Josh Pate Names the Toughest Place to Play in College Football

College football analyst Josh Pate's pick for the toughest place to play in the sport is Tennessee's Neyland Stadium, the same building where No. 1 Texas will open SEC play against No. 14 Tennessee on Saturday.

Pate made the call on his "College Football Show" podcast after EA Sports put Neyland at No. 12 in College Football 26. "Not only is Tennessee top 10, Neyland Stadium's the toughest place to play in college football," Pate said. He reiterated his case for the Volunteers' home field on Wednesday evening.

Josh Pate's case for Neyland Stadium

Neyland Stadium is the loudest venue in College Footballpic.twitter.com/UFdlGh3zYC
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) September 23, 2026

The clip first aired in June 2025. Pate shared it again on social media Wednesday night, three days before the Longhorns play in Knoxville for the first time.

He started by going after the EA list. "I've got all the respect in the world for the folks at EA," Pate said. "To have Tennessee outside the top 10 of toughest places to play in college football is evidence of drug use."

The Columbus, Georgia, native said he filmed the Neyland crowd himself. "I've been there for the best of it," Pate said. "I shot this myself. I've been a part of it. Deafening."

He also pointed to the song Vols fans sing all game. "There's also the psychological factor, because 'Rocky Top' is the most annoying sound in the world to anyone who's not a Tennessee fan," Pate said.

Pate said road teams hear the song on loudspeakers at practice all week. He said it hits hardest when the Vols take a late lead.

"I've never been in an avalanche before, but I imagine Tennessee taking the lead on you in the fourth quarter and 'Rocky Top' blaring during one of the nine-minute commercial breaks, that's what an avalanche of orange feels like," Pate said.

Where does EA Sports rank Neyland?

Josh Pate Names the Toughest Place to Play in College Football — The Pride of the Southland Band spells out “Dolly” on the field during their halftime performance. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Pate hasn't backed off. He kept Neyland at No. 1 when he ranked the sport's toughest stadiums again on his show in March 2026, and he put it ahead of LSU's Tiger Stadium. "At its best, I have never seen anything like it," Pate said.

EA Sports moved closer to his view this summer. College Football 27 ranks Neyland No. 8, up four spots from last year and up five from No. 13 in College Football 25. Tiger Stadium held the top spot, followed by Ohio State's Ohio Stadium, Penn State's Beaver Stadium, Georgia's Sanford Stadium and Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Still, the Vols' home results slipped in 2025. Tennessee went 25-4 at Neyland in coach Josh Heupel's first four seasons but lost three home games last fall, to Georgia, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt.

Texas makes first trip to Knoxville

No. 1 Texas (3-0) at No. 14 Tennessee (3-0) kicks off at noon ET Saturday on ABC. ESPN's "College GameDay" will be on campus, and the game is Tennessee's annual Checker Neyland game.

The two programs have never met in the regular season. Their three previous meetings all came in the Cotton Bowl, and the last one was in 1969.

Texas edged Ohio State 24-23 earlier this month. Tennessee has scored at least 42 points in all three of its games.

Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, whose uncle Peyton Manning played at Tennessee, has never attended a Tennessee game. Saturday will be his first game inside Neyland Stadium.

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