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By Jeremy Hillman
SouthernPigskin.com Columnist
SoutheasternFootball.com
SouthernPigskin.com Jeremy Hillman, of SoutheasternFootball.com, has been to every single SEC stadium at lest once. He ranks them from top to bottom using his own personal formula. Read more from Jeremy at SoutheasternFootball.com
For SEC fans, their school’s home stadium is a monument. It is a cathedral. It is a place of worship for Saturday afternoon's and evening's. A house that holds memories of the jubilance of victory, and the gut-wrenching pain of losing. Memories of players, and coaches, and fans. Good memories. This house is sacred. Make no mistake, this house is “home”.
Each home stadium has its own feel and its own uniqueness. Fans from Baton Rouge to Gainesville and many stops in-between, fans will argue that their school’s stadium is the best. That their home, is unmatchable. But which SEC stadium really reigns supreme?
I have traveled to every SEC Stadium at least once, and have been able to experience each football venue. Using that experience, and some factual data, I will attempt to rank the stadiums in the conference. I ranked the 12 football stadiums in four categories: size (ranked by stadium capacity), noise (ranked by how loud the crowds get), aesthetics (ranked by the look of the stadium), and home field advantage (ranked by home record the last 9 years, 2000-2009). Here is how they rank in order:
1. Florida: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Size ranking: 5th (88,548 seats)
Noise ranking: 1st 
Aesthetics ranking: 2nd
Home field advantage ranking: 2nd (49-9)
Overall ranking average: 2.5
2. Georgia: Sanford Stadium
Size ranking: 2nd (92,746)
Noise ranking: 6th
Aesthetics ranking: 1st
Home field advantage ranking: 3rd (47-10)
Overall ranking average: 3
3. Tennessee: Neyland Stadium
Size ranking: 1st (102,037)
Noise ranking: 3rd
Aesthetics ranking: 5th
Home field advantage ranking: 5th (45-16)
Overall ranking average: 3.5
4. LSU: Tiger Stadium
Size ranking: 3rd (92,400)
Noise ranking: 2nd
Aesthetics ranking: 9th
Home field advantage ranking: 1st (54-10)
Overall ranking average: 3.75
5. Auburn: Jordan Hare Stadium
Size ranking: 6th (87,451)
Noise ranking: 4th
Aesthetics ranking: 3rd
Home field advantage ranking: 4th (51-13)
Overall ranking average: 4.25
6. Alabama: Bryant –Denny Stadium
Size ranking: 4th (92,138)
Noise ranking: 5th
Aesthetics ranking: 4th
Home field advantage ranking: 7th (43-21)
Overall ranking average: 5
7. South Carolina: Williams-Brice Stadium
Size ranking: 7th (80,250)
Noise ranking: 7th
Aesthetics ranking: 6th
Home field advantage ranking: 8th (39-22)
Overall ranking average: 7
8. Arkansas: Razorback Stadium/War Memorial
Size ranking: 8th (72,000)
Noise ranking: 9th
Aesthetics ranking: 8th
Home field advantage ranking: 5th (45-20)
Overall ranking average: 7.75
9. Ole Miss: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Size ranking: 10th (60,580)
Noise ranking: 8th
Aesthetics ranking: 11th
Home field advantage ranking: 9th (36-24)
Overall ranking average: 9.5
10. Kentucky: Commonwealth Stadium
Size ranking: 9th (67,942)
Noise ranking: 11th
Aesthetics ranking: 10th
Home field advantage ranking: 10th (29-31)
Overall ranking average: 10
11. Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt Stadium
Size ranking: 12th (39,773)
Noise ranking: 12th
Aesthetics ranking: 7th
Home field advantage ranking: 12th (20-38)
Overall ranking average: 10.75
12. Mississippi State: Davis Wade Stadium
Size ranking: 11th (55,082)
Noise ranking: 10th
Aesthetics ranking: 12th
Home field advantage ranking: 11th (25-31)
Overall ranking average: 11
There is clearly “no place like home”, but for some teams that is more true than others. In just 75 days, these cathedrals of college football will be jam packed with fanatic fans, with more SEC memories, heroes and emotions to be made.
Note: This ranking is reflective of the stadium, and not the program. But it is clear that nice facilities, including great stadiums, are found at the top programs in the conference. Look for this ranking to change over the next decade as teams add too, refurbish and win in their stadiums. The race to have the biggest and best stadium won’t end anytime soon.
Let me know your thoughts below, or on the message boards!
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Share your thoughts on the SouthernPigskin.com Message Boards or email Jeremy at .
Stories written by SouthernPigskin.com columnists are done independently. Views do not always coincide with those of the remainder of the staff or the ownership of SouthernPigskin.com.
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