Yardbarker
x
Iowa's Kinnick Stadium Among Toughest Places to Play in College Football 26
Corn grows outside the south end zone during the originally scheduled home opener amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. 200905 Empty Opener 007 Jpg Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The Iowa Hawkeyes have enjoyed great success at home over the years.

Kinnick Stadium has become one of the toughest places to play in the nation with an incredible tradition as well.

The new rankings of most difficult places to play in EA Sports' College Football 26 has been revealed and the home of the Hawkeyes is featured once again. Kinnick Stadium has come in at No. 19 on the list.

There is a total of eight Big Ten Stadiums on the list with Iowa coming in seventh, ahead of only Michigan State's Spartan Stadium. The full list of conference stadiums is:

  • No. 2: Penn State's Beaver Stadium
  • No. 3: Ohio State's Ohio Stadum
  • No. 9: Oregon's Autzen Stadium
  • No. 15: Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium
  • No. 18: Washington's Husky Stadium
  • No. 19: Iowa's Kinnick Stadium
  • No. 24: Michigan State's Spartan Stadium

Originally named Iowa Stadium in 1929, the name was changed in 1972 to honor Heisman winner Nile Kinnick, who died while serving in World War II.

Since 2008, the Hawkeyes have racked up multiple top-five wins on their home field. This includes two victories over Penn State and a 55-24 win over No. 3 Ohio State in 2017. That same year, Iowa began one of the best traditions in college football.

The Hawkeye Wave began in 2017. When the clock strikes zeroes following the first quarter, all fans, players, and coaches in the stadium turn to wave to patients in the UI Stead Family Children's Hospital.

The Hawkeyes will face Indiana, Penn State, Minnesota, Oregon, and Michigan State at Kinnick Stadium this season. There will be many chances for one of the best home-field advantages in the nation to come into play.


This article first appeared on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!