Not many traditions in college football top that of Clemson's run down the hill after touching Howard's Rock. Seeing Dabo Swinney sprint onto the field after leading the Tigers down the hill is one of the most electric traditions in the nation.
The crowd feeds off that energy, making Memorial Stadium one of the scariest environments in the country.
USA Today agrees.
According to a ranking done by USA Today, Clemson has the fifth most unfriendly stadium in college football. That seems about right for one of the best venues in the country.
Here's what Paul Myerberg and Blake Toppmeyer of USA Today had to say about Memorial Stadium:
"To some, this is the "other" Death Valley. That's way underselling how Memorial Stadium can wobble the knees of any visiting opponent. Clemson recently had a 40-game home winning streak, the longest in ACC history, before it was snapped late in the 2022 season. The program also has a memorable tradition of running down The Hill toward the field and rubbing Howard's Rock to gain "the mystical powers it is supposed to give Clemson players," the school says."Paul Myerberg, Blake Toppmeyer
It's pretty clear that everyone views Memorial Stadium as a tough place to play and if it's under the lights, there's not a single program in the country that will want to make that trip down to Clemson, S.C., on a Saturday night. Nobody wants to play the Tigers under the lights.
But which stadiums rank just ahead of Death Valley?
Unfortunately, LSU's Tiger Stadium comes in at No. 1. Brian Kelly has bragging rights according to these rankings, but that could all change on Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Penn State's Beaver Stadium rightfully comes in at No. 2 (no one wants to see that White Out crowd), Ohio State's Ohio Stadium is No. 3, and Oregon's Autzen Stadium is fourth on the list. It's hard to argue that Memorial Stadium should be ahead of any of the others, but I'd say it should be slotted just ahead of Autzen.
I can tell you one thing: no one will want to play in Death Valley this fall.