EA Sports' College Football 25 released a top-25 ranking of the toughest places to play in college football. Despite having a 13-8 record at home since 2020, Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium made the cut.
Arkansas comes in at No. 23, ahead of Boise State and Mississippi State. Ten SEC schools rank above Arkansas, including No.1 Texas A&M's Kyle Field.
There has been an uproar since EA published the rankings, especially with Texas A&M being in first place, with classic venues like the Swamp at Florida, Death Valley at LSU, or Beaver Stadium at Penn State all falling behind Kyle Field. The argument has some weight because Texas A&M fell to Appalachian State at home just two years ago.
It also doesn't make sense when you look at the criteria College Football 25 used to make the rankings.
"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."
The rest of the rankings are as follows:
- Kyle Field - Texas A&M
- Bryant-Denny Stadium - Alabama
- Tiger Stadium - LSU
- Ohio Stadium - Ohio State
- Sanford Stadium - Georgia
- Beaver Stadium - Penn State
- Camp Randall Stadium - Wisconsin
- Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium - Oklahoma
- Doak S. Campbell Stadium - Florida State
- Ben Hill Griffin Stadium - Florida
- Autzen Stadium -Oregon
- Memorial Stadium - Clemson
- Neyland Stadium - Tennessee
- Jordan-Hare Stadium - Auburn
- Williams-Brice Stadium - South Carolina
- Michigan Stadium - Michigan
- Lane Stadium - Virginia Tech
- Rice-Eccles Stadium - Utah
- Darrell K. Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium - Texas
- Kinnick Stadium - Iowa
- Notre Dame Stadium - Notre Dame
- Spartan Stadium - Michigan State
- Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium - Arkansas
- Albertsons Stadium - Boise State
- Davis Wade Stadium - Mississippi State
The rankings will have real effects in the game, too. EA Sports wanted to replicate the impact that home-field advantages bring to the game. Things like, "blurred routes, incorrect play art, confidence and composure affects, and screen shaking are some of the immersive impacts away teams and players will be forced to contend with," according to the video game giant.
Today, College Football 25 will release its "Sights & Sounds Deep Dive" initiative that recreates each school's traditions, from as big as team entrances to as small as specific turnover celebrations.
In the next two days, it will also reveal its "Top Offenses & Defenses" and "Overall Team Power Rankings.