OPINION: Why Sanford Stadium Is One of the Best In The Nation.
Every year you see fan bases argue over whose stadium is better than the other; as fans of one of the most competitive sports, that is what we will do. Beaver Stadium, Tiger Stadium, Kyle Field, and even Neyland Stadium are consistently mentioned, but why do we never see Georgia on this list?
A home stadium is meant to provide a certain advantage factor to the home team. That is why home advantage is consistently discussed in sports. Many programs will pull this off through fan engagement and how well the stadium is built/located to provide a loud, intimidating environment. Penn State has its annual "whiteout" game, Tennessee has its checker theme, Texas A&M has the 12th Man, and LSU includes one of the best night game experiences in the country.
All four of the schools mentioned above have a stadium capacity that can hold over 100,000 fans for a home game, which plays a crucial factor in the intimidation of their stadium. Georgia, on the other hand, they have the capacity to hold just over 92,000 fans. Georgia fans know firsthand that having fewer people in the stands isn't a factor in how loud Sanford Stadium gets.
Why do we know this? Dawg fans show up no matter the occasion. Over the last five years, Georgia is the only program out of those listed to average a sellout home crowd, according to d1ticker.com. Year in and year out, Sanford Stadium is packed with barking fans dressed in red and black, who come with one purpose: to create havoc for the opposing team. Also, strategically placing the Spike Squad and UGA's student section on the opposing team's sideline is an excellent way to get in an opponent's mind.
2019 when the Fighting Irish visited, the Dawgs faithful proved how rowdy it can get. Exceeding Sanford Stadium's capacity limit, the Bulldog faithful poured and caused multiple penalties for Notre Dame, accounting for six false start penalties against the Irish, allowing Georgia to escape with a victory. Again this past season, in a battle of number one teams, Sanford Stadium reached a 132.6-decibel level in the pouring rain. This was a factor in Georgia's win that day, and even Josh Huepel admitted it in his post-game comments (https://youtu.be/gg7E8q1njTE start at 1:30).
Another game that comes to mind when mentioning Georgia's crowd noise is the 2021 game when Arkansas came to town and got shut out by the Dawgs. The noon crowd was a ruckus, rocking Sanford Stadium to a crazy 118-decibel high point. This impacted the Razorbacks team as a whole, creating two offsides penalties from offensive linemen to start the game and two more later in the game against the OL. The noise in Sanford Stadium eventually led to 13 penalties for the Razorbacks that game, which half was caused by Dawg Nation, just like the night game against Notre Dame in 2019.
For context, when LSU and Tennessee played Alabama during the 2022 season, both games were sold out at Tiger and Neyland Stadium, respectively. In Baton Rouge, there were readings of seismic activity when Tiger Stadium reached 133-decibel readings twice. Neyland Stadium also hit a 125.4 decibel reading in their game against the Crimson Tide. This is very impressive for two aspiring programs, but they had the advantage of 8,000-plus fans compared to when Georgia did it.
A view of the fans during the game between the Georgia Bulldogs against the Auburn Tigers during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
The way Sanford Stadium is placed and what is involved with the stadium helps provide another layer of intimidation, aside from the LED lights introduced during the 2019 Notre Dame vs. Georgia game, the hedges, and the catwalk at Sanford Stadium are truly special. Why is this?
The catwalk outside of Sanford Stadium is a fan-favorite stop on non-gamedays and offers one of the best views into the stadium. But on gameday, the catwalk gets closed off, and fans can flood the street and cheer on their Dawgs from outside the stadium. This allows for one of the best views in college football and gives even more room for noise to funnel down into the field. One of the latest upgrades to Sanford Stadium was the metal bleachers on the catwalk side of the bleachers; all the noise from that side of the stadium bounces back into the field, just as the Seattle Seahawks designed their stadium.
The hedges are iconic and a statement of the history of Sanford Stadium. Sanford Stadium was built in 1929, and that was the same time the hedges were planted, thanks to Charlie Martin, who visited a Rose Bowl game in 1926 and was inspired to bring Georgia its own theme to the rose bushes in Pasadena, Calif. Henceforth, games at Sanford Stadium were called a game "between the hedges."
Just ask Georgia Tech fans how legendary the hedges are at Sanford Stadium. Their football team decides to rip up the hedges whenever they win at Sanford Stadium. Even though this is something not to brag about usually, it only proves what the hedges mean to Georgia and Sanford Stadium.
Now that there is context to know just how special Sanford Stadium is and what makes it so intimidating, Kirby Smart and his Bulldogs have used that to their advantage. Since 2018, the Dawgs have an astounding record of 28-1, suffering their last home loss to South Carolina in 2019. Penn State has been 25-9, Tennessee 22-13, and LSU was 26-6 during that stint. A great stadium must provide a great team to play in it, and Sanford Stadium hosts the best team in the country.
Many will look at how loud a stadium gets and the number of fans that can enter, allowing programs to have their fans become a factor in the games. Others may appreciate the history and scenery behind the stadium. Many will even exclude Sanford Stadium from their top college football stadium lists altogether. Still, with a rich history, the best fans, and the best team in the country, Sanford Stadium has everything to offer, no matter what you appreciate in a stadium, and deserves recognition.
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