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College football is one of the nation’s greatest pastimes and is a major contributor to an upcoming freshman’s college decision. And what makes a college’s football program special isn’t just how good their team plays, but also the atmosphere of their stadium.
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For students, alumni and fans alike, a college football stadium’s intense crowd energy, traditions and impressive scale can turn a boring game into one of the most exciting nights of their lives.
Not every stadium lives up to its hype, however. To determine the best college football stadiums in the country, the ones that are the most impactful to their guests and leave them thunderstruck, USA Today asked 10 of its sports writers to pick their favorites using their own criteria.
“Some valued the visual element at the top of their list. Some considered the traditions or the difficulty of the experience for opponents,” said USA Today.
The result was a list of the top 25 college football stadiums in the country, from multiple conferences, big and small. While the SEC dominated this list, the Big Ten followed behind in second, and there were plenty of others included.
South Carolina had two of its college football stadiums take a spot in the ranking. Here are the stadiums:
SC college football stadiums ranked
You’ve probably guessed which SC stadiums were chosen already, but if you haven’t, the University of South Carolina’s and Clemson University’s college football stadiums made the list. Here’s how they compared to other stadiums on the list:
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#11. Memorial Stadium, Clemson
Clemson University’s Memorial Stadium has a ferocious atmosphere that’s difficult to replicate anywhere else. When the Tigers and the Gamecocks play against each other at Memorial Stadium every other year, it’s like a cage match, and you can feel the intensity throughout your entire body.
“There’s one of the most raucous atmospheres in the ACC with more than 80,000 fans backing the home team,” said USA Today. “Between the Death Valley moniker, Howard’s Rock, and the run-down “The Hill,” not to mention Clemson’s historical success, it’s hard to top the intimidation factor on college football Saturdays.”
#25. Williams-Brice Stadium, UofSC
Williams-Brice Stadium just barely scraped the ranking, ranking 25th in the country. Gamecock fans might disagree with this placement, but only because they believe their stadium should be at the very top of the ranking.
Just like at Memorial Stadium, the rival match between the Gamecocks and the Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium every other year creates one of the loudest college football environments in the country.
“Long one of college football’s most underrated venues, Williams-Brice is getting overdue respect the past few years,” said USA Today. “Never mind that South Carolina isn’t a blue blood or that they copied the hedges look of Georgia. When “Sandstorm” plays and those white towels wave, or when the crowd turns up the decibels on third down, you know you’re at a special place that packs a punch.”
Top 10 college football stadiums
Unfortunately, neither Clemson nor UofSC’s stadiums cracked the top 10, but their placement on the ranking is impressive nonetheless. If you’re interested in experiencing the nation’s best college football environments, then going to these stadiums should be on your bucket list:
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- Tiger Stadium, LSU
- Ohio Stadium, Ohio State
- Beaver Stadium, Penn State
- Kyle Field, Texas A&M
- Autzen Stadium, Oregon
- Sanford Stadium, Georgia
- Neyland Stadium, Tennessee
- Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame
- Bryant-Denny Stadium, Alabama
- Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Florida