Auburn Ranked Among Toughest Places to Play by EA Sports

EA Sports College Football 26 is just over two weeks from nationwide release, and as the July 10 release date comes closer and closer, more features and additions are revealed. One of the latest was the “Toughest Places to Play” list, where Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium was ranked No. 17.

The reactions to the ranking on social media from the Auburn faithful have ranged from surprise to indignation, with even the official Auburn Football X account chiming in.

However, the important thing for the Auburn family to remember is that the ranking is for a game, and so will be designed to reflect how the team should realistically perform over a simulated season. Last season, the Tigers went just 4-4 at home, including losses to California and Oklahoma.

However, that doesn’t mean players can’t do anything about the ranking. In the game’s Dynasty mode, players can take control of the program across multiple seasons, striving to build a national powerhouse. The more home wins, conference titles, and championships players rack up with the team, the higher their stadium will rise in the rankings. Long home winning streaks can also raise the stadium rating. 

Some may argue that a team like Auburn, famous for upsets of top teams in Jordan-Hare, should have a higher stadium rating than would be “realistic” just for the upset factor. And, honestly, I believe they already do. 24 colleges have active home winning streaks of three or more games, while Auburn sits at just two.

17 of those teams have streaks of six or more games, with Georgia at the top with a streak of 32 consecutive home wins. As for its recent home record, Auburn is just 20-15 in Jordan-Hare over the past five seasons. However, the Tigers still find themselves above teams such as Washington, which has an active 20-game home winning streak.

So, despite not being an active force at home compared to other top teams, the developers of College Football 26 are still giving Jordan-Hare a boost due to its history of upsets and the significant change that Auburn could become a powerhouse in the game. After all, as Nick Saban once said:

“That place is haunted.”

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