EA Sports Dubs Utah’s Rice-Eccles a Top 25 “Toughest Place To Play”

Unless you are over 45 years old, or don’t care about about college football, you've likely heard the news that video game publisher, EA Sports, is releasing a college football game on July 19^th for the first time since 2013.

Few fans are as passionate about their team as diehard college football fans, and gamers and non gamers alike are gearing up for one of the most celebrated sports video games in history.

The reveal trailer sits currently at 2.8 million views, with people who haven't bought video game consoles in years, going out to purchase the new one to play this one game.

With less than a month leading up to one of the most anticipated sports games in history, EA Sports is rolling out more and more content, so fans know what to expect when they boot up the game for the first time and start playing as any of the 134 FBS schools.

This week in particular, EA Sports announced a road map enlightening fans with some future details and information in which they can expect.

Today was all about the “toughest places to play” which in college football, is no lightweight term.

Being dubbed the toughest place to play is something fans take personally, it rest on them.

Whether ESPN themselves or some 14 year old on Twitter ranks your fan base and stadium #1 , there is still great pride when you see your name in these types of list.

EA Sports dropped their top 25 toughest places to play today for College Football 25, and like any list created by someone else fans were not in total agreeance.

Texas A & M's Kyle Field at #1?

Don't get me wrong, college station is a fantastic home environment, but hasn't been thee hardest place to play since the days of a certain Johnny Manziel.

Just ask Appalachian State.

Or ask Jacksonville State about how difficult Doak S. Campbell Stadium is for #9 on the list, Florida State.

Listen, I get it, every team has a bad loss, even on their home field.

Injuries happen, momentum shifts happen, sometimes its not your day, that's why we love sports.

Also, i understand its just a list.

Even if there was a factual foolproof way of truly proving the “toughest” place to play a football game, people will disagree on it even still.

You simply cannot win these types of arguments.

For example, one person will have Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium at #1, someone else will put them at #17.

The teams on the list deserve to be on the list, yet it seems the order could use some tweaking is all i am getting at.

All I'm saying is maybe, just maybe, Utah should be a bit higher.

The Utes and their passionate 51,444 fans at Rice-Eccles did make the top 25.

Sandwiched right between Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium at #17 and Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for the Longhorns, the Utes sit at #18 overall.

So with that understanding, i rescind my maybe and say, Yes, it should be higher.

The Muss, the Moment of Loudness, and pure passion for Utes football makes it a sight to behold under the mountain tops.

Not to mention the actual product on the field itself.

An 18 consecutive game winning streak was active up until midway through last season for the home team Utes.

Since joining the Pac-12 in 2011, Utah boasted a 60-20 home record in a former power 5 conference.

Ute fans will certainly take the 18^th spot as it provides unique ammunition against opposing fan bases.

No other Big 12 school made the list for starters.

This of course, means BYU and Lavell Edwards Stadium is left off it.

I'm sure there will be civil discussions between the two fan bases on the topic of a video game ranking.

Beyond the Big 12, the only other  former Pac-12 rival that made the list was #11 Autzen Stadium for Oregon.

A weird omission would be Husky Stadium, but one that Ute fans will accept as long as they can claim that title for themselves over Washington.

Now, as an active sports game based on this upcoming football season, rating and lists can be fluid.

There is no guarantee that a week into the season, that Texas A & M will still hold spot #1, or that Utah wont move up the virtual ladder based off of real season results.

Regardless, Ute fans can take pride in knowing that the virtual competition will struggle just as much as the real life opponents when they visit the U.