Daily Reveille

Issue date: 11/3/06 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Aaron Williams Rain falls on the field in Tiger Stadium before the Tigers game against Fresno State on Oct. 21. LSU has the sixth largest stadium in the nation with a capacity of 92,400. Tennessee's Neyland Stadium ranks third in capacity at 104,079.

The Southeastern Conference is well-known not only for the success of its football programs, but for the size and intimidation factor of its football stadiums.

The SEC boasts three of the six largest on-campus college football stadiums in the nation. Two of the teams that call those stadiums home, the LSU Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers, face off Saturday in Tennessee's Neyland Stadium.

Neyland Stadium, which was first constructed in 1921, ranks third on the list of largest on-campus stadiums with a capacity of 104,079. LSU's Tiger Stadium, which hosted its first game in 1924, ranks sixth with a capacity of 92,400.

Michigan Stadium, home of the Michigan Wolverines, is the largest on-campus football stadium with a capacity of 107,501. The Wolverines' arch-rival, the Ohio State Buckeyes, sit second on the list with 107,282.

The University of Georgia's Sanford Stadium ranks just ahead of Tiger Stadium with a capacity of 92,746

Stadium size has the ability to leave some players in awe, but some players say the fans that fill the seats are the key to providing home-field advantage.

"The first time I played at LSU was last year," Shreveport native and Tennessee senior cornerback Jonathan Wade said. "You look around, [and] you hear the noise. That crowd is amazing. They're always into the game. They're always loud."

Wade said playing in Neyland Stadium gives Tennessee an advantage when visiting hostile environments on the road.

"We're adapt, and I'm pretty sure [the Tigers] are too," he said.

The Tigers and Volunteers have successfully used their home fields to their advantage in recent years.

LSU has a 29-5 home record since 2001, including a 30-27 overtime loss to the Volunteers in September 2005. Tennessee has 27-11 record at Neyland Stadium in the same time span.

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