Rivals National Columnist Mike Farrell is here with his thoughts on the toughest venues in college football, more unappreciated college football players from 2000 and on, and the Mount Rushmore of Iowa football since 1980.
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1. THE TOUGHEST VENUES IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Winning on the road isn’t easy in college football. But what places are the hardest to win at? Here’s my top 10.
1. Tiger Stadium, LSU — The real Death Valley is a nightmare for opponents and it’s the sixth largest stadium in college football with a noise level that is hard to top. Bear Bryant once said it’s like being in a drum, it’s that loud.
2. Bryant Denny Stadium, Alabama — Bryant Denny rocks, perhaps not as loud as some others on this list, but Alabama doesn’t lose at home. ‘Bama wins 80 percent of its home games throughout history but under Bryant and Nick Saban it’s 95 percent.
3. Ohio Stadium, Ohio State — “The Shoe” is one of the loudest venues in college football and the Buckeyes don’t lose there often. The Ohio State-Michigan atmosphere there is as good as any and under Jim Tressel, Urban Meyer and now Ryan Day a home loss has become beyond rare.
4. Death Valley, Clemson — Clemson is a great atmosphere from touching the rock to the noise in the stadium, and under Dabo Swinney it has become nearly impossible to pull an upset.
5. Camp Randall Stadium, Wisconsin — The sea of red is a sight for opposing teams and Wisconsin wears opponents down in Camp Randall. Seeing the “Jump Around” tradition is so cool.
6. Autzen Stadium, Oregon — The Pac-12 isn’t thought of as a rabid football conference but try playing on the road at Oregon. It is a small crowd in comparison to others but that’s what makes it so crazy. The fans are close and the decibel level is off the charts.
7. Memorial Stadium, Oklahoma — Memorial doesn’t seat 100,000 yet but it’s so hard to win there with the noise level and the way the stadium is enclosed. The Sooners don’t drop many home games.
8. Beaver Stadium, Penn State — Just check out the “White Out” and you don’t need to see much more.
9. Michigan Stadium, Michigan — “The Big House” isn’t an easy place to win despite the lack of national titles. The below ground sunken stadium doesn’t help the noise level but it still gets plenty loud.
10. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Florida — “The Swamp” is loud and Gus Malzahn once said it was louder than Tiger Stadium which is something, and it’s a very hard place to come out of with a win.
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2. MORE UNDERAPPRECIATED PLAYERS
I’m nearing the 100 mark of my underappreciated players since the year 2000 and here are 10 more players who deserve more respect and recognition.
OL Shawn Andrews, Arkansas — A two-time consensus All-American for the Razorbacks, Andrews was absolutely nasty. In 35 career starts, Andrews gave up only two sacks, and as a junior was a finalist for both the Outland and Lombardi trophies.
RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin — Despite sharing a backfield with James White, Melvin Gordon and John Clay during his time in Madison, Ball still ended up finishing his career with more rushing touchdowns (77) than anyone who had come before him. The two-time consensus All-American had a truly remarkable junior campaign, where he accounted for 39 total touchdowns, an NCAA record.
TE Heath Miller, Virginia — One of the most decorated Cavaliers of the 21st century, Miller was a prototypical tight end, as he dominated as both a blocker and receiver. A unanimous All-American as a junior, Miller finished his collegiate career with ACC TE records for receptions, yards, and touchdowns despite declaring early for the draft.
RB LaMichael James, Oregon — In just three seasons with the Ducks, James amassed over 5,000 rushing yards, 53 touchdowns, two All-American nods and the Doak Walker Award. Accumulating over 1,500 yards each season while on campus, James was the prototypical lead back in Chip Kelly's uptempo offense.
LB Patrick Willis, Ole Miss — One of the greatest linebackers to ever step on the field, words cannot do justice for how dominant of a player Willis was. The 2006 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Butkus Award winner, Willis simply did everything for the Rebs' defense. The two-time All-American led the SEC in tackles as both a junior and senior to boot.
WR Dante Pettis, Washington — While nominally a wide receiver, Pettis was best known for his exploits as a returner, bringing back nine punts for touchdowns, the all-time record in NCAA football. Pettis also had over 2,200 yards and 24 touchdown receiving, but will always be remembered for being the most dangerous returner since Devin Hester.
RB Cedric Benson, Texas — The forgotten great Texas RB, Benson was actually drafted by the Dodgers to play baseball out of high school, but opted to go to Texas instead, and the burnt orange faithful in Austin were happy about that. A four-year starter, Benson rushed for over 1,000 yards every year on campus, finishing with 5,540 for his career, 11th all time.
DE Mathias Kiwanuka, Boston College — A three-time all-conference selection in both the Big East and ACC, Kiwanuka was a two-time consensus All-American for the Eagles and a dominant pass rusher. He still holds school records for sacks with 37.5, and TFL's with 64.5
RB Justin Jackson, Northwestern — Jackson was as steady as them come for the Wildcats, going over 1,100 yards in each of his four seasons in Evanston. He finished his career with nearly 6300 yards from scrimmage, good for 11th all time, and 42 touchdowns.
DE Ja'Von Rolland-Jones, Arkansas State — The two-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, Rolland-Jones had 13 sacks in each of his final two seasons for the Red Wolves. He led the conference in TFL's for three-straight seasons, and was a constant presence in opposing backfields. He finished his career with 42 sacks, good for second all time.
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3. IOWA'S MOUNT RUSHMORE
Let’s keep the Mount Rushmore going in the Big Ten with Iowa football. These are the four best Hawkeyes since 1980 in my opinion:
QB Chuck Long — One of the first (and only players) to ever play in five bowl games, Long was a very lightly recruited prep player who would go on to three first-team All-Big Ten selections. As a senior, he won the O'Brien and Maxwell Trophies, and was the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting to Bo Jackson. For his career, Long threw for over 10,400 yards and 74 touchdowns, both school records.
DE Andre Tippett — One of the most dominant defenders in the Big Ten, Tippett was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in both 1980 and 1981 and consensus All-American as a senior. He led the Hawkeyes to their first winning season in more than 20 years that same season, leading the nation in tackles for loss. He is one of only three Hawkeyes elected to both the college and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
OL Robert Gallery — The quintessential Hawkeye offensive lineman, Gallery won the Outland in 2003 and was a consensus All-American. After starting his career at tight end, he slid over to tackle, playing on both sides, but landed at left tackle for his final two seasons, where he was twice a first-team All-Big Ten selection. He played with an unmatched nasty streak, routinely punishing opposing linemen and linebackers, paving the way for some really strong Hawkeye rushing attacks.
LB Larry Station — Station was a man among boys during his time in Iowa City, leading the Hawkeyes in tackles every year he was on campus, and finishing his career with 492 stops, still a school record. The college football Hall of Famer was a three-time All-American, and led Iowa to its first outright conference title in nearly three decades as a senior.
