As the 2025 season inches closer, experts have started with their rankings and predictions for the toughest stadiums to play college football. While Death Valley, Michigan's stadium and Penn State's stadium are some of the usual picks by fans, Josh Pate is not convinced. On Saturday, the college football insider released his rankings based on his experience and data in the public domain.
According to him, the Tennessee Volunteers’ 100,000-capacity Neyland Stadium is the most challenging place to play college football, with the passionate Tennessee fans also adding more charm to the venue.
Pate, who visited the stadium for a game last season, captured the madness and shared the clip this weekend. He claimed the Orange fans can be really unbearable at times.

“I've been a part of it," he said. "It's deafening. And also, there is the psychological factor of the fact that rocky, rocky tops the most annoying sound in the world to anyone who's not a Tennessee fan. So you practice with it all week, blaring on the loudspeakers, and everyone's drilling it into your head. [Timestamp - 17:00]
"Gotta go beat Tennessee, or this is what you're gonna hear, and it's great if you go beat them and shut them up. But if you don't, you know what it's like to be trailing Tennessee. Tennessee takes the lead on you in the fourth quarter, and they're just blaring Rocky Top. An avalanche of orange."
Josh Pate lists other top home stadiums in college football
After Tennessee, LSU's Death Valley secured the second spot in Josh Pate's rankings. Similarly, Penn State, Oregon and Florida secured the subsequent spots. It was strange to see that Michigan didn't find a spot in Pate's rankings. The list was based on various parameters like the fanbase's passion, capacity, and, above all, the audacity and game-day experience.
In the latest EA Sports College Football 26 rankings, Tiger Stadium held the top spot, followed by Penn State and Ohio State, with Michigan Stadium securing the 10th spot. Week 1 of the college season kicks off on Aug. 30 with Ohio State taking on the Texas Longhorns at home.
Tennessee Volunteers Fan? Check out the latest Tennessee Volunteers depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.