Rice-Eccles Stadium has gained a reputation for being a tough place to play for visiting teams.
In the new EA Sports College Football 25 video game, which will be released July 19, where does Utah’s home stadium rank among the toughest places to play in college football?
EA Sports released its top 25 rankings for the video game Tuesday, and the Utes’ home stadium comes in at No. 18.
College Football 25′s toughest places to play
| Rank | Stadium | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Field | Texas A&M |
| 2 | Bryant-Denny Stadium | Alabama |
| 3 | Tiger Stadium | LSU |
| 4 | Ohio Stadium | Ohio State |
| 5 | Sanford Stadium | Georgia |
| 6 | Beaver Stadium | Penn State |
| 7 | Camp Randall Stadium | Wisconsin |
| 8 | Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium | Oklahoma |
| 9 | Doak S. Campbell Stadium | Florida State |
| 10 | Ben Hill Griffin Stadium | Florida |
| 11 | Autzen Stadium | Oregon |
| 12 | Memorial Stadium | Clemson |
| 13 | Neyland Stadium | Tennessee |
| 14 | Jordan-Hare Stadium | Auburn |
| 15 | Williams-Brice Stadium | South Carolina |
| 16 | Michigan Stadium | Michigan |
| 17 | Lane Stadium | Virginia Tech |
| 18 | Rice-Eccles Stadium | Utah |
| 19 | Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium | Texas |
| 20 | Kinnick Stadium | Iowa |
| 21 | Notre Dame Stadium | Notre Dame |
| 22 | Spartan Stadium | Michigan State |
| 23 | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium | Arkansas |
| 24 | Albertsons Stadium | Boise State |
| 25 | Davis Wade Stadium | Mississippi State |
What stands out from College Football 25′s toughest places to play list?
The Utes are the only Big 12 program that appears in EA Sports’ toughest places rankings.
Not surprisingly, the SEC and Big Ten dominate the list.
The SEC holds four of the top five spots — led by Texas A&M at No. 1 — and six of the top 10. Twelve of the top 25 teams come from the SEC.
The Big Ten holds three spots in the top 10 — led by Ohio State at No. 4 — and seven in the top 25.
Three ACC teams appear in the top 25, led by Florida State at No. 9. All three teams are ahead of Utah, with Clemson at No. 12 and Virginia Tech at No. 17.
One independent school, Notre Dame, shows up in the rankings, while one Group of Five representative makes the list: Boise State at No. 24.
Is Rice-Eccles Stadium too low on College Football 25’s toughest places to play list?
Two writers at The Athletic believe that Utah’s stadium doesn’t get the respect it deserves on EA Sports’ list.
Chris Vannini said Utah, Notre Dame and LSU are too low on the list; Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas are too high; and Washington and Nebraska are the biggest snubs.
Fellow Athletic writer Sam Khan Jr. also believes that Utah, along with Oregon, were ranked too low.
“Autzen Stadium and Rice-Eccles Stadium both seemed too low. Oregon fans make Autzen one of the loudest stadiums in the country, and the Ducks are 28-1 there in the last five years, tied with Georgia for the best home record among power conference teams in that span,” Khan Jr. wrote.
“Utah boasts ‘the MUSS,’ one of the loudest and rowdiest student sections out there. And the Utes are similarly tough to beat at home, going 27-2 the last five years.”
How the toughest places to play list factors into Home Field Advantage
In College Football 25, the Home Field Advantage will factor into gameplay — visiting players and teams can be impacted when they face high-pressure situations on the road.
That makes the top 25 rankings for the toughest places to play so important: In those venues, road teams will face increasing difficulties to make a key play.
EA Sports explained how the top 25 rankings were determined.
“The Development Team worked to compile a list of the Top 25 Toughest Places to Play, factoring in historical stats such as home winning %, home game attendance, active home winning streaks, team prestige, and more,” EA Sports wrote in a press release.