Though the current Trojans have never played in Ohio Stadium, they're preparing for what they'll hear -- and consequently won't hear -- come Saturday night in Columbus. During practices this week, four high-powered speakers are ringing the field and blasting artificial crowd noise at a stunning 130 decibels, roughly the same level as a jet engine and referred to as the "threshold of pain." That's louder than a fireworks display and just slightly softer than gunfire.
The noise level at Ohio Stadium is expected to max out at 120 decibels.
Playing at a loud stadium isn't anything new for the Trojans. In USC's 2007 game at Oregon's Autzen Stadium, a decibel level of 127.2 was recorded, which has been widely accepted as the all-time record for noise intensity at a college football game.
Speakers such as this one are surrounding Howard Jones Field this week as the Trojans prepare for the noise they'll be hearing in Ohio Stadium on Saturday.
