ESPN's College GameDay Crew's Comparisons of Autzen Stadium to Beaver Stadium May Shock Fans

On the eve of the No. 6 Oregon Ducks' White Out game against the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions, chatter continues about the level of difficulty the White Out will bring for the Ducks on the road at Beaver Stadium.

However, what if Oregon's notoriously loud Autzen Stadium brings a similar environment, preparing the Ducks for their first ranked showdown of 2025?

That's what some of the members of ESPN College GameDay are proposing on Friday ahead of their 33rd broadcast highlighting an Oregon matchup.

Oregon fans dance to “Shout” as the Oregon Ducks host the Oregon State Beavers Sept. 20, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rece Davis Predicts Familiar Feelings

"Very favorably, but half size," said College GameDay host Rece Davis of the Ducks having an advantage due to Autzen's notorious noise. "You know, what's Autzen, 54-55 or something like that? Okay, they get to 60. Well double that and there's a lot of intensity in the "House of Loud" for sure. But, a White Out at night in Happy Valley; their standard for intensity is very high. I think there will be some familiar feelings for Oregon fans in the stands in terms of how loud it is, but it'll just be a lot bigger."

Rece Davis comparing the atmosphere at Autzen Stadium to Beaver Stadium: pic.twitter.com/T9sokfT6Ro
— Joel Haas (@Joel_Haas1) September 26, 2025

With Beaver Stadium (106,572 capacity) being the second largest capacity college football stadium in the nation behind Michigan Stadium, the Nittany Lions do have Autzen Stadium (54,000 - 60,000 capacity) beat when it comes to sheer size.

With a sold out stadium, roars from the crowd are bound the play an impact on this game, but Davis' comment certainly point to the Ducks potentially finding a part of home amongst the noise.

Nov 9, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Fireworks burst overhead as the Penn State Nittany Lions take the field prior to a White Out game against the Washington Huskies at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Size vs Engineered for Noise

However, Oregon's stadium is better equipped to propagate the roars of a crowd due to it's "potato chip" like bend and insertion into the ground. Autzen was designed with an inlaid field so the walls of the stadium could reverberate noise from the stands to the field and back.

Beaver Stadium does not have a field inserted into the ground, as the entire venue was dismantled and moved during the 1959-1960 season from the middle of campus to the east end of the college at the time. Penn State's venue flows out from the field and up due to multiple additions and renovations, providing gaps in the stadium that Autzen avoided during construction.

Autzen is the loudest stadium in the Big Ten pic.twitter.com/mxACkLAZCi
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) October 14, 2024

Opposing Teams Experiencing the "O"

The actions of opposing teams visiting Autzen speak for themselves. After a week filled with comments from Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy about his lack of worries about the Ducks' stadiums' crowd atmosphere, the Cowboys took on five false start penalties making up for a majority of their eight sustained penalties costing 45 yards.

So far this season, Oregon's opponents at home have all had false start penalties called on them, with a total of nine overall calls on the season.

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Malik Benson hauls in a reception under cover from Oregon State Beavers defensive back Trey Glasper as the Oregon Ducks host the Oregon State Beavers Sept. 20, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Let's Get Scientific

According to research by On3 Sports in the offseason, Autzen Stadium was found to be the No. 6 loudest stadium with 127 decibels of sound. Beaver Stadium came in at No. 9 with 122 decibels of sound.

On3 Sport's Loudest Stadium Ranking:

1. Neyland Stadium, Tennessee, 137 decibels
2. Husky Stadium, Washington, 133.6 decibels
3. Williams-Bryce Stadium, South Carolina, 133.6 decibels
4. Memorial Stadium, Clemson, 132.8 decibels
5. Tiger Stadium, LSU, 130 decibels
6. Autzen Stadium, Oregon,127 decibels
7. Lane Stadium, Virginia Tech, 126.2 decibels
8. Kyle Field, Texas A&M, 126 decibels
9. Beaver Stadium, Penn State, 122 decibels
10. Benn Hill Griffin Stadium, Florida, 115 decibels.

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Nick Saban, left, and Lee Corso talk on the set of ESPN College GameDay prior to the NCAA football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What Nick Saban Had to Say

College GameDay analyst Nick Saban even got his thoughts in about Beaver Stadium while chatting with fellow GameDay personality Pat McAfee on the Pat McAfee show on Friday.

"We played in a white out here and it didn't help them much," Saban joked.

The iconic former Alabama coach did admit the 2011 Crimson Tide 27-11 did come during the day, and not at the 7:30 p.m. ET kick off time Oregon will face.

“I do think the thing I always tried to emphasize with our team when we went on the road, whether it was a blackout, a whiteout, whatever it was that the fans don’t make any plays in the game. Yes, there’s going to be noise, and we’ll have to handle the noise like we do in all road environments," Saban said.

“That can have an impact, especially on the offensive line, with false starts and those types of things that put you behind the sticks. But I really tried to emphasize to the players that those circumstances, those external factors like a whiteout, don’t actually impact the game," Saban added.

Ducks fans will see if the environment at Autzen help Oregon on the field against the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 4:30 p.m. PT.