Why is Death Valley The Toughest Stadium To Play At In CFB?
Bad news, Tiger fans. In preparation for College Football 25 to be released in mid-July, EA Sports posted the CFB Top 25 Toughest Places to Play, and it was not what you would have expected. Texas A&M’s Kyle Field took the number one spot. Bryant-Denny Stadium, of the Alabama Tide is at number two, and LSU’s Tiger Stadium stands at number three. Of course, the top three toughest stadiums are SEC schools, that’s a no-brainer. But here is the issue, LSU should be number one, and at the end of this article, you will think so too.
Death Valley: Where Dreams Come to Die
“It’s Saturday Night in Death Valley, and here come your Fighting Tigers” Those are the words from announcer Dan Borne at every home LSU football game. Those 12 words bring chills down every Tiger fan’s spine before the boys in purple and gold take the field.
Tiger Stadium, home of the LSU Fighting Tigers is one of the most imminent playing fields in the world. It has been called the most dreaded road-playing sites in all of college football. Tiger Stadium coined the name Death Valley because that’s where opponents’ dreams come to die. That statement could not be more fitting for the House the Tigers Built.
In 2007 LSU hosted the Florida Gators. Death Valley had a record crowd of 92,910. The news broke that USC had just lost to Stanford, so the winner of this game would be number one in the nation.
Even though LSU was still behind to the Gators when the news came out, the crowd erupted at the possibility of their team being number one. The fans were so loud that the noise level reached 130 decimals. That’s equivalent to standing next to a military jet right before takeoff. LSU did end up getting the W and was number one in the nation. Former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow stated that LSU is the “hardest place to play” in 2021 on The Paul Finebaum Show.
Of course, we cannot forget about the “earthquake game” against Auburn in 1988. There was a moment that was measured on a seismometer, the tool that is used to detect earthquakes. Has that ever happened at Kyle Field or Bryant-Denny Stadium? Didn’t think so.
Speaking of Kyle Field, it is known for its crazy environment during the Aggies home games, but LSU has had a better record in Tiger Stadium than A&M does at home. Over the past five years, the Aggies are 27-8 (77.1%), while the Tigers sit at 31-4 (88.6%). The proof is in the pudding. EA just got it wrong. Don’t worry about it guys, it happens to the best of us.
To the opponents, it’s feared as Death Valley, to the fans, it’s known as Tiger Stadium. But to the LSU football team, It’s home.
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