sport builders pegged Texas A&M as the game’s high home-field setting and listed 9 SEC venues among the many high 15.

Whereas loads of respect was proven to the SEC and its rabid fan bases with a powerful illustration close to the highest, EA’s ordering of the SEC environments was a lightning rod for controversy. Did Kyle Subject actually deserve the highest spot forward of LSU’s Tiger Stadium, which is notoriously perilous for guests throughout evening video games?

What about Georgia coming in at No. 5 on the record? The Bulldogs have been dominant at residence underneath coach Kirby Sensible. However is that principally the byproduct of a expertise benefit and a positive SEC East schedule?

Faculty soccer realignment 2024 hyperlinks: Huge Ten stadium rankings | Huge Ten rivalry rankings | SEC stadium rankings

Whereas some components are quantifiable, selecting the right stadium setting within the SEC requires nuance. As Texas and Oklahoma be a part of the SEC for the 2024 season, we got down to take a deeper and extra detailed take a look at the hierarchy of SEC residence environments.

1. LSU

LSU is 11-0 in residence evening video games via two seasons underneath coach Brian Kelly. Its solely residence lack of the Kelly period got here in an 11 a.m. native time begin towards Tennessee in 2022, lending credence to the assumption there’s simply one thing totally different about Tiger Stadium at evening. The venue is appropriately nicknamed Dying Valley because it’s a spot the place goals go to die, particularly when the lights are on and the followers have spent all day fueling up.

2. Alabama

Alabama owned a 21-game residence successful streak earlier than a loss to Texas at Bryant-Denny Stadium final season. The Crimson Tide have been so dominant at residence underneath Nick Saban that the legendary coach often needed to prod Bama college students to stay engaged via what appeared like a endless collection of blowout wins. However when a high quality foe involves city, this place is deafening and infrequently demoralizing for opponents.

3. Florida

The Gators have dropped two residence video games in every of the previous two seasons whereas trying to find their footing underneath coach Billy Napier. Nevertheless, it is going to take greater than a few years to vary Ben Hill Griffin Stadium’s popularity as a nightmare venue for opponents. The Gators went 32-2 inside “The Swamp” from 2005-09 throughout City Meyer’s heyday as coach.

4. Tennessee

Neyland Stadium ranked solely seventh amongst SEC venues in EA Sports activities’ record of hardest locations to play. Underestimate the orange madness at your personal peril. Former Oklahoma star quarterback Baker Mayfield as soon as known as Neyland Stadium “a distinct kind of loud” and stated it “was most likely the most effective sport expertise I’ve had.”

5. Auburn

Auburn is simply 12-10 at Jordan-Hare Stadium over the previous three seasons after a collection of shut losses towards top-15 foes Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss final season. However Auburn is unmatched in its potential for miracles. Simply take into account that the “Prayer at Jordan-Hare” and the “Kick-Six” to beat Georgia and Alabama occurred in consecutive video games throughout November of 2013.

6. Georgia

Georgia is 41-1 at residence over the past seven seasons and owns the nation’s longest residence successful streak at 32 video games. Whereas the Bulldogs devoted deserve loads of credit score for the crew’s success at Sanford Stadium, a lot of that dominance ought to most likely be attributed to the expertise benefit amassed by UGA underneath coach Kirby Sensible.

7. South Carolina

South Carolina’s stadium packs a punch, particularly for a program not considered a historic energy. Williams-Brice Stadium shakes when “Sandstorm” comes on, and the Gamecocks have notched some huge residence wins underneath Shane Beamer. Beating Florida and Auburn was essential to getting the Gamecocks bowl-eligible in 2021, and an upset of No. 5 Tennessee altered the playoff image in 2022.

8. Texas A&M

Texas A&M’s “twelfth Man” and “Aggie Yell” are among the many most distinctive school soccer traditions and provides Kyle Subject a novel really feel amongst its SEC friends. However EA Sports activities put an excessive amount of inventory in these components when rating A&M because the nation’s hardest place to play. Appalachian State positive appeared undaunted in 2022 when it left with a 17-14 victory.

9. Oklahoma 

If this was 2023 and we have been rating the most effective Huge 12 stadiums, “The Palace on the Prarie” would probably sit at No. 1. However the Sooner devoted must show that OU’s home-field benefit is best than that of the SEC’s legacy applications. Visits from Tennessee and Alabama in 2024 will give the Sooners an opportunity to set the report straight.

10. Texas

Texas went 6-0 at residence in 2023, however the marquee guests have been Kansas and Kansas State. The Longhorns have been a middling 9-4 at Darrell Ok Royal Memorial Stadium over the 2021 and 2022 seasons. A go to from Georgia on Oct. 19 this season will give Bevo and “The Eyes of Texas” a possibility to flex on the SEC and present that DKR belongs within the dialog as a premier SEC setting.

11. Mississippi State

The noise generated by tens of 1000’s of ringing cowbells provides Davis Wade Stadium a loudness issue you would not sometimes anticipate from a venue with a capability of *solely* 61,337. Drop the Bulldogs into one other league and their home-field benefit could be thought-about among the many greatest.

12. Arkansas

When Arkansas is rocking and the hogs are known as, it is a beast that may cap out above among the others on this record. However the Razorbacks are a pedestrian 15-11 at residence underneath coach Sam Pittman after stumbling to a 3-4 residence report final season. A few these losses have been of the non-competitive selection, and the wins have been towards Western Carolina, Kent State and FIU.

13. Ole Miss

If we have been rating the most effective pregame scenes, Ole Miss would land considerably greater on the record due to The Grove’s deserved popularity as a must-see tailgating vacation spot. A 19-2 residence mark over the past three seasons is spectacular, however the vibe inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is extra genteel than daunting when in comparison with its SEC opponents. 

14. Missouri

Since becoming a member of the SEC in 2012, Missouri has made strides to get Memorial Stadium/Faurot Subject on par with different SEC venues. If the Tigers had pulled off the upset towards No. 1 Georgia in 2022, maybe the venue would rank greater on the record. Alas, they fell 26-22 and narrowly missed out on a monumental residence victory.

15. Kentucky

Any program that sells the naming rights of its soccer stadium to a grocery retailer chain is punting on this competitors. Kentucky’s 9-6 residence mark over the previous two seasons is nothing particular, and UK is simply 2-6 towards SEC guests over the previous two seasons.

16. Vanderbilt 

There’s an ongoing stadium renovation to modernize FirstBank Stadium. Sadly for the Commodores, these enhancements will merely make the venue much more interesting for opposing followers trying to get pleasure from a weekend in Nashville.