We have reached the 105 day countdown mark until Penn State kicks off the 2008 football season against Coastal Carolina. And to commemorate, we will be running the Toughest Venues series for the next 11 days.

NittanyWhiteOut.com has compiled and ranked the toughest venues to play at in the Big Ten. There are a few basic ground rules:

• The data compiled is only based on the last 5 seasons (2007-2003).
• The win/loss factor is only one part of a much larger equation. Like the BCS, we are highly subjective and oftentimes make no numerical sense, but we will try our best to make our case.
• Neutral site games, and bowl games are not included. Though neutral site games can fall into the away column, does an Illinois game in Missouri, or a Wisconsin game in Green Bay really count as an away game? Bowl games are excluded because of the prolonged time available to teams to prepare for these games.

Before we begin with our easiest Big Ten venue, below is a table of data we collected that aided us in making our decision. But as I mentioned above, not everything is based on the win/loss numbers.

The overall ranking will be based upon points awarded in 5 categories. The points will be based out of 11 with 11 being the highest, and 1 the lowest.

ATTENDANCE:

It is no coincidence that the 4 most successful Big Ten programs over the last half-decade is also the ones with the highest attendance. But then we have to ask, is the football team good because of the number of fans in the stands or are the number of fans in the stands the result of the football team doing well? We believe it is the former because even during the waning years of some football programs, the fans continue to flock to the stadiums making their presence known. And you simply can’t talk about the Big Ten conference and ignore the fact that as a conference we are a mainstay in the top 25 most attended stadiums in the nation. 3 of the 5 largest stadiums belong to the Big Ten with Michigan carrying the banner for the largest stadium in the nation.

TRADITION/HISTORY:

How is it that a team down in the fourth suddenly get the lift to march down the field on its very last play when it was unable to do so for the previous 3 quarters? You can’t deny the influence a Jesus mural on the exterior of the library, or the words of a legendary coach, or the simply aura that surrounds some of the venues in the Big Ten has on the home team.

FANS:

This is the big one. With passion running rampant in the Big Ten. Who exactly has the best fans in the conference? From Jump Around at Wisconsin, to the White Out at Penn State, students have definitely made their mark and changed the culture of college football in the Big Ten. This category will most surely be the most criticized one, but it isn’t hard to pinpoint the most intimidating fans in the Big Ten.

VENUE:

The fans can hoot and holler as loud as they want, but if the venue is simply not built to hold noise, it barely makes a difference. Then there are those stadiums that are built to intimidate. Even with less fans, they can amplify a crowd of hundreds into one of thousands.

WIN/LOSS RECORD:

The home win/loss record is indicative of how well a team plays at home, but we have also added the record against ranked teams in each particular venue. Some venues can be defined as simply a graveyard for ranked teams, while others are highly successful against all other competition except ranked opponents.

So without further ado we begin with the easiest venue in the Big Ten…

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