Florida football benefits from one of college football's best home-field advantages, according to Sports Illustrated. UF has an undeniable edge because of it's famous home venue. Ben Hill Griffin is a daunting place to play with incoming opponents not just dealing with the competition on the field but also the crowd, humidity and Gator lure.
"Playing in The Swamp can sometimes feel like getting tossed into a gator pit," said SI's Tim Capurso, ranking the stadium No. 10 among the 12 toughest environments in the sport.
He highlighted the Swamp's below-ground playing surface and bowl design that helps trap crowd noise as two favorable attributes. Over the past two seasons, the Swamp has been a weapon for the Gators, boasting home victories over three
ranked opponents over that span: No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 22 LSU and No. 9 Texas.
"Rather than build a new stadium, Florida is planning $1.45 billion renovations to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for 2030, though the hope among the fans is that the adjustments don’t mess with a good thing," Capurso also wrote.
Coincidentally, Florida's first road test of the season comes against another program on SI's list: the Auburn Tigers. A venue with plenty of history of its own, Jordan-Hare Stadium was slated at No. 12 by Capurso. The Gators haven't played at Auburn since 2011 and haven't won a game there since 1999.
Florida cruises to two early wins aided by the Swamp's atmosphere and after a grueling trip to Auburn, the site will play host to No. 8 Ole Miss in Week 4.
SI's 12 best home field advantages in college football
- Tiger Stadium, LSU Tigers
- Autzen Stadium, Oregon Ducks
- Ohio Stadium, Ohio State Buckeyes
- Kyle Field, Texas A&M Aggies
- Beaver Stadium, Penn State Nittany Lions
- Sanford Stadium, Georgia Bulldogs
- Rice-Eccles Stadium, Utah Utes
- Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Alabama Crimson Tide
- Memorial Stadium, Clemson Tigers
- Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Florida Gators
- Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Oklahoma Sooners
- Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn Tigers
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Gators boast one of college football's biggest home-field advantages
