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EA Sports College Football 25 unveils list of toughest places to play
By Paul Harvey
Published:
EA Sports College Football 25 is heading towards a worldwide release and the long-awaited return of one of the most popular video games of a generation on July 19. This week, the video game is taking part in something called “Rankings Week,” beginning with the toughest venues in the updated game.
This week will also include rankings of the best offenses and defenses in the game, a “deep dive” into the sights and sounds of CFB 25 and an overall team power rankings to be released. For now, fans can check out the toughest venues, and it’s a list that we are sure every college football fan will universally agree with. (Okay, not quite.)
Anyway, without further ado, here is the full list with Texas A&M’s Kyle Field atop the list:
- Kyle Field – Texas A&M
- 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
Kicking off #CFB25 Rankings Week with the Toughest Places to Play
Are we making friends yet?
Top 25 | : https://t.co/QJRUvTib0f pic.twitter.com/ZnWbdmJGbI
— EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) June 25, 2024
Dissecting the rankings
With its capacity and makeup, Kyle Field is traditionally viewed as a tough venue. However, most fans seeing LSU’s Death Valley come in No. 3 behind just about anyone is likely a surprise. It’s also tough to see Kyle Field atop this list when the Aggies recently lost to Appalachian State at home during the 2022 season.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s Sanford Stadium coming it at No. 5 is another surprise, purely based on the recent home result for the Bulldogs under Kirby Smart. Georgia has not lost in Athens since the 2019 season, giving the Bulldogs 4 straight years with an undefeated home mark.
On the Big Ten side, the rankings produce a couple of other question marks. Ohio Stadium is a strong venue, but the Buckeyes have dropped some recent games to visiting opponents including Oregon and Michigan.
Speaking of Michigan, the Big House checked in at just No. 16 overall in spite of the Wolverines rolling there in recent seasons. Michigan Stadium is also particularly intimidating for opposing teams as the largest venue in all of college football.
From the ACC, only Doak S. Campbell Stadium (Florida State) is in the top 10, and just 3 venues are included in the top 25.
So, which venues did EA Sports get right, and which ones are too high or too low?
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
