ESPN ranks the Swamp among top 25 college football stadiums

Few experiences rival that of a Saturday inside a college football stadium during the fall. Over the past century, the nation’s universities have constructed cathedrals in homage to the gridiron giants, and at this point, it has become an entrenched part of the culture in many parts of the country.

The University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, affectionately known as the Swamp, the structure was first constructed in 1930 and has had several upgrades since. According to ESPN’s staff college football stadium top 25 rankings, the Gators’ home field ranks 20th in the nation with a score of 61 points.

Discussion

“How many schools can say they have two traditions that are immediately identifiable? Florida can,” Andrea Adelson begins.

“Its oldest tradition stems back to the 1940s, when George Edmondson started a “Two Bits” cheer in the stands that eventually led to his legendary pregame ritual. Starting in the 1970s, Edmondson would dress in a yellow button-down shirt, blue and orange tie and pinstripe pants, whistle around his neck of course, and lead the cheer from the field before every home game.

“He became known simply as “Mr. Two Bits.” Florida has continued the tradition in his honor with celebrity “Mr. Two Bits,” so the pregame cheer lives on. But a new tradition emerged in 2017.

“As a way to pay tribute to the late Tom Petty, a Gainesville native, “I Won’t Back Down” plays between the third and fourth quarters. Imagine more than 88,000 people at The Swamp — one of the loudest stadiums in America — singing, “HEY BABY, THERE AIN’T NO EASY WAY OUT” and “I WON’T BACK DOWN” in unison. Pretty powerful. Especially at night, with phone flashlights on.”

Methodology

“So we asked 14 of our college football writers to rank the best stadiums in the sport. No parameters, no criteria. Writers were asked to submit their top 20 stadiums in order. We then awarded points: 20 for first-place votes, 19 for second and all the way down to 1 point for a stadium voted No. 20.”

Other SEC schools in top 25

The LSU Tigers‘ Tiger Stadium took the top spot in the rankings, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide‘s Bryant-Denny Stadium at No. 9 and the Tennessee Volunteers‘ Neyland Stadium rounding out the top 10.

Kyle Field (Texas A&M Aggies) comes in at No. 13 while Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn Tigers) sits at No. 17 and Sanford Stadium (Georgia Bulldogs) at No. 18 to join Florida in the top 20.

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (Ole Miss Rebels) took No. 21 while SEC newcomers Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (Oklahoma Sooners) and Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (Texas Longhorns) wramp up the top 25, respectively.