Cougar Corner | Ten of the Toughest Places to Play a Road Game

It's the time of year when college football fans, such as yours truly, are bored to tears and looking for anything that will whet our appetite for the game we're so passionate about.

At the risk of taking a benign topic like, "What Pac-10 stadium is the toughest to steal a win on the road" viral, there is a certain intrigue in debating the issue.

Competing in the Pac-10 provides member universities with challenge unmatched by any other athletic conference in the nation. Come to think of it, there's another Top Ten list in the making.

Heck, there might even be room to debate whether a conference made up of eleven teams should be so numerically challenged as to continue referring to members as totaling ten. Or would that be a stretch?

So what prompted compiling a 'power rating' of sorts for Pac-10 home field advantage?

Ted Miller is ESPN's Pac-10 guru. The guy knows the conference from top to bottom. There's no contest as to who offers the most even-handed assessment of the top athletic conference in the nation.

It's Miller time.

Armed with a wealth of knowledge, Miller responded to a Bleacher Report story which ranked Pac-10 schools from top to bottom in terms of difficulty to steal a road game victory.

Comes as no surprise that Miller refined the methodology used to compile a ranking of home field advantage in the Pac-10. Despite using a modified approach to develop his strength of home field edge, Miller agreed with the strongest and weakest settings nominated by the instigator of this debate, Edward Medina. 

Medina may not have depth of resume when compared with Ted Miller, but make no mistake about his talent. He's an up-and-coming sports writer who has a very bright future in front of him.

Without getting carried away, here's a look at what Medina of Bleacher Report and Miller came up with by ranking #1 as the toughest home field through #10 being the meekest stadium to visit:

Medina's Misery Meter 

1. Autzen Stadium, Oregon
2. Martin Stadium, Washington State
3. Arizona Stadium, Arizona
4. Sun Devil Stadium, Arizona State
5. Memorial Stadium, California
6. Husky Stadium, Washington
7. Rose Bowl, UCLA
8. L.A. Coliseum, USC
9. Reser Stadium, Oregon State
10. Stanford Stadium, Stanford

Medina uses interesting factors to establish why playing the Ducks in Eugene is a daunting task in comparison to playing the Cardinal on the beautifully manicured turf of Stanford Stadium. Click over to Bleacher Report for more details.

Next up, take a look at how ESPN's Miller sees things in the Pac-10:

Miller's Misery Meter 

1. Autzen Stadium, Oregon
2. L.A. Coliseum, USC
3. Memorial Stadium, California
4. Reser Stadium, Oregon State
5. Arizona Stadium, Arizona
6. Sun Devil Stadium, Arizona State
7. Husky Stadium, Washington
8. Rose Bowl, UCLA
9. Martin Stadium, Washington State
10. Stanford Stadium, Stanford

Miller placed emphasis on the quality of team next season. Logical approach by a guy in the know.

This should come as a surprise, but both these guys didn't get it right. They may have overlooked the impact of the "X" factor in college football. A key component to defining the "X" factor is playing with pride in front of 'your people'.

That said, here's my list of the toughest places to play a road game in the Pac-10:

1. Reser Stadium, Oregon State - It was tough for any team venturing into Corvallis prior to the Beavs building the new and improved Reser. Coach Riley will enjoy the full advantage of home field in 2009. Why #1? Anyone remember the last time #1 USC played there? Oregon State will have a better team in 2009 than the one that upset the Trojan juggernaut.
2. Autzen Stadium, Oregon - The fans in Eugene are amazing. They create an atmosphere of bedlam when opponents attempt to play some offense. Rain or shine, waves of deafening screams waft over the field focused on disrupting the opposition. Couple that with an offense that should outscore just about everyone in 2009. Autzen will only be fun for the guys in the funny looking uniforms.
3. Martin Stadium, Washington State - The Coug fans are even more amazing than Duck fans. Then there's the snow factor to add in with the rain or shine thing. Unfortunately, Coach Wulff is probably another year away from returning Cougar football to an elite status. Pullman is tough to get to by train, plane or automobile. The Cougs will deny at least two heavily favored visitors a victory at Martin in 2009.
4. L. A. Coliseum, USC - The Trojans enjoy support of the masses...as long as they are winning. Coach Carroll has too much young talent to be in danger of many losses at home. But those fans are a long way from the field of play, and despite their efforts, not all that intimidating. The football team is another story. One has only to recall a vastly over-matched Stanford team that stole a victory from #1 USC a couple of years back to understand why the L. A. Coliseum doesn't get a higher ranking for 2009.
5. Arizona Stadium, Arizona - Great fans and a team that has steadily improved over the past five years make the trip to Tucson a tough one for visitors. The temperature in the desert can be oppressive, even in October. The combination of zealous Wildcat supporters, a stifling defense coupled with a punishing running game will deny victory repeatedly to visitors this coming season.
6. Memorial Stadium, California - Visitors will enter Strawberry Canyon at their own risk. Here's a college football stadium that is packed in good times and bad times for Bear football. Not only are the stands crammed to capacity game after game, there's throngs that overflow onto Tightwad Hill. The only reason the home turf for Cal doesn't rank higher is the propensity of Coach Tedford's teams to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
7. Stanford Stadium, Stanford - If you find bizarre to be an endearing quality, there is a certain charm to playing a game in Palo Alto. The Stanford Band is...well, let's move on. The team mascot is a tree. That doesn't help much. The stadium is state-of-the-art comparing favorably with any NFL facility. Nice, but not much of an edge. The fans are...distracted by the football game. That said, as this season unfolds, there will be thousands jumping on the Cardinal bandwagon for a fun ride. Coach Harbaugh has a roster loaded with potential that is ready to produce winning football. That is a factor which shouldn't be overlooked.
8. Sun Devil Stadium, Arizona State - A home game for ASU fans in Tempe means moving the party from dorm rooms to the football stadium. When the Sun Devils are up, so are their fans. The sheer numbers make them a factor. Then there's the distraction of those scantily clad ASU fans. But the combination of Coach Erickson, who used to be an NFL coach, and Sun Devil Stadium that used to be an NFL site isn't enough to intimidate Pac-10 opponents this coming season. But there will be plenty of partying after the game.
9. Husky Stadium, Washington - Big surprise here is that yours truly didn't rank this home field #10. No question that Husky fans are some of the most loyal and insanely vocal supporters in the country. Playing the UDubb in Seattle late on the schedule can be like a visit to a dentist who doesn't believe in the need for Novocaine. This is the first season for Coach Sark as the head man for UW football. His program can only improve over a winless 2008, but not by much.
10. Rose Bowl, UCLA - There isn't a more beautiful setting for a college football game in the nation. That's where the Bruin edge begins and ends this year. Bruin fans are as loyal as a golden retriever. They love everybody, with one caveat. They love everybody who wins.  In fact, winning isn't even enough to maintain a bond with UCLA teams. Lose and you're no longer worthy of their affection. UCLA holds the NCAA record for firing more head coaches with winning records than any other member institution. When WSU defeated the Bruins at the Rose Bowl in 1997 to clinch a Pac-10 title, by the end of the third quarter Coug fans outnumbered Bruin fans on their own turf! Too bad. Departed Bruin fans missed out on the UCLA band playing an emotional rendition of the alma mater anthem while Coug fans were going wild in the stands.

Let the debate rage on.

One thing that we can all agree on is just how special college football is. There's nothing like it in all of sports, amateur or professional.

Is it August yet?

Originally published on Examiner.com

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