Biggest College Football Stadiums: Top 10 Biggest CFB Stadiums

One of the biggest differences between the NFL and college football is the venues where games are played. While the NFL certainly has some iconic stadiums, these venues can’t compare to college football stadiums in terms of size. Even the biggest NFL stadiums don’t hold a candle to the top college stadiums in capacity. There are over a dozen college stadiums that hold more people than the largest NFL stadium.

Naturally, we wanted to pay homage to some of the biggest venues in college football. After all, these places aren’t just capable of holding a lot of people but they walk the walk by hosting capacity crowds on a regular basis. With that in mind, here is a list of the 10 largest college football stadiums in the country.

10. Rose Bowl

Located in Pasadena about 10 miles from downtown Los Angeles, the Rose Bowl Stadium is the yearly site of the bowl that it’s named after. But the stadium has also hosted the UCLA Bruins since 1982. 

With its propensity for hosting big games and influential design, the Rose Bowl is one of the best-known stadiums in the country, even among non-football fans, and a National Historic Landmark. It currently has room for more than 92,000 fans and is accompanied by amazing views of the San Gabriel Mountains, as the stadium sits at the foot of these mountains. 

The thousands of folks who attend games at the Rose Bowl can also take in some of the iconic statues that surround the stadium, including one of Jackie Robinson.

9. Sanford Stadium

Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, wasn’t always among the biggest in the country. But the venue has undergone over a dozen renovations and expansions since it first opened in 1929. In a way, it has grown alongside the Georgia Bulldogs program The stadium currently holds over 92,000 fans, although that capacity could continue to grow in the future. 

The thousands at every Georgia football game know all about the hedges that surround the field, which is why it’s said that the Bulldogs play “between the hedges.” Naturally, as Sanford Stadium has grown in capacity, it’s also become known as one of the loudest stadiums in the country, not to mention one of the most picturesque sites in college football.

8. Bryant-Denny Stadium

Most college football fans know Bryant-Denny Stadium as the home of the Alabama Crimson Tide. 

Like most older college football stadiums, it has undergone several expansions, allowing the venue to now host over 100,000 fans. Needless to say, it's come a long way from the 12,000 seats it had at the stadium’s first game in 1929. With that many fans, Alabama boasts one of the best game-day atmospheres and pre-game experiences in the country. 

Every seat is filled for just about every Alabama game with the energy level high from kickoff until the end, even when the Crimson Tide is blowing out a lesser opponent.

7. Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

The official capacity at Texas Memorial Stadium has changed more than a dozen times since the stadium first opened in 1924. 

Everything is bigger in Texas, and because football is so popular, the University of Texas needs to keep making the stadium bigger, allowing the Longhorns to host more than 100,000 fans at every game. 

The area surrounding the stadium essentially becomes a huge carnival on game days, which helps to create a party atmosphere in the stadium that fully embraces the pageantry of college football.

6. Neyland Stadium

Named after the famous Tennessee coach and innovator Robert Neyland, the home of the Tennessee Volunteers is perhaps best known for looking like a checkerboard when filled to capacity with nearly 102,000 fans. 

The dedicated Tennessee fans are able to replicate a checkerboard of white and creamsicle orange during breaks in the action. Those same fans also enjoy singing “Rocky Top” every chance they get, creating one of the most unique atmospheres in college football. 

Neyland Stadium is also located on the banks of the Tennessee River, allowing some fans to take a boat to games, which is another feature that you won’t find at other stadiums.

5. Tiger Stadium

There are few places in college football as scary and intimidating as Tiger Stadium, which is why it’s earned the nickname of Death Valley. 

Surely, the capacity of over 102,000 fans has something to do with that. Like many of the other stadiums on this list, there have been several renovations and expansions over the years to expand it from a capacity of just 12,000 fans when it opened in 1924. 

Thanks to some of the recent renovations, there are more luxury suites and club seats than ever before. Yet the intimidating noise and mystique that made Tiger Stadium so great is still there. 

4. Kyle Field

It’s actually Texas A&M and not the flagship school of the Lone Star State that has the biggest capacity in the state of Texas at over 102,000 fans. 

The polarizing Johnny Manziel is largely responsible for the latest round of renovations that bumped Kyle Field from a capacity of just over 82,000 fans to its current capacity. Of course, long before Manziel arrived in College Station, the Aggies had no problem attracting a passionate fanbase, which is why Kyle Field is known as the home of the 12th man. 

The stadium even has the distinction of hosting the biggest crowd in SEC history with Kyle Field welcoming 110,631 fans in 2014 when Texas A&M played Ole Miss.

3. Ohio Stadium

From the day it first opened in 1922, Ohio Stadium was built to handle large crowds. The capacity back then was over 66,000 and has only increased over time, falling just short of 103,000 fans today. 

Since 1974, Ohio Stadium has been included on the National Register of Historic Places, which speaks to the important role it has played in the Buckeye State. In addition to hosting big crowds, everything about attending a game at Ohio Stadium is perfect - at least for Buckeyes fans - from the pre-game tailgating to the in-stadium experience. 

No wonder over 100,000 people show up to spend their Saturday afternoons there.

2. Beaver Stadium

With a capacity of 106,000 fans who all go crazy for Penn State football, it’s not hard to figure out why this place is called Happy Valley. 

It’s not just the number of people that file into Beaver Stadium to watch the Nittany Lions, it’s their dedication. That’s why Penn State’s annual “white out” game is always one of the biggest events of the college football season. For what it’s worth, Beaver Stadium doesn’t have as many frills and amenities as some other stadiums. 

However, other stadiums don’t have the capacity of Beaver Stadium, nor do they have the traditions, energy, and environment that Penn State has for every home game.

1. Michigan Stadium

They don’t call it the Big House for nothing. 

Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor is the biggest stadium in college football and the entire Western Hemisphere with a capacity of 107,601 fans. You would have to travel to either North Korea or India to find a bigger stadium. 

In fact, Michigan Stadium could one day eclipse those venues. The stadium was designed in a way to allow for further expansions beyond the original capacity of 72,000 fans. Longtime Michigan coach Fielding Yost once envisioned the stadium holding 150,000 people. 

The Big House isn't quite to that size at the moment. However, it’s still the gold standard when it comes to capacity and creating one of the best environments for hosting a sporting event anywhere in the country.