Thought I'd give my rank of the SEC's football venues. Feel free to comment.
1) Ben Hill Griffin Stadium "The Swamp," Florida
• Long considered one of the, if not the loudest stadium in the SEC, the Swamp is nearly impossible to win at when the Gators are contending. There's a reason Florida has won three national championships since 1996.
2) Tiger Stadium "Death Valley," LSU
• One of the more unique stadiums in the country, Tiger Stadium has the quirky five-yard markers instead of 10, and one of the most obnoxious fan bases in the land. Winning there at night is almost unheard of when LSU is good, and in 1988 the fans got so loud it registered as an earthquake at the school's geology center.
3) Bryant-Denny Stadium, Alabama
• The Crimson Tide have made a lot of improvements to this stadium over the last 10 years, increasing capacity to over 100,000, and it's arguably one of the cleanest, nicest looking stadiums in the country. That, and the fact Alabama has been a top-5 program since 2008, helps a lot.
4) Neyland Stadium, Tennessee
• For years, it was the biggest stadium in the country until Michigan and Ohio State increased their capacities. Still, winning in Knoxville can be plenty tough with 107,000-plus Vols fans cheering the team on. They've fallen on hard times over the last four years, though.
5) Sanford Stadium, "Between the Hedges," Georgia
• Another aesthetically pleasing venue, Sanford Stadium is a great home-field advantage for the Bulldogs when they're good. The fans there are very knowledgable and hospitable. Plus it's got great tradition.
6) Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn
• You could say this is Georgia's twin, because the stadiums are a lot alike and the campuses aren't too far apart. There aren't any hedges, but AU has made this a tough venue to play in, winning a national championship in 2010.
7) Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Arkansas
• This stadium would have struggled to crack the top 10 before expansion in 2001, but now it's one of the nicer stadiums in the SEC. A great place to watch a game, with the giant video screen and really no bad seats in the house.
8) Williams-Brice Stadium, South Carolina
• The Gamecocks have made this a tough venue to play in lately, i.e. Alabama game 2010, but historically opponents have fared pretty well there. It's a pretty nice stadium overall, though.
9) Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Ole Miss
• One of the worst stadiums in the SEC got some serious improvements in the early 2000's—but it's still not that good. Coupled with the fact that Ole Miss has only been competitive like three times since then, makes it difficult to put in the top ten. The Grove and the pretty women in Oxford help it significantly.
10) Commonwealth Stadium, Kentucky
• Not a bad stadium at all, but at a perennial basketball school, the football team doesn't get all the support it could. After mid-October, Cats fans are counting down the days until hoops starts, and that's usually when the football team stops contending, if at all.
11) Davis-Wade Stadium, Mississippi State
• The Maroon and White did put in a giant video board that allowed them from being ranked dead last, but overall this stadium is a dump, and the incessant ringing of cowbells really makes it an unattractive place to play. Even with that, teams still have plenty of success coming into Starkville and leaving with a victory.
12) Memorial Stadium, Vanderbilt
• Unfortunately, Vanderbilt football has rarely ever been competitive, and so this stadium rarely sees big games. It's not a bad stadium, but it's all you can do at a school like Vandy.
