Lavell Edwards Stadium can get quite loud when the Cougars are on defense. This could impact the opposing team if BYU hosts a College Football Playoff Game.
There is no doubt that BYU fans are loud. Time and time again, the home crowd makes the opponents false start, delays the game, and commits other costly mistakes. BYU is known to have one of the toughest places to play in College Football, and it’s because of a couple of different things.
The stadium itself is 4,649 feet above sea level, making it the eighth-highest FBS stadium. The altitude does take a toll on opponents, making breathing harder and making players more fatigued as the game goes on. Mix that with the frigid Utah air late in the season, and the Cougars are a hard team to beat at home.
The loud crowd is the real issue teams run into at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Teams cannot communicate as well offensively and this causes miscommunications, timing errors, and early movement. Additionally, teams are intimidated and don’t think straight.
How will this affect a playoff opponent?
Opponents already have a difficult time playing in Provo during the regular season, but if there is a National Championship at stake, the crowd will be louder and more passionate, making it even harder for teams to play.
BYU’s student section, the mighty ROC (roar of the Cougars) is always fired up. Given the win-or-go-home nature of the playoffs, the students will be trying everything they can to distract the opponents. The ROC is well known for being boisterous and they will want to make it as hard as humanly possible for the opponent.
Given that the next closest elevation in the current College Football Playoff Rankings is Boise at an elevation of 2,700 feet (Boise State), the rest of the field may not be used to playing at such a high elevation, making it difficult to perform well on the road. Add in the crowd noise and the visitors will have a hard time at Lavell Edwards Stadium.
