Kyle Field ranks surprisingly low on The Athletic's list of top stadiums

When it comes to college football, there's nothing like a good ranking to bicker over. The Athletic's most recent product has just provided more fodder for such bickering, as the writers have decided to put together a ranking of the best college football stadiums in America— and Kyle Field has ranked surprisingly low on the list.

You can view the entire list here in the article they just put out, but I think most Aggie fans will raise an eyebrow at the fact that the Home of the 12th Man came in all the way down at 8th overall. That's behind places like Notre Dame Stadium, Penn State's Beaver Stadium, and Washington's Husky Stadium.

There are some that Aggie fans would expect to be atop the list, like Death Valley, The Horseshoe, and the Big House. Even if some are debatable, you can forgive them being ranked above Kyle Field at times— but there are some of these that don't make any sense to have above the home of the Aggies.

Kyle Field's ranking is way too low on The Athletic's list of top college football stadiums

The criteria matter, of course, and the article itself is clear on that issue: "what makes venues most memorable are the atmospheres and vibes they facilitate..."

In that vein, it's hard to know just why some of these stadiums that ranked above Kyle Field are there. Notre Dame in particular is a strange one: the Aggie faithful who visited there earlier this year were overflowing with praise about the campus and scenery, but the stadium itself and the game atmosphere, according to those in attendance, were nothing special in the slightest.

Beaver Stadium can get loud and everyone loves the white out, but is it really better in that aspect than Kyle Field? The Aggies have certainly gotten more big wins at home over the last few years than Penn State has. There's an argument to be made for Neyland as well, but I don't begrudge them being slightly above.

Husky Stadium is positively gorgeous and pretty unique in the scenery, but as an environment, it's not exactly one of the most intimidating in the country. If the criteria were different, I'd be less puzzled here, but that's not the case.

Kyle Field is one of the loudest and most unique atmospheres in the entire country. Even though top eight is nice for this list, it deserves a little more respect.