Loud or just large? Ohio Stadium's atmosphere back on trial as Texas comes to the 'Shoe

The surprised look on Bijan Robinson's face said it all.

The Falcons Pro Bowl running back and former Texas Longhorns standout was asked if he proscribed to the narrative that Ohio Stadium -- site of this weekend's monster clash between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State -- isn't as loud as other stadiums in college football. 

While he never played there himself, Robinson has technically been there, seeing the Buckeyes on an official visit in June of 2019, months before committing to Texas over the Buckeyes and others vying for his signature. Frankly, we were on the horn with him for other optics, but we figured he may be a candidate to chime in given his brief connection with the Buckeyes. 

"I haven't heard that," Robinson said. "I thought Ohio State has one of the loudest stadiums, just because, like, it's Ohio State. You know, there's over 100,000 fans in the stadium, just like us. So if that's the case, that'd be great for us." 

Ohio Stadium, which has a capacity of nearly 103,000 that makes it one of college football's largest stadiums, is not considered to be on the short list of "loud" stadiums. This is something worth considering this weekend when sizing up Texas vs. Ohio State (-2.5), which kicks off at Noon ET on FOX. Ohio Stadium's hostility -- or lack thereof -- towards the opposition was a major narrative entering Ohio State's game against visiting Tennessee in the first round of last year's College Football Playoffs. 

"The Shoe isn't as loud as the SEC," Tennessee safety and Ohio State transfer Andre Turrentine said prior to the game. "It's a different animal here. Whether you're at South Carolina at nighttime or whether you're at Arkansas at nighttime, whether you're at Neyland (Stadium) at nighttime, or the daytime for that matter, it's loud here. I would (say) it's deafening."

Tennessee fans brought an orange crush to Ohio (and may have been even louder to start the game than the Buckeye fans despite a numbers disadvantage), but all who entered Ohio Stadium that night saw Buckeyes roll to a 42-17 win over the Volunteers en route to winning the school's ninth national title. 

It was a huge win. But it was probably a result of a superior roster and coaching staff, which we saw play out over Ohio State's next three CFP wins. 

Sure, the 'Shoe still has the ability to reach a frenzied pitch, like when Curtis Samuels' game-winning touchdown vs. Michigan in 2016 registered a 5.79 "FanQuake" on the school's Richter-like scale. But it does does not crack the top-10 of the loudest stadiums in college football history in terms of highest decibel level recorded.

Here are a few reasons why the Horseshoe is not bone-shaking loud

• Ohio State is located in Columbus, Ohio and not in the middle of a genuine college football town like Baton Rouge, "Happy Valley," Tuscaloosa, Gainesville, Knoxville, Eugene, etc. While Columbus natives love their Buckeyes, the atmosphere inside Ohio Stadium on game days is more of a professional sports atmosphere and less of a collegiate one. 
• Ohio Stadium doesn't help itself from an architectural standpoint. Unlike other big college stadiums, Ohio State has two openings (hence the nickname "The Horseshoe") that undoubtedly sucks some of the noise out of the stadium. The stadium's upper deck also jets out, which also doesn't help in terms of noise level. 
• Ohio State students only account for roughly 25-30% of the fans on a given game. While "Block O" represents the student section, it only consists a few thousand students located on the north and south stands. 
• Last year, the cheapest ticket for the Iowa game was face valued at $95. Nose bleeds for the Michigan game could be had for $200 face value (again, that's face value). Ticket prices may not stop fans from going to games, but it does alter the game day environment if a richer, likely older, crowd is taking the majority of the seats compared to an experience you'd see in a college town. 
• The elephant in the room: Most of their marquee kickoffs come at noon now with FOX's Big Noon package. Hard-partying fans are still shaking off the cobwebs and have had little time to build up any liquid courage. A state legislator has proposed a bill to curb the early kickoffs.

Ohio State is the most successful program in college football history in terms of winning percentage (.735). Its last three coaches -- Jim Tressel, Urban Meyer and Ryan Day -- have a combined 86.3% winning percentage in addition to three national championships. In short, Ohio State rarely loses, which has created an unrealistic expectation level among many of its fans that anything short of perfection is unacceptable. That mindset undoubtedly carries over to the game day experience. 

And when those rare losses do happen? Dating back to the John Cooper era in the 1990s, some of the Buckeyes' most gut-wrenching defeats have come on their turf. Chalk it up as another reason the 'Shoe gets a bad rap. 

Notable Ohio State home losses since 1996 

As someone who graduated from Ohio State, I can vouch that Ohio Stadium has been and still has the potential to be among college football's loudest stadiums. I was a sophomore when Ohio State and Texas battled in the 'Shoe on primetime in what was an instant classic as Vince Young & Co. began their national championship campaign. I was a junior when Ohio State and arch rival Michigan dueled in "The Game of the Century." I was stationed just behind Ohio State's band in the south end zone in 2018 when Ohio State put up 62 points against Michigan in Meyer's final home game as the Buckeyes' coach. Each of those games included noisy environments from Ohio State's crowd that undoubtedly aided the home team. 

Consistency is the biggest issue. Buckeye fans tend to focus too much of their energy on booing the home team (specifically the offense) if things don't go well, especially early. That usually leads to silence/indifference if the team can't get them back into the game via a big play. That's why, if Ohio State's offense doesn't get off to a good start on Saturday, that could really play into the hands of Texas and specifically quarterback Arch Manning, who is making his first road start. 

Conversely, Ohio Stadium is an entirely different animal if things go well early. If the Buckeyes can get their crowd into the game early, it usually leads to an engaged and loud environment throughout, or at least until the outcome has been decided. That was the case last December, when Ohio State rolled out to a 21-0 first quarter lead against Tennessee. 

It's worth noting that Ohio State's win over Tennessee was a night game, which is something that Texas made sure to avoid when Ohio State proposed moving Saturday's game to Sunday night. Rest assured that Day is hoping that Ohio State fans keep that in mind when the ball is kicked off Saturday at high noon. 

Saturday is a chance for the Buckeyes to show that they are still the nation's best team. The game is also a chance for Ohio State's fans to prove something, too. 

"We need everyone to do their job on Saturday," Day said Tuesday. "And that includes the fans. I mentioned this before. I know it's a noon game, but we need everybody in that stadium early. We need them loud. You think back on the Indiana game when Indiana had to go to a silent cadence and they couldn't clap anymore. That was a huge deal for our defense. 

"And it's going to be the same way on Saturday if the fans are in there early and they're loud when they have the ball. Not when we have the ball. When we have the ball, they can be quiet. But when they have the ball, we need them as loud as they possibly can to make this the most hostile environment in the country. And we all know it is. So we need everyone to do their job." 

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