Latest news with #BlakeToppmeyer
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Where does Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium rank among SEC Stadiums?
The Oklahoma Sooners enter their second season in the Southeastern Conference in 2025. After a long run spent dominating the Big 12 Conference, it's safe to say OU is still adjusting to life in its new league. One of the many adjustments the program is making is the increased stadium capacities and rowdy atmospheres that college football's premier conference has to offer. In the Big 12, the Sooners were the toughest place to play in the conference. They had one of the highest capacities, and teams knew they had to play a nearly flawless game if they were going to come to Norman and upset Oklahoma. However, as great as OU's home field advantage is, just about every atmosphere in the SEC is a tough one to play in. The Sooners got an up-close look at places like Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri, and LSU in 2024, and they'll visit South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama this year. Blake Toppmeyer, who covers college football for USA TODAY Sports, decided to rank each SEC football stadium, taking a look at the many unique atmospheres in the nation's best league. Toppmeyer ranked Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium as the ninth-best stadium in the SEC. That puts Oklahoma in the bottom half of the league, but ahead of such schools as Texas, Arkansas and Ole Miss. Oklahoma's stadium fits neatly into the SEC tapestry, and the Sooner Schooner cruising the field paints a scene fit for the nation's premier football conference. With a capacity of 80,126, the 'Palace on the Prairie' doesn't match the SEC's top colossuses, but it holds its own. - Toppmeyer, USA TODAY Sports. The Sooners may not be able to match other SEC schools when it comes to stadium capacity, as many stadiums have over 100,000 seats. While Oklahoma has a passionate fan base, the insanity of a place like LSU during a night game isn't necessarily happening in Norman. However, OU has a football pedigree that almost no other school in all of college football can match. The Sooners are one of the truest blue bloods in the sport. With time in the SEC, perhaps Oklahoma can begin to acclimate and rise closer to the top of similar lists in the future. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Where does Jordan-Hare Stadium land in USA TODAY Sports' SEC stadium ranking?
Where does USA TODAY Sports rank the home of the Tigers ahead of the 2025 season? If you were to ask SEC football players, current and past, most would tell you that Jordan-Hare Stadium is one of the toughest venues to play in. From the pregame eagle flight to many classic finishes, Jordan-Hare Stadium is a bucket list stadium for college football fans everywhere. How does the home of the Auburn Tigers rank among the rest of the SEC heading into the 2025 season? Blake Toppmeyer of USA TODAY Sports shares his take on the subject. Toppmeyer recently ranked every SEC stadium from the toughest to the least tough, placing Jordan-Hare in the middle at No. 8 out of 16 stadiums. When describing Jordan-Hare Stadium, Toppmeyer channels his inner Nick Saban, who once called the stadium "haunted" by saying that Jordan-Hare "uncorks a strange voodoo magic on opponents" due to some of the crazy finishes the stadium has seen in recent years. The most recent example came last November when Auburn defeated No. 15 Texas A&M in four overtimes. Other games of note include the "Kick Six", the "Prayer at Jordan-Hare" and the 1994 game against LSU, where Auburn erased a 23-9 deficit by picking off LSU quarterback Jaime Howard five times, returning three for touchdowns, in the final quarter to win, 30-26. Jordan-Hare Stadium ranks above several venues including Texas' Darryl K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, Davis Wade Stadium at Mississippi State, and Kroger Field at Kentucky, but is below several iconic venues such as South Carolina's Williams Brice Stadium, Georgia's Sanford Stadium, and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, which ranks No. 1. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
USA Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
USA Today ranks Texas A&M's Kyle Field as one of best SEC stadiums
Texas A&M's well-documented success at Kyle Field since joining the Southeastern Conference in 2012 has placed the Aggies in the upper echelon of gameday environments in the league, according to a recent ranking by USA Today. That is a testament to the electric factory formed by members of Aggieland who turn every Saturday into one of the loudest environments in college football. Over 13 years in the conference, Texas A&M has never lost more than three contests at home in a single season, while also boasting a 61-23 overall record. The stadium's capacity of 102,733 ranks fourth in the country and first in the SEC, trailing only Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State. Per Texas A&M's record books, Kyle Field has averaged at least 100,000 fans five times since 2014. During the 2014-2014 season, the program set the single-game attendance record against Ole Miss, as 110,633 fans showed up with rally towels in hand to cheer on the Aggies. The Maroon and White faithful made the environment so loud that the noise in the stadium replicated a jet engine at 117 decibels. USA Today national college football columnist Blake Toppmeyer recently ranked all 16 SEC football stadiums, placing the Aggies at No. 7 on the list. "Kyle Field towers like no other, and it literally shakes when the noise swells," Toppmeyer said. "Love or mock the Aggie Yell Leaders, you can't deny they create a unique scene, and the Aggies entering to "POWER" is one of college football's best intros." Here are Toppmeyer's SEC football stadiums rankings: While Kyle Field ranks as one of the top environments in the country per Toppmeyer's list, the environment also ranks as the No. 11 most difficult place to play in the EA Sports College Football 26 video game. The multitude of rankings placing the gridiron in Bryan-College Station, Texas, seem to all be in a consensual agreement that the Aggies' stadium has consistently been one of the best in college football. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
USA Today
10-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Is the Swamp the best football venue in the SEC? Check out USA TODAY Sports' rankings
The Southeastern Conference is the home of some of the best college football stadiums in the country, with venues that have been fixtures on member schools' campuses for nearly a century in many cases. Among them is the University of Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, which was given the nickname "The Swamp" when Steve Spurrier arrived in Gainesville to take over as head coach. The original structure was first completed in October 1930, and since then has been improved into the world-class facility that it is in 2025. The atmosphere in the crowd as well as on the field is legendary, as many rank it among the toughest places to play as an opponent. But as noted earlier, the SEC has several heavy hitters that give the Swamp a run for its money. So, where does Ben Hill Griffin Stadium stand among the 16 conference member schools? USA TODAY Sports college football columnist Blake Toppmeyer recently published his rankings of SEC stadiums from top to bottom, with the home of the Orange and Blue landing in the top spot. "Combine gator chomps with the din of noise and Gainesville's humidity, and Steve Spurrier aptly said, 'Only Gators get out alive' from The Swamp," Toppmeyer begins. "Florida fans belt Tom Petty's 'I Won't Back Down' before the fourth quarter to create one of college football's most memorable scenes. Florida boasts a .714 home winning percentage against SEC opponents the past 10 years, compared to .486 on the road in conference games. That's the definition of home-field advantage." Take a look below for the rest of the rankings. USA TODAY Sports SEC stadium rankings Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where does Auburn-Alabama rank among the best rivalries in the SEC?
Where does Auburn-Alabama rank among the best rivalries in the SEC? Does USA TODAY Sports feel that the Iron Bowl is the best rivalry in the SEC? College football fans from the state of Alabama would agree that the annual Iron Bowl between Auburn and Alabama is the best rivalry not only in the SEC, but in all of college football. Does one expert from USA TODAY Sports agree? With the discussion of the SEC's possible move from eight conference games to nine, USA TODAY Sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer shared his ranking of the SEC's top rivalries and how likely they are to continue should the SEC change its scheduling format. Toppmeyer places the Iron Bowl in a category with the Egg Bowl between Ole Miss and Mississippi State and the Red River Showdown between Oklahoma and Texas as "non-negotioables" and feels that those three rivalries are safe from elimination. Not only does Toppmeyer feel strongly that the Iron Bowl should not be touched with possible expansion, but he feels that it is the conference's best rivalry. He puts the Iron Bowl at No. 1 ahead of Red River, the Egg Bowl, and the World's Largest Cocktail Party, citing implications that are usually at stake when the Tigers and Tide meet on the field. Instate rivalries hit differently, especially when that state is football-crazed Alabama. As an Auburn fan once said, the Iron Bowl isn't life or death. It's much bigger than that. There been national title implications and memorable moments that serve to add to the lore. There are only four SEC rivalries that feature instate teams. Auburn-Alabama and Ole Miss-Mississippi State have been the most intense over the years, with Texas-Texas A&M becoming prominent with the Longhorns joining the conference last year. However, the Iron Bowl takes the cake as far as the magnitude of games it has produced in past years. The 2010 game was special as Auburn stormed back from 24-point deficit to knock off Alabama and keep its national title hopes alive, Auburn won the 2013 game thanks to the infamous "kick six" return, and the Tigers knocked off their second No. 1 team in three weeks when it beat Alabama in 2017. On the opposite end, Alabama snuck away from Auburn in 2009 to stay alive in the SEC title hunt, and used the "grave digger" play to beat Auburn in 2023 with a hail mary on 4th and 31. The game has produced several special memories such as the four-overtime game in 2022 and the 2014 game that saw both teams combine to post 1,169 total yards in Alabama's 55-44 win over Auburn. The Crimson Tide has won five games in a row over Auburn during the Tigers' rebuilding phase. However, Hugh Freeze hopes to begin closing the gap this season when the two teams meet at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Nov. 29. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
