Utah Utes stadium ranked No. 1 venue in the Big 12

Rice-Eccles Stadium cracked USA Today's ranking of the top 25 college football venues in the country

Rice-Eccles Stadium, home of the Utah Utes, has been ranked as the best venue in the Big 12 by USA Today. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The home of the Utah Utes has been deemed one of the "unfriendliest" places in all of college football.

In a ranking of the top 25 stadiums in the country, USA Today tabbed Rice-Eccles Stadium as the best venue in the Big 12.

"The beautiful panorama in the background belies the electric game-day atmosphere inside Rice-Eccles," wrote USA Today. "On a pound-for-pound (or decibel-for-decibel) level, RES is tough to beat."

Rice-Eccles checked in as the No. 18 stadium in the nation overall, with several SEC and Big Ten fields ranked higher up on the list. LSU's Tiger Stadium came in at No. 1 and was followed by Beaver Stadium (Penn State), Ohio Stadium (Ohio State), Autzen Stadium (Oregon) and Memorial Stadium (Clemson) in the top five.

A handful of SEC schools rounded out the top 10 before Michigan Stadium (Michigan) broke up the trend as the No. 12 venue in the sport. In total, SEC and Big Ten stadiums occupied 17 of the 25 spots.

Aug 29, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; A general view of Rice-Eccles Stadium before the game between the Utah Utes and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Utah was one of three Big 12 schools to crack the top 25; LaVell Edwards Stadium (BYU) came in at No. 22 and Boone Pickens Stadium (Oklahoma State) capped the rankings off as the No. 25 venue in the sport.

USA Today's pecking order came out about a month after video game publisher Electronic Arts compiled its own hierarchy of the "toughest" stadiums in the country. Rice-Eccles checked in at No. 20 overall and No. 1 in the Big 12 as well.

Since 2018, the Utes have won 34 of their past 41 home games at Rice-Eccles. Their 19 consecutive home wins from 2020-2023 were one of the longest streaks in the country.

Best stadiums in the country, per USA Today

1. Tiger Stadium | LSU
2. Beaver Stadium | Penn State
3. Ohio Stadium | Ohio State
4. Autzen Stadium | Oregon
5. Memorial Stadium | Clemson
6. Neyland Stadium | Tennessee
7. Sanford Stadium | Georgia
8. Bryant-Denny Stadium | Alabama
9. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium | Florida
10. Kyle Field | Texas A&M
11. Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium | Oklahoma
12. Michigan Stadium | Michigan
13. Jordan-Hare Stadium | Auburn
14. Notre Dame Stadium | Notre Dame
15. Husky Stadium | Washington
16. Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium | Texas
17. Williams-Brice Stadium | South Carolina
18. Rice-Eccles Stadium | Utah
19. Camp Randall Stadium | Wisconsin
20. Doak S. Campbell Stadium | Florida State
21. Lane Stadium | Virginia Tech
22. LaVell Edwards Stadium | BYU
23. Albertsons Stadium | Boise State
24. Kinnick Stadium | Iowa
25. Boone Pickens Stadium | Oklahoma State