With Texas A&M beginning their fall camp this week it means it’s time to turn the page toward an exciting college football season in the SEC.
There will be no shortage of narratives to follow this season as Georgia looks to pull off a potential threepeat as national champions, while Nick Saban’s Alabama seeks to return to the College Football Playoff after sitting on the outside looking in last year. LSU, in year two with Brian Kelly, hopes to contend for a conference title after winning the SEC West a season ago.
Of course, the Aggies will be motivated to compile a bounce-back campaign in the fall after underwhelming with a 5-7 (2-6 SEC) record in 2022. Most notably, this season will mark the last in the current 14-team format of the conference, before Texas and Oklahoma join in on the fun in 2024.
With that in mind, we revisited the current SEC landscape to determine the best stadiums throughout the conference, based on a handful of factors such as setting, architecture, history, and of course the overall atmosphere. While some stadiums may be lauded for their raucous environments, it remains to be seen whether that equates to a stellar grade on our “best stadiums” rankings.
Here are the rankings of each and every stadium in the SEC, going from worst to best:
FirstBank Stadium - Vanderbilt Commodores
Opened: 1922
Capacity: 40,550
FirstBank Stadium currently holds the smallest seating capacity in the SEC and its architecture doesn’t stand out on its own when compared to its conference counterparts. Renaming it from “Vanderbilt Stadium” to “FirstBank Stadium” makes sense, but still feels as if it doesn’t roll off the tongue as well.
Kroger Field - Kentucky Wildcats
Opened: 1973
Capacity: 61,000
Having a corporate sponsor in the stadium name rarely, if ever, gives a boost when it comes to stadium rankings. Additionally, Kroger Field ranks near the bottom of the SEC in seating capacity. Aside from it being on campus, there isn’t too much that jumps off the page here.
Davis Wade Stadium - Mississippi State Bulldogs
Opened: 1914
Capacity: 60,311
Davis-Wade holds the mark as the second-smallest stadium in the SEC by capacity, and while the endzone expansion is a nice aesthetic touch, there isn’t much else alluring when it comes to the atmosphere of the stadium itself.
Reynolds Razorback Stadium - Arkansas Razorbacks
Opened: 1938
Capacity: 76,212
The atmosphere of Reynolds Razorback Stadium somewhat makes up for the architecture of the stadium itself. It’s not necessarily bad or an eyesore by any means, but compared to some of the higher venues on the list it doesn’t particularly grab someone’s attention.
Get more Arkansas news, analysis, and opinions on Razorbacks Wire.
Faurot Field - Missouri Tigers
Opened: 1926
Capacity: 61,620
The rock “M” is a cool addition toward the end zone and of course, the sea of yellow and black in the crowd makes it very fun to watch a game. But other than that, there’s not much else that makes Faurot Field unique compared to the rest of the conference. Perhaps it loses points on the fact that it’s surrounded by major streets, which hampers the appeal.
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium - Ole Miss Rebels
Opened: 1915
Capacity: 64,038
Whether you love or hate the personality of Ole Miss’ fearless leader, you have to agree that a nickname like “The Vaught” rolls off the tongue nicely. Granted, the stadium itself isn’t really the selling point when you ask college football fans. If anything, it’s the tailgating atmosphere outside leading up to gameday.
Williams-Brice Stadium - South Carolina Gameco*cks
Opened: 77,559
Capacity: 1934
While the architecture of Williams-Brice Stadium doesn’t rival those at the top of these rankings, it is somewhat of an underrated atmosphere with the way the lights hang overhead on the upper deck. Still, the fact that it’s based off-campus is a knock when it comes to its place on these rankings, nonetheless.
Jordan-Hare Stadium - Auburn
Opened: 1939
Capacity: 87,451
Jordan-Hare has a great on-campus location, a name that easily rolls off the tongue, and of course one of the best game day atmospheres you can find in the SEC. If they made some improvements on the architecture front and subsequently to the overall aesthetic, there would be no question that it would skyrocket in these rankings.
Get more Auburn news, analysis, and opinions on Auburn Wire.
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium - Florida Gators
Opened: 1930
Capacity: 88,548
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium doesn’t match up as well as “The Swamp,” but it remains one of the most iconic venues in college football when it comes to atmosphere and setting. Speaking of atmosphere, it undoubtedly skyrockets when the Gators are good, so out of respect to current circ*mstances, perhaps it will leapfrog higher in these rankings in the future.
Get more Florida news, analysis, and opinions on Gators Wire.
Bryant-Denny Stadium - Alabama Crimson Tide
Opened: 1929
Capacity: 100,077
Bryant-Denny is home to the fourth-largest stadium in the SEC by capacity, and the stadium’s symmetry is a sight to see both in pictures and on gameday, which is a plus in my book. It does give off somewhat of an NFL stadium vibe from a certain point of view, which could be a plus or a knock in certain circles.
Simply put, there’s a lot to like and not much to hate here, from a stadium point of view of course! When it comes to the team, that’s a conversation for another day.
Get more Alabama news, analysis, and opinions on Roll Tide Wire.
Sanford Stadium - Georgia Bulldogs
Opened: 1929
Capacity: 92,746
Sanford Stadium gets a big boost in these rankings as the quintessential on-campus stadium. When you think of heading to game day from your dorm or anywhere on campus, the home of the Bulldogs takes the cake. It’s nestled in between a combination of buildings and trees that make it a sight to see, and even better atmosphere to be a part of on Saturday afternoons.
Get more Georgia news, analysis, and opinions on UGA Wire.
Tiger Stadium - LSU Tigers
Opened: 1924
Capacity: 102,321
Tiger Stadium boasts the second-largest capacity in the SEC, has an alluring architecture that makes it a sight to see, and of course boasts an atmosphere that few can rival. I mean, when you have a moniker such as “Death Valley,” even their fiercest foes can’t argue it’s a cool name. The only minor knock may be the setting, as the surrounding parking lots don’t necessarily give it a boost.
Get more LSU news, analysis, and opinions on LSU Tigers Wire.
Neyland Stadium - Tennessee Volunteers
Opened: 1921
Capacity: 101,915
There are not many college football stadiums that are both on campus and firmly nestled alongside a river, which gives the home of the Vols a big advantage in these rankings. The raucous atmosphere speaks for itself, as we saw a sea of orange descend upon Neyland Stadium in the aftermath of upsetting Alabama last season.
While the architecture may not be top-notch, you can’t go wrong with the two decks that wrap around, as opposed to trying to do something funky with the setup.
Get more Tennessee news, analysis, and opinions on Vols Wire.
Kyle Field - Texas A&M Aggies
Opened: 1927
Capacity: 102,733
If you think we’re biased here at Aggies Wire, well, we don’t care! Kyle Field has been regarded as one of the more daunting places to play in the SEC, and it speaks to both the architectural setup of the stadium as well as the raucous crowd that is home to the 12th Man.
As the SEC’s largest stadium by seating capacity, the 30,000+ student section is liable to set up an upset for any opposing team that walks through the door. With a name that is just two syllables in length and one that has remained unchanged for more than a century, it checks the boxes for an iconic stadium that has stood the test of time.
Get more Texas A&M news, analysis, and opinions on Aggies Wire.
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