COLLEGE FOOTBALL
What are the biggest stadiums in college football?
We take a look at the five largest stadiums in NCAA college football - all of which have space for over 100,000 spectators.
1. Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI - capacity: 107,061
Home to the Michigan Wolverines, Michigan Stadium is the largest stadium in the United States and the western hemisphere. It is the third biggest in the world, behind only the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, and Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India.
Nicknamed “the Big House”, Michigan Stadium opened in 1927, originally with a capacity of 72,000. It underwent a $226 million renovation in 2010.
On Saturday, the arena hosts a crunch Big Ten Conference clash between the Wolverines and major rivals the Ohio State Buckeyes, with the winner booking a place in December’s conference championship game.
2. Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA - capacity: 106,572
The Penn State Nittany Lions have played at Beaver Stadium since 1960, when their former home - New Beaver Field - was dismantled, moved from the west of the Penn State University campus, and reassembled on its east side in a new, larger design. Built to hold just over 46,000 at the time, the stadium has undergone several expansions, a 2001 refurbishment taking it to its current capacity.
The stadium is named after former Pennsylvania governor James A Beaver, who also served as president of the university’s board of trustees. Beaver “is credited with being among the most influential leaders in the development of the university at the turn of the century”, Penn State says.
3. Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH - capacity: 102,780
Known as “the Shoe” or “the Horseshoe” because of its distinctive, horseshoe-shaped design, Ohio Stadium has been home to the Ohio State Buckeyes for over a century; indeed, it is now listed on the US’s National Registry of Historic Places. Inaugurated in 1922, with an initial capacity of just over 66,000, the arena underwent a $194 million refurbishment in 2001.
Teams have certainly taken a kicking at “the Shoe” this season: like weekend opponents the Wolverines, the Buckeyes have won every home game this season (as well as every road game).
4. Kyle Field, College Station, TX - capacity: 102,733
The oldest stadium on this list, Kyle Field has housed the Texas A&M Aggies since 1905. It hit its current capacity when it underwent a $485 million redevelopment in 2014 and 2015.
Kyle Field is named after Edwin Jackson Kyle, who was Texas A&M’s dean of agriculture and athletic council president in the early 20th century. Kyle enabled the stadium to be built by donating a parcel of land on campus that had been given to him to carry out horticultural experiments.
5. Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA - capacity: 102,231
Tiger Stadium is, very nearly, also a century-old venue: the LSU Tigers have played their home games at the arena since 1924. Its capacity reached 102,231 in 2014, after the completion of an $80 million expansion project.
With one home game to go in the 2023 regular season - against the Aggies - the Tigers have a 100% record at the stadium. If Brian Kelly’s men win, it will be the team’s seventh perfect campaign on home turf since the turn of the millennium.