Top 5 College Football Stadiums
Aerial view of Ohio Stadium during a Ohio State vs. Penn State football game in 2010 (Photo: Karl Kuntz).
Have you ever wondered where your home college football stadium ranks in the rest of the NCAA? Stadiums play an important role within college football. Size, environment, location, and more, are all factors that determine whether a team has a crucial home field advantage or not. Even more importantly, the environment for the fans is always an important detail. So here are the current top 5 best College Football stadiums.
#5 Neyland Stadium (Tennessee)
The home of the Tennessee Volunteers ranks at number five to start off the list. The stadium has a maximum capacity of 101,915, which is pretty solid for a college football stadium. The stadium in Rocky Top is a classic bowl like structure with not much height for how much the stadium accommodates. This field is known for their classic checkered pattern within the stands of attendees wearing white and orange. Tennessee fans can do more than just wear the right color, they get loud too. Neyland Stadium is the current record holder for the loudest environment during a college football game. Peak noise was recorded at a wapping 137 decibels during the 2023 game against #1 Georgia. Unfortunately, the Volunteers didn’t hold their ground and lost 38 to 10.
#4 The Big House (Michigan)
The home of the cheating Wolverines happens to be the largest stadium in the country, capacity wise. The stadium holds 107,601 people but it's rare to see the whole stadium actually filled. Many fans also complain of poor seating and visibility within the stadium itself. For so many people, the stadium lacks noise as well. Their loudest recorded game was in 2016 and measured at just 110 decibels. This game was against The Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan took a strong beating throughout the game and lost. The stadium’s capacity is what truly puts them on this list, nothing else.
#3 Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin)
Built in 1917, Camp Randall Stadium still holds its same relevance as it did over one hundred years ago. The stadium holds a maximum capacity of 80,321. Although the structure lacks capacity, the shape of the stadium is ideal for viewers anywhere in the stadium. Its classic elongated bowl design allows for its fans to fully be engulfed by the stadium's environment. The Wisconsin Badgers also perform a tradition every home game that has become an icon of college football. At the end of the third quarter, fans start jumping along to the song Jump Around by House of Pain. This makes for an environment like no other when all 80,000 attendees participate in this tradition that started in the late 90’s.
#2 The Horseshoe (The Ohio State University)
The home of The Ohio State Buckeyes, the “Shoe”, ranks at number two for many reasons. First, the basics. The stadium holds over 100,000 fans in a horseshoe-like structure. When it was originally constructed, the south end of the stadium was completely open and exposed to all of the west campus. But now, the south side of the stadium has been enclosed and forms Block O, which is where the massive university puts its students. This stadium gets loud. Ohio State is known as a field where competitors have struggled to hear their own play calls due to the immense noise, and it's not just for the first quarter. Compassionate fans will stay for the whole game and not let their yelling depreciate. Many say that the stadium and its buckeye fans play a key role in the Football programs legendary success and domination within the NCAA.
#1 Beaver Stadium (Penn State)
Last but not least is Beaver Stadium, home of Penn State Lions. This stadium is huge and well shaped unlike some stadiums up north that lack the shape aspect. Beaver Stadium is the second largest stadium in the NCAA, just barely in front of Ohio State, and holds 106,000 fans. By far one of the most known traditions in college football is the Penn State White Out. This is when the whole stadium is completely full of fans wearing white for just one home game a year. The combination of the color washed stans and Mo Bamba by Shack Wes, triggers absolute chaos with fans who get wildly hyped and creates an ecstatic environment.