Go Big or Go Home: The 11 Largest College Football Stadiums

July 25, 2023 by

When you go to an NCAA game, you can expect the ultimate spectacle. The game itself is fast-paced, exciting, and a thrill to watch, and the opportunity to sit amongst your fellow fans and revel in the spirit of competition is something that can only be experienced in person. TickPick knows there’s nothing quite like seeing a game for yourself.

Going out to see a game means that you’ll get to watch all of your favorite football teams in the flesh. However, it also means that you can experience all that the stadium itself has to offer. The energy from the crowd is infectious, but it wouldn’t be the same without an architectural marvel of a stadium.

Since NCAA football is so popular, it stands to reason that there would be some huge stadiums that call the league their home. This article is all about the largest college football stadiums out there. Keep in mind that you can get tickets to all of these venues with TickPick!

1. Michigan Stadium

Seating Capacity: 107,601

Michigan Stadium is the single biggest college football stadium in America. As you may have guessed, Michigan Stadium is located in Michigan. To be more exact, Michigan Stadium is nestled in Ann Arbor. The arena is a staple of the community and is regularly used for events other than college football.

The stadium has a staggering capacity of 107,601 seats. Appropriately named “the Big House,” the stadium has had upwards of 115,000 people in it for certain events. On September 7th, 2013, 115,109 people joined together to watch Michigan beat Notre Dame 41-30.

Home to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor’s football team, the Michigan Wolverines, this stadium isn’t only the biggest NCAA venue. It’s also the biggest stadium of any kind in the United States and the third-biggest stadium in the world. This impressive accomplishment cements the Michigan Wolverines football stadium as a must-see for anyone in the area.

2. Beaver Stadium

Seating Capacity: 106,572

In addition to having an adorable name, Beaver Stadium is also staggeringly large. In fact, its total capacity isn’t much smaller than that of Michigan Stadium’s. Beaver Stadium has a seating capacity of 106,572 people. While Michigan Stadium is the third largest arena in the world, Beaver Stadium is in fourth place.

The Penn State Nittany Lions play at Beaver Stadium. You might be wondering why a team called The Nittany Lions play at a stadium with the word “beaver” in it. As it turns out, the stadium’s name actually isn’t in reference to the animal. Beaver Stadium was actually named after James A. Beaver, who used to be the president of Penn State’s Board of Trustees.

Before there was Beaver Stadium, the team used to play at Beaver Field. Beaver Field’s construction was completed in 1892, but they eventually needed to expand. All in all, they relocated and rebuilt Beaver Stadium two more times. The stadium moved for a final time in 1959, where it has remained ever since.

3. Ohio Stadium

Seating Capacity: 102,780

While it is still absolutely enormous, Ohio Stadium is markedly smaller than the two previous entries on our list. Ohio Stadium seats a maximum of 102,780 people and is the fifth biggest stadium in the world.

Fans can come to this stadium to see the Ohio State Buckeyes, a Big Ten football team that has taken home the national championship eight times. However, the stadium hosts plenty of other types of live events, too. Its significant seating capacity makes Ohio Stadium the perfect venue for all sorts of highly-anticipated concerts and shows.

Ohio State’s stadium has also earned the nicknames “the Shoe” and “the Horseshoe” due to its unique shape. It was first built in 1922 to house Ohio State’s growing fanbase.

The Columbus Crew MLS soccer team used to host games at Ohio Stadium, too, although they now call Lower.com Field their home.

4. Kyle Field

Seating Capacity: 102,733

Located in College Station, Texas, Kyle Field is home to the Texas A&M Aggies. It’s the largest stadium in Texas and the sixth-largest stadium worldwide. After undergoing 450 million dollars of renovations that concluded in 2015, the field can now seat 102,733 people (only 47 less than Ohio Stadium).

Kyle Field has been home to the Aggies since 1904, but the stadium really took shape in 1927, when proper building began. Many parts of the original stadium still exist today, making it a worthwhile visit for history buffs.

5. Tiger Stadium

Seating Capacity: 102,321

At this point, the total capacities of the stadiums on our list are fairly similar. Kyle Field’s seating capacity is only 412 larger than this next entry. Tiger Stadium has a capacity of 102,321, so it clocks in as the seventh biggest stadium in the world. The LSU Tigers football team plays here, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Tiger Stadium has also earned the nickname “Death Valley” since it’s so rare for away teams to win while playing there. Louisiana State University fans are famously passionate and have made Tiger Stadium the loudest NCAA stadium in the country time and time again.

6. Neyland Stadium

Seating Capacity: 101,915

With a seating capacity of 101,915 (only 406 seats smaller than Tiger Stadium), Neyland Stadium earns the number six spot on our list. The eighth biggest stadium in the world, the Tennessee Volunteers call Neyland their home.

The team first started out playing at what was once known as Wait Field, a bit north of Fort Sanders, Texas. In 1921, construction on the so-called Shields-Watkins Field was completed in Knoxville, Tennessee. The stadium was finally renamed Neyland Field in 1962, after the team’s former coach, Robert Neyland. We now know it today as Neyland Stadium, one of the NCAA’s toughest places for opposing teams to play.

7. Bryant-Denny Stadium

Seating Capacity: 100,077

The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa first built its football stadium in 1929. At that point, the arena was known as Denny Stadium and functioned as a replacement for its smaller predecessor, Denny Field. It was named after George H. Denny, the school’s president at the time.

It was later determined that the Alabama Crimson Tide should use the stadium’s name to also honor their head coach at the time, Paul Bryant. That is when the stadium became known as Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The stadium has undergone plentiful renovations over the years, eventually bringing it to its current seating capacity of 100,077 people. This makes Bryant-Denny Stadium the seventh-largest NCAA football stadium in the United States and the tenth-biggest stadium in the entire world.

8. Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

Seating Capacity: 100,119

Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium has gone by many names over the years. It was previously known as Texas Memorial Stadium, War Memorial Stadium, and Memorial Stadium. These former names are not to be confused with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (or just “The Coliseum”), home to the USC Trojans in California, or Clemson Memorial Stadium in South Carolina, home to the Clemson Tigers.

No matter what you call it, Darrell K Royal Stadium is located on the University of Texas at Austin’s campus. The Texas Longhorns (UT Austin’s hometeam) have played at the stadium since 1924. It has a capacity of 100,119 seats, but 105,213 people were recorded in attendance during a game in 2022.

9. Sanford Stadium

Seating Capacity: 92,746

Located in Athens, Georgia, Sanford Stadium is home to the University of Georgia football team, known as the Georgia Bulldogs. Sanford Stadium has a fairly significant drop in its total capacity as opposed to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. In fact, it has 7,373 fewer seats. Sanford’s total capacity rings in at 92,746 seats.

This total is still huge, as it makes Sanford Stadium the ninth-biggest NCAA football stadium and the 17th-largest stadium in the world. UGA is said to play football “between the hedges,” which is a playful nod to the iconic greenery around the stadium.

10. The Rose Bowl

Seating Capacity: 91,136

Whether you’re a large fan of college football or not, chances are that you are familiar with the Rose Bowl. This famous stadium in Pasadena is home to the UCLA Bruins. Before they played at the Rose Bowl, the Bruins instead played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before moving in 1982.

According to the official UCLA Bruins site, the stadium has a current capacity of 91,136 total people.

11. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

Seating Capacity: 88,548

Last but certainly not least is Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, located in Gainesville, Florida. Home to the Florida Gators, this stadium seats 88,548 people. It was originally built in 1930, making the arena a historic marvel. After multiple rounds of renovations since then, it now has a capacity of 88,548 seats.

When opposing SEC teams come to play at “The Swamp,” as it’s popularly known by college football fans, they’re in for one of the toughest crowd atmospheres in all of college sports.

Honorable Mentions

While these are the biggest of the big, America has plenty more large college football stadiums to enjoy, including:

See It To Believe It

After hearing all about the largest college football stadiums America has to offer, we totally understand if you want to get out there and see a football game for yourself. Luckily, TickPick has the best prices around for athletics and all sorts of live events, from the NCAA to the NFL.

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