EA Sports ranks Michigan Stadium 16th in its list of the most difficult venues

The return of a college football video game is getting closer every day, and EA Sports is already releasing a lot of information about the game, including a ranking of the 25 toughest stadiums to play in.

EA College Football 25The ranking of the most difficult venues takes into account historical statistics such as home winning percentage, home attendance, active home winning streaks, team prestige and more. This list is sure to generate debate among many of the top teams, all of whom are convinced that their team’s stadium is the most difficult.

When it comes to Michigan and the legendary, nearly century-old Big House, EA Sports ranks Michigan Stadium 16th on its list of toughest venues.

In its favor, Michigan’s Big House has rich history, sheer size and a reigning national champion program to support. With or without a title, fans have supported it religiously, as UM has had the nation’s highest attendance for 41 of the last 43 years, according to a Michigan Stadium fact page. But the Big House isn’t just a major college football stadium; it’s a coliseum unlike any other in the hemisphere, according to Wikipedia.

The official Michigan Stadium website states the following fact: “It is the largest stadium in the United States and the Western Hemisphere, the third largest stadium in the world, and the 34th largest sports venue in the world.” According to the Michigan Athletics website, it is the largest collegiate sports venue of all time since it opened in 1927.

Yes, the building in Ann Arbor is nearly 100 years old, and the venue has survived the last century thanks to visionary Fielding Yost, who was the first to break ground. According to Michigan archives, Yost envisioned football on a grand scale when he wanted to build the largest stadium in the country – and he did.

Yost was able to complete the project cost-effectively by selling thousands of tax-free, low-interest individual bonds worth $500 each to fans in exchange for the opportunity to purchase tickets to games between the 30-yard lines for the next ten seasons.

Its traditions include singing the 126-year-old fight song “The Victors,” which is played at the beginning of each game as Wolverine players run onto the field and jump up to touch the “Go Blue Banner” — a tradition that dates back to 1962.

That’s not the only musical integration. Starting with a game against Wisconsin in 2016, Michigan now also plays the Killers’ iconic early 2000s hit “Mr. Brightside” at some point during every home game to get fans excited.

Maybe we’ll get lucky and hear “Mr. Brightside” or see the Michigan players jump up and touch the banner as their fight song plays in the new video game. After all, EA Sports seems to be pulling out all the stops.