What are the biggest college football stadiums?
As college football continues to surge in popularity, it's not uncommon to see more than 100,000 fans pack a stadium.
In 2016, an NCAA-record 156,990 fans attended the "Battle at Bristol," a neutral-site game between Tennessee and Virginia Tech at the Bristol Motor Speedway (Tennessee won 45-24). There are eight college football stadiums that can hold 100,000-plus fans.
Let's look at the 10 biggest college football stadiums in the country by capacity.
10. Rose Bowl Stadium | UCLA Bruins | 91,136
The Rose Bowl Stadium was built in 1922 and the first game was played in 1923. It has been home to five Super Bowls, 29 NCAA national championship games, two FIFA World Cup Finals, and many other events. The Rose Bowl Stadium holds the record for the largest attendance at a college football bowl game, as 106,869 fans attended the 1973 Rose Bowl to watch USC defeat Ohio State 42-17. However, the stadium lowered its capacity following the 1998 Rose Bowl.
9. Sanford Stadium | Georgia Bulldogs | 92,746
Sanford Stadium is the Bulldogs' on-campus stadium that opened in 1929. This field is surrounded by privet hedges, which have been there since the stadium opened. Charlie Martin, the business manager of Georgia's athletic department, came up with the idea to add hedges after being inspired by the hedges of roses while attending the 1926 Rose Bowl. In 2019, the stadium was dedicated to the late coach and athletic director Vince Dooley, so it's now known as Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium.
8. Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium | Texas Longhorns | 100,119
This stadium is on the University of Texas campus and it has been the Longhorns' home since it opened in 1924. The Longhorns' home-field advantage is real, as they have won more than 75% of their games at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. While the capacity is currently 100,119, they sometimes add overflow standing room sections for big games. The attendance record at DKR was set in 2022, when 105,213 fans showed up for Texas-Alabama.
7. Bryant-Denny Stadium | Alabama Crimson Tide | 101,821
Bryant-Denny Stadium opened in 1929. The stadium honors George H. Denny, Alabama's president from 1912 to 1932, and coach Bear Bryant, who led the Crimson Tide to six national championships. Alabama is 297-55-3 (.837) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. During the Nick Saban era, its home win percentage is .921. The attendance record at Bryant-Denny Stadium is 101,821, which was set when Alabama defeated Ole Miss 23-10 in 2010.
6. Neyland Stadium | Tennessee Volunteers | 101,915
Neyland Stadium is located on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville. The stadium opened in 1921 and it was named after Robert Neyland, who spent 21 years as Tennessee's head coach and led the Volunteers to four national championships. The Volunteers are 482-139-17 at Neyland Stadium, and they have gone undefeated at home in 37 seasons. Neyland Stadium's largest crowd was 109,061, when Tennessee beat Florida 30-28 in 2004.
5. Tiger Stadium | LSU Tigers | 102,321
Tiger Stadium opened on LSU's campus in 1924. ESPN once surveyed coaches who described Tiger Stadium as "by far, the loudest stadium in the country" and "the scariest place to play." LSU lists its all-time record at Tiger Stadium as 451-156-18. Since 2000, LSU is 141-24 at Tiger Stadium (including 34 wins over top-25 teams). ESPN writer Wright Thompson has described Tiger Stadium as "the best place in the world to watch a sporting event." Tiger Stadium set its attendance record 16 times, most recently on Nov. 11 2023, vs. Florida.
4. Kyle Field | Texas A&M Aggies | 102,733
Kyle Field has been home of the Texas A&M Aggies since 1905 when Edwin Jackson Kyle, a Texas A&M graduate and professor of horticulture, was denied funds to build a field so he fenced off a section of campus that was assigned to him for agriculture use. The school later approved the field, and built a stadium at this location in 1927. In addition to being the fourth-largest stadium in college football, it's also the fourth-largest stadium in the United States. Kyle Field set its attendance record in 2014 when 110,633 fans watched Texas A&M-Ole Miss. The Aggies had a .917 winning percentage at Kyle Field during the 1990s, including a 31-game winning streak from 1990 to 1995 and a 22-game winning streak from 1996 to 2000.
3. Ohio Stadium | Ohio State Buckeyes | 102,780
Ohio Stadium has many nicknames including "The Horseshoe," "The Shoe" and "The House That Harley Built." The stadium opened in 1922 and there have been many renovations and expansions to increase the seating capacity. Ohio Stadium had its largest crowd in 2016, when 110,045 fans were in attendance to watch No. 2 Ohio State defeat No. 3 Michigan 30-27 in a double-overtime thriller. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. once ranked Ohio Stadium as the second-best atmosphere in all of college football (behind only the atmosphere at an Army-Navy game). "As Beano Cook says, 'There is nothing that beats when the Ohio State Marching Band and the sousaphone player dots the 'i' for Script Ohio,'" Kiper wrote.
2. Beaver Stadium | Penn State Nittany Lions | 106,572
Beaver Stadium is the second-largest college football stadium and the fourth-largest stadium in the world. It was built in 1960 and the Nittany Lions have played there since. It was named after James A. Beaver, the governor of Pennsylvania and president of the university's board of trustees. In 2019, USA Today polled hundreds of thousands of fans to determine the best stadium in the United States, and Beaver Stadium was the winner. In 2018, Beaver Stadium set its attendance record when 110,889 fans watchedPenn State-Ohio State.
1. Michigan Stadium | Michigan Wolverines | 107,601
Michigan not only has the most wins in college football history, it also has the largest stadium. Michigan Stadium (or "The Big House") is actually the third-largest stadium in the world. While the official capacity is 107,601, it has hosted more than 115,000 people (including when Michigan defeated Notre Dame 41-30 in 2013 in front of 115,109). The stadium opened in 1927 and has hosted the NHL Winter Classic, the International Champions Cup soccer match and other events. It's also where President Lyndon B. Johnson outlined his "Great Society" program while giving the commencement speech to Michigan's 1964 graduating class.
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