Anonymous Player Survey: Toughest Place to Play

It’s that time of year again: The Big 12 anonymous player survey is back.

I talked with nearly 30 players in Frisco to get candid responses on everything from who they think will win the league, to the toughest place to play, the best quarterback, wild portal offers, and more.

We’re kicking things off with one category that had a runaway winner.

There was a clear favorite this year for the toughest place to play in the Big 12.

And the winner is…

LaVell Edwards Stadium (BYU)

Here’s how the voting shook out:

• LaVell Edwards Stadium (BYU) – 13

• Boone Pickens Stadium (Oklahoma State) – 5

• Rice-Eccles Stadium (Utah) – 3

• Jones AT&T Stadium (Texas Tech) – 3

• Amon G. Carter Stadium (TCU) – 2

• Jack Trice Stadium (Iowa State) – 1

• Mountain America Stadium (Arizona State) – 1

• Folsom Field (Colorado) – 1

• Bill Snyder Family Stadium (K-State) – 1
  

This marks a wild one-year turnaround for LaVell Edwards Stadium. Last year? Just one vote.

Clearly, another season of Big 12 teams making the trip to Provo, especially during one of BYU’s best seasons in recent memory, left a lasting impression.

For comparison: Boone Pickens Stadium won the category last year with only four votes. That should give you some context on just how impressive 13 is for LaVell Edwards.

What the Players Said

“I ain't going to lie. BYU. That crowd and that whole environment was something crazy, honestly. That was pretty cool to see. It’s a crazy place to play.”

“BYU at night. That damn cougar. His ass…look, he had the damn stadium rocking. I promise you. That was the loudest crowd I've ever played against by far.” 

“(BYU’s) student section was full before we even walked in, so it's a good thing they're not right behind your bench.” 

“BYU’s atmosphere is crazy for sure. Their fans. They're right there. They're ruthless.”

“(BYU) fans don’t shut up.”

“The fans are right up on you at Oklahoma State”

“They have the paddle people at Oklahoma State. It gets pretty loud out there.”

“Our coach got pretty frustrated in the game against Oklahoma State. I remember he said some not-too-kind words, and a fan said, 'Do you talk to your mother with that mouth? You need to go to timeout.’ And we thought that was pretty funny.”

“Utah. Yeah, that place was…it was loud. It was so fun.”

“Utah has a really good fan base. They really pop out, and they're not very mean either. They just really love their team.”

“Texas Tech was up there just with the fans and the humidity.”

“We respect the Texas Tech environment. I don’t know if it was necessarily rattling, but I definitely loved the environment and their whole tradition.”

“Iowa State was decent. The field conditions were tough, and I would say they stadium was really loud for it to be just like a two-sided stadium. It was loud like it was in a trap in there.”

“I would say TCU because the fans get a little rowdy and a little bit un-Christian with their trash talk. They started talking about my parents' names.”

“Hecklers at TCU. They just want to get a rise out of you, and sometimes they get you. I don't even think I can repeat the things they say on camera. That’s how bad it gets.”

“I just feel like the fans are right there at K-State. They're very loud, very lit.”

What You Need to Know

• Former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff could be staying in the Big 12. Utah radio host Ben Criddle reports that Oklahoma State is one of the schools interested. 

• I have also heard one other Big 12 school mentioned as a potential landing spot for Retzlaff. Check out my latest live stream to find out who. 

• ESPN’s Bill Connelly released his Big 12 preview, and his S&P+ model picked the same champion as the unofficial media and coaches polls. 

• Who is the best quarterback in the Big 12? Here’s how CBS Sports ranks them from 1 through 16.  

• 365 Sports did an outstanding interview with Texas Tech megabooster Cody Campbell. He says the SEC and Big Ten shouldn’t feel threatened by him because he can help everybody make more money and save non-revenue sports.

• Does the Big 12 get enough respect on ESPN? I got to ask that question to one of ESPN’s main college football voices in this interview from Big 12 media days. 

• Ready for some peak July college football content? Here is a list of Big 12 coaches ranked by who would win in a fight.

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