Protecting your home field means everything in college football, especially for the annual national championship contenders. Glancing at college football’s 2023 slate, there are several intimidating environments expected to stand out.
Sold-out venues backed by insanely loud crowds are advantageous, especially when home teams are on defense and trying to cause disruption for the opposition. The SEC and Big Ten dominated last season’s College Football Playoff conversation and a couple late-season games that went the home team’s way — namely Georgia’s win over Tennessee and Michigan’s victory over Illinois — were defined by hostile environments.
This is a ranking based on the 2023 schedule for many of the nation’s top programs and who they play at home. The tougher the opponents, the more likely said team’s environment will be loud. Many of these squads are included in the way-too-early spring top 25 rankings at 247Sports.
Here is a look at 11 venues expected to be next season’s most intimidating.