Notre Dame football is synonous with winning at a high level, but how much of a home field advantage do the Fighting Irish really have when they play in South Bend?EA Sports released its top 25 "Toughest Places to Play" for the College Football '27 video game, and Notre Dame Stadium checked in 20th overall in the rankings.For reference, Iowa's Kinnick Stadium checked in one spot ahead of Notre Dame Stadium, while Doak S. Campbell Stadium at Florida State came in one spot behind.Notre Dame Stadium Recent ResultsAfter falling to Georgia in the final minutes early in the 2017 season, Notre Dame didn't lose a home game again until falling to Cincinnati in 2021.That stretch was a 26-game home winning streak, including wins over the likes of No. 14 Michigan and No. 7 Stanford in 2018, and No. 1 Clemson in 2020.Since then, though, Notre Dame hasn't had a single unbeaten season on its own home field.Texas A&M beat Notre Dame 41-40 in a major ranked non-conference showdown early in the season last year.This matchup means absolutely nothing in a 24-team format.10-2 Notre Dame is comfortably in anyway and the devastating 1-point home loss to Texas A&M is forgotten. pic.twitter.com/pyECm1iWvz— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) May 12, 20262022 started with a home loss to Marshall.2023 saw Ohio State steal a victory in Notre Dame Stadium in the final seconds of the game.2024 of course had the mind-numbing loss to Northern Illinois.And 2025 saw Texas A&M steal a victory over the Irish in the final seconds of the contest.Notre Dame's Ranking - Fair or Unfair?Notre Dame Stadium checking in at No. 20 might seem a bit low on first thought, but its resume hasn't screamed of an incredibly difficult place to play in recent years.While there are plenty of big wins on its resume, Notre Dame simply hasn't put together an unbeaten home season since Marcus Freeman was named head coach. Going undefeated each year isn't a fair expectation, but three of its four losses in that time have come as a favorite - with the Marshall and Northern Illinois games being sizeable favorites.Being electric for a big game hardly makes a stadium unique. If you look across college football, pretty much everywhere can offer that experience for a big game.It's the not-so-big games that count just the same, though, and that's where Notre Dame Stadium falls short.We've seen for years that Notre Dame Stadium can come off as a sleepy environment, specifically in the 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff slot.That's when losses to Marshall and Northern Illinois both took place, and it's been discussed by fans and former players alike for years.Nick Shepkowski's Quick TakeawayAs a whole, I don't have a problem with Notre Dame Stadium being ranked 20th overall. I guess what I have a problem with one stadium in particular that is rated somewhat significantly ahead of Notre Dame Stadium.Auburn - Jordan-Hare StadiumI get it, when Alabama or a powerhouse SEC program is in town, that place is rocking. However, it sort of has the Notre Dame Stadium thing going against it. What happens when it's not as massive of a game? Like Notre Dame, Auburn has been on the wrong end of several (more, actually) of these type of games in recent years.Yet, Auburn is rated as the 14th most difficult place to play nationally. That I can't get behind.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow