College Football 2011: Each Conference's Toughest Place To Play

Home-field advantage.

We hear about it constantly in every sport.

It's the benefit derived by the home team from playing in a venue they feel utterly comfortable in and are extremely familiar with.

Some teams seem to take advantage more than others, however, and those teams are the ones that this list hones in on.

Some storied stadiums lie within this slideshow, some you have probably never heard of, but each one lends a distinct advantage to its team.

Please bear in mind, this is not a list of the toughest stadiums in college football, but of the No. 1 toughest place to visit within each conference.

And so, without further ado, read on and journey across the country to each bastion of home-field greatness...

MWC: Bronco Stadium

Boise State is moving to the MWC in 2011, and as a result, they take the top spot as toughest place to play in the conference.

Forget the talent on the field, the screaming of the raucous thousands...just the blue field is intimidating and confusing enough to bother most teams that visit.

The one knock on the "Smurf Turf" is that BSU has only been an underdog on that turf 10 times since 2000 and lost both tilts...

Home Record Since 2000: 63-2

Capacity: 33,500

MAC: Brigham Field

Northern Illinois has been very tough to beat at home in recent years.

While Brigham field may not have the tradition or intimidating aura of larger, more recognizable stadiums, opponents have found it is not an easy place to take a road trip.

Home Record Since 2006: 19-11 (remove a brutal 1-5 2007, and this record is 18-6)

Capacity: 31,000

WAC: Mackay Stadium

Colin Kaepernick is gone.

But that won't stop Wolf Pack fans from being insanely supportive of their team.

The recitation of Rudyard Kipling's The Law of the Jungle is a great tradition, and the end-zone bleachers filled with extremely hyped up fans can be intimidating for any opposing team.

Home Record Since 2002: 41-14

Capacity: 30,000

Big Ten: Beaver Stadium

The home of the Nittany Lions of Penn State is absolutely rockin' on game night, and if the Lions played every game in the evening, this stadium would be tops on the list of toughest stadiums to visit in the entire country.

As it is, the nights when the fans "Whiteout" are absolutely crazy, and leave one incredulous at the literal throng of supporters the Nittany Lions can muster.

Home Record Since 2000: 58-19

Capacity: 107,282

Sun Belt: Veteran's Memorial Stadium

The Trojans have enjoyed great success within the Sun Belt conference over the past few years, and this success has been due to a great home-field advantage.

Part of this may be due to the mental toughness required for the players to complete the "Trojan Walk."

While most schools have their team do some sort of "walk" to allow fans to get nearer to the players, the Trojans take it to a whole new level.

Yeah, they wear bowties during their walk...it works.

Home Record Since 2006: 22-3

Capacity: 30,000

SEC: Tiger Stadium

Death Valley.

That's pretty much all you have to say.

The home of the Bayou Bengals is a tough nut to crack for the opposition and features one of the most raucous crowds that can be found in the country.

As a matter of fact, in 1988, the Tigers scored a touchdown late in the game that beat Auburn, 7-6.

The resulting roar was so loud that the earth shook and it registered as a small earthquake on the Richter Scale.

Check out this video (there are longer ones on YouTube).

Home Record Since 2000: 67-11

Capacity: 92,400

Big 12: Gaylord Memorial Oklahoma Stadium

This video courtesy of YouTube

The Oklahoma Sooners are tough at home.

While Kyle Field and its famous "12th man" are tough to beat, the Sooners have one of the best home-field advantages in the country, not just the Big 12.

Home Record Since 2000: 67-2

Capacity: 82,112

Big East: Mountaineer Field

Who needs great traditions or trendy new anthems when you have good, old fashioned hatred of the opposition?

Mountaineer fans are notoriously vitriolic in their absolutely insane hatred of opposing teams, especially rivals.

This hatred, fueled by long hours of tailgating, leads to such an intense atmosphere that it's surprising more instances like Marcus Vick's salute don't happen here more often.

Home Record Since 2000: 56-16

Capacity: 60,000

Independents: Notre Dame Stadium

Even though the Irish have not exactly been world-beaters the last few years, that does not diminish the tradition and grandeur that is their home field.

With "Touchdown Jesus" looming large and the ghosts of past legends echoing from its venerable walls, Notre Dame stadium is a mecca for the college football enthusiast.

It's also the the toughest place to play an Independent.

The nearness of the myriad screaming Irish fans and the fact that their own band sits basically on top of opposing teams only adds to the level of difficulty.

Home Record Since 2000: 39-24

Capacity: 80,795

C-USA: Bagwell Field

East Carolina is fast becoming a very solid program out of C-USA, and while the years prior to 2006 where somewhat brutal, the last five years have been very successful for the Pirates, particularly at home.

Bagwell Field is a sea of purple on game day, and school traditions like "No quarter" and "The Jolly Roger" add to the feel of an advantage for the home team.

Add a cannon being fired before every game, and we have the toughest place to play in C-USA.

Home Record Since 2006: 23-8

Capacity: 50,000

ACC: Lane Stadium

This video courtesy of YouTube

The Virginia Tech Hokies have created one of the newer and yet more memorable experiences in college football.

As they storm the field to begin the game, the entire stadium reverberates to the sound of Metallica's Enter Sandman, and the fans absolutely lose their minds.

While the entrance is pretty cool, Tech's recent play on the field has been extremely hot.

Home Record Since 2000: 63-11

Capacity: 66,233

Pac-12: Autzen Stadium

For a stadium that only seats 54,000 people, the home of the Oregon Ducks sure seems much louder.

The Ducks are currently in the middle of a 16-game winning streak at home and have chalked up six of those victories over ranked teams.

The speed of the Oregon offense seems to feed off of the energy of the frenzied crowd, and this little stadium with half the capacity of other famous stadiums sits alone atop the Pac-12 as the toughest place to play.

Home Record Since 2000: 57-13

Capacity: 54,000