SEC Football Stadium Rankings

The SEC is without a doubt the pre-eminent conference when it comes to college football. Their stadiums are old and wonderful. A trip to any SEC stadium is sure to be a great Saturday as every venue rates as above average of our FANFARE scoring system. If you're forced to choose, then consider our rankings of the very best of the SEC stadium experiences.

1. Bryant-Denny Stadium - Home of the Alabama Crimson Tide

   

   The team finally arrives at Bryant-Denny Stadium a couple of hours before the game and begins their walk through the "Walk Of Champions" which is now lined with cheering fans. The Walk of Champions is located at the north entrance to Bryant-Denny where the statues of all the coaches that have won Alabama's 14 National Championships are located. After the team and coaches enter the stadium, everyone starts funneling into Bryant-Denny stadium and the cheerleaders start whipping the crowd into a frenzy. The team comes out of the tunnel and the stadium shakes! The crowd roars through the entire game even if the game is well in hand by the second quarter. This is one of those experiences that every sports fan must see in person.

2. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium - Home of the Florida Gators

   

   Not just a football stadium, BHG is a football complex. There is the Heavener Complex where fans can visit during the week. It has virtually every college football trophy there is in there. There are three Sears trophies (1996, 2006, and 2008) when you walk in the door staring you in the face. Encased in glass with video screens showing highlights of the games in which each of these trophies were won, these displays will give you goose bumps. Turn to your right and you will see three Heisman Trophies. Walk around the room and you will see numerous Davey O'Brien, Maxwell, Butkus and other trophies. It's like going to a Hall of Fame, only it's all for one school, one team, the Gators.

3. Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium - Home of the Arkansas Razorbacks

   

   Two words describe the atmosphere: Electric and crazy. You can literally feel the buzz going around on game days and there is ALWAYS something going on wherever you go around the stadium. There is tailgating everywhere surrounding the stadium.

4. Jordan-Hare Stadium - Home of the Auburn Tigers

   

   Every great college football team needs a great home-field advantage, and Auburn is no exception. Jordan-Hare Stadium (named after Ralph "Shug" Jordan, Auburn's winningest coach ever, and Cliff Hare, a member of Auburn's first football team) was opened on November 10, 1939, as the Tigers played host to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Since then, many great moments have occurred at Jordan-Hare. Auburn has one of the best home-field advantages in college football, and a game at Jordan-Hare is a must for any true college football fan.

5. Kyle Field - Home of the Texas A&M Aggies

   

   You will not experience a much more amazing atmosphere than you will find at Kyle Field. One interesting thing you will notice at an A&M football game is that unlike many schools, which have a large group of cheerleaders to rally their fans during sporting events, Texas A&M has five student Yell Leaders. Consisting of three seniors and two juniors, historically all male, the Yell Leaders are elected to their positions annually by the student body.

6. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium - Home of the Mississippi Rebels

   

   The in-stadium experience for Ole Miss football shouldn't be overlooked; it's hardly far behind more recently successful SEC programs in that respect. What takes the game-day atmosphere in Oxford from exceptional to magical, though, is The Grove, a 10 acre stretch of tailgating paradise located just outside the stadium.

7. Tiger Stadium - Home of the LSU Tigers

   

   Attending a game at LSU's Tiger Stadium is an experience you will never forget. It is like attending Mardi Gras, a Voodoo Ceremony, and a college football game all in the same day! They call Tiger Stadium "Death Valley" which was originally "Deaf Valley" due to the tremendous noise generated by LSU fans during games there and that name fits perfectly.

8. Neyland Stadium - Home of the Tennessee Volunteers

   

   Neyland Stadium has been around for nearly 100 years and has seen some great teams play on its surface along the way. When the Vols finally return to success, you can bet that seeing a game at Neyland Stadium will be one of the hottest tickets in college football. Until that happens, there’s still plenty to be desired for this great stage for college football.

9. Sanford Stadium - Home of the Georgia Bulldogs

   

   On one side, there are the alumni and other season ticket holders, intimidatingly representing the legacy that is football in "silver britches." On the other, there are 10,000 rabid young adults, and you're right on their turf on a Saturday. The back-and-forth chants of "Georgia...Bulldogs" sound like some sort of cataclysmic natural disaster.

10. Vanderbilt Stadium - Home of the Vanderbilt Commodores

    

    The 2012 college football season marks the beginning of a new era for Vanderbilt football, and the offseason renovations to Vanderbilt Stadium’s field surface and Jumbotron helps illustrate that. Big changes have occurred numerous times to Vanderbilt Stadium since its construction in 1922, which was the first outdoor stadium built for the sole purpose of college football in the South. Once you get past how small the stadium is for an SEC football program, it’s easy to be impressed by the experience you receive at Vanderbilt Stadium. Vanderbilt Stadium’s current capacity is just over 41,000, giving it the smallest seating capacity in the SEC.

11. Williams-Brice Stadium - Home of the South Carolina Gamecocks

    

    First constructed in 1934 as part of a Works Progress Administration project, the stadium seated 17,600 and was known as Carolina Stadium. Subsequent expansions increased capacity, with one of the largest expansions occurring in 1971-72 from a bequest from the estate of Martha Williams Brice, which increased capacity from 43,000 to more than 54,000. The stadium name was changed to Williams-Brice Stadium in 1972 to honor this gift.

12. Commonwealth Stadium - Home of the Kentucky Wildcats

    

    The remaining game atmosphere is directly related to the game flow. The opening drives for both teams are accompanied by total fan support, but if the Wildcats either quickly get ahead or fall behind big, the noise for each down lowers significantly. Kentucky has had a fair share of close games in recent seasons, and the 4th quarter environment can be an excellent display of a classic SEC football game, but give a team a lead, and the atmosphere does not hold up to many other stadiums.

13. Davis Wade Stadium - Home of the Mississippi State Bulldogs

    

    Cowbells are the signature thing which makes this venue unique and exciting. With the SEC banning noisemakers in all of their venues, the Bulldogs had to get special permission to allow cowbells into the stadium. To do so, the ringing of the bells can only take place at specific times, and they do a great job with the video board exhorting fans as to ring their bells, even involving the head coach into the process.

14. Faurot Field - Home of the Missouri Tigers

    

    The University of Missouri's Memorial Stadium was dedicated on October 2, 1926 to the lasting legacies of 112 students and alumni that lost their lives fighting for America in World War I. Situated just south of the MU campus in Columbia, MO, the playing surface at Memorial was dubbed Faurot Field in honor of legendary Tigers head coach Don Faurot.