You’re Nuts: Which college football venue outside of Ohio Stadium is most daunting?

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Last month, the FIFA World Cup wrapped up, bringing us some electric scenes at some incredible venues. So, as we look forward to a Buckeye season that includes road tests in iconic venues this season, like Darrell K Royal, Kinnick, LA Memorial Coliseum, and Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium, not to mention what will undoubtedly be an energetic Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, we are going to discuss some of the most raucous environments in college football.

While we know about how tough it can be for opponents to play at Ohio Stadium, what about when the Buckeyes hit the road? There are a number of tough venues in the Big Ten the Buckeyes travel to on a regular basis, along with some interesting non-conference stadiums Ohio State has played at recently, or is scheduled to head to in the near future. Then there are places you wish the Buckeyes would play at because they are touted as having an incredible atmosphere.

Even though a lot of Buckeye Nation will say there is no tougher place to play than Ohio Stadium, today we want to know what stadium outside of “The Horseshoe” you think is most daunting. Your choice doesn’t have to be one Ohio State has played at recently; it could be a stadium you have on your wish list of places you want to see Ohio State play at, but they haven’t made it there.

Today’s question: Which college football venue outside of Ohio Stadium is most daunting?

We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.

Brett’s pick: Beaver Stadium

Not many stadiums can rival the size of Ohio Stadium. One of the places that can seat as many fans as the home of the Buckeyes is Penn State’s Beaver Stadium. Even though I’ve never been to Happy Valley for a tilt between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions, I have driven through State College and seen the size of the stadium. After hearing some of the noise the fans there make while watching games on television, I can only imagine just how loud it can get when Penn State welcomes a big opponent into town, especially at night.

For any visitors coming to town to play the Nittany Lions, just getting to State College can be exhausting. It truly is in the middle of nowhere, and it’s a hassle to get to. Luckily, I haven’t had to go through State College when a game was going on, but I have heard from other fans and writers just how miserable it can be to get there, especially on a game day. Also, being in a smaller city, it can’t be a big secret where any visiting teams are staying, which could make things tough the night before as Penn State’s opponents are trying to get some rest before taking on the Nittany Lions.

As much as Ohio State vs. Michigan is one of the most heated rivalries in sports, Penn State fans actually scare me a lot more than Michigan fans. I find fans of the Wolverines relatively harmless, as they are a lot of bark and not much bite. The same can’t be said about Nittany Lions fans, who I think are crazy. Hearing stories in the past about some of the treatment Ohio State fans, and even the band, have received from Penn State fans doesn’t make me want to see a game at Beaver Stadium any time soon.

Then there is how tough Penn State plays Ohio State in State College. Since 2000, the Nittany Lions have beaten the Buckeyes three times, and there have been a ton of close calls. It’s pretty rare that games between the two teams are decided by more than two touchdowns, with the majority of them staying within a touchdown. One thing is for sure: Ohio State knows they are in for a tough fight whenever they head to the home of the Nittany Lions.

Matt’s pick: Tiger Stadium

There are plenty of intimidating venues throughout college football, including Beaver Stadium, as Brett mentioned, especially on White Out Saturdays. Of course, Autzen Stadium is louder than a stadium of its size has any reasonable right to be. Michigan Stadium carries unmatched emotional weight for Ohio State, even if its enormous bowl does not always trap noise as effectively as some smaller buildings. Kyle Field regularly packs in more than 100,000 fans, while places like Neyland Stadium, Bryant-Denny Stadium, and Oklahoma’s Memorial Stadium can become incredibly hostile when their teams are playing well.

However, with all due respect to our beloved Horseshoe, for my money, the most consistently daunting venue in college football is LSU’s Tiger Stadium — especially on a Saturday night.

While Clemson has their nice little traditions of bussing from one side of the stadium to the other, touching a rock, and trying not to fall running down a grass hill, there is only one Death Valley in college football, and it is in Baton Rouge.

There is something different about the real Death Valley after dark. It is not simply the number of people in the stadium or the volume they produce. It is the combination of the heat, humidity, noise, alcohol, pageantry, and Louisiana weirdness that makes the entire experience feel slightly unhinged. Having lived in the Southeast for two decades now, I have experienced firsthand just how debauched and degenerate LSU fans can be on a normal day, just living their lives. Throw in a night SEC football game, and enough alcohol to get an entire frat house hung over, and you just know things are going to go off the rails.

By the time kickoff arrives, LSU fans have often been “preparing” for the game for the better part of the day, and the visiting team is stepping into an environment that feels less like a football stadium and more like a pressure cooker where the pressure is supplied by the largest collection of drunken bayou hillbillies this side of a “Duck Dynasty” fan convention.

That is ultimately what makes a venue truly daunting. Sure, a loud crowd can cause false starts, interfere with communication, and force an offense to simplify its play-calling. But the best home environments also make opponents feel rushed and uncomfortable before anything has actually gone wrong. One early mistake becomes two, the crowd grows louder, and suddenly a visiting team is simply trying to survive rather than playing the way it normally does.

Perhaps it is because Ohio State does not regularly travel to Baton Rouge that Tiger Stadium maintains some of its mystique for me. We have seen the Buckeyes win at Beaver Stadium, in the Big House, at Autzen and Husky Stadiums, so even the most hostile of Big Ten venues don’t strike much fear in my heart. However, Death Valley still feels like somewhat uncharted territory — the type of place where even the most talented Ohio State team could be swallowed up in the enormity of the stadium and the environment.

There might be technically louder and larger stadiums, and venues with more personal relevance to Buckeye fans, but if Ohio State had to play a national championship-caliber opponent on the road at night, there is nowhere I would feel more daunted by than Tiger Stadium. So, having said all that, here’s hoping OSU and LSU set up a home-and-home in the very near future.

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