50 largest college football stadiums

- College: Pennsylvania
- Capacity: 52,593
- Opened: 1895

Fast facts: Built for $100,000 during the Grover Cleveland administration, Franklin Field is the oldest operating stadium in America still used for football games. It is also home to the first scoreboard, the first football radio broadcast, and the first football television broadcast. The NFL's Philadelphia Eagles played there from 1958 to 1970, and it has hosted America's oldest and largest track and field meet, the Penn Relays, since 1895—five months before Penn beat Swarthmore 40-0 in the first football game.

Marquee game: Nov. 27, 1924: Penn 20, Cornell 0

- College: Indiana
- Capacity: 52,626
- Opened: 1960

Fast facts: Renovations over the last 21 years added club seats and luxury suites and enclosed the stadium. Players have touched a limestone boulder—called "Hep's Rock" in honor of coach Terry Hoeppner, who had it installed near the end zone—for luck before each game since 2005. Another unique feature is the prow, main mast, and two guns from the USS Indiana, best known for its presence in the World War II invasion of Iwo Jima in 1945, located at the stadium's west entrance.

Marquee game: Nov. 24, 1945: Indiana 26, Purdue 0

- College: Arizona State
- Capacity: 53,599
- Opened: 1958

Fast facts: Named Sun Devil Stadium until 2023, this venue hosted the Super Bowl (1996), Fiesta Bowl (1971-2006), and Cactus/Buffalo Wild Wings/Insight Bowl (2006-15). Defying the trend of ever larger stadiums, its capacity has been reduced from 74,865. It was home to the NFL's Arizona Cardinals from 1988 to 2005.

Marquee game: Dec. 26, 1975: Arizona State 17, Nebraska 14

- College: Oregon
- Capacity: 54,000
- Opened: 1967

Fast facts: Autzen Stadium was named after Thomas J. Autzen. His son, Thomas E. Autzen, a 1943 graduate, was president of the Autzen Foundation, which donated $250,000 in the 1960s for the construction of a new stadium at the school. The stadium was used in the 1978 film "National Lampoon's Animal House" as the home field for Faber College.

Marquee game: Oct. 2, 2010: Oregon 52, Stanford 31

- College: Georgia Tech
- Capacity: 55,000
- Opened: 1913

Fast facts: Bobby Dodd Stadium was called Grant Field until 1988. While games were played there as early as 1905, it wasn't until 1913 that grandstands were put in—mostly by Georgia Tech students. It's the oldest on-campus stadium in the FBS.

Marquee game: Oct. 7, 1916: Georgia Tech 222, Cumberland College 0

- College: Oklahoma State
- Capacity: 55,509
- Opened: 1919

Fast facts: Boone Pickens Stadium is named after business magnate and alum T. Boone Pickens, who donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the school's athletic department. Much of the money went toward massive advancements in facilities, including an expansion of the stadium that increased its capacity to 60,218 in 2009.

Marquee game: Dec. 3, 2011: Oklahoma State 44, Oklahoma 10

- College: North Carolina State
- Capacity: 58,000
- Opened: 1966

Fast facts: Before the opening of Carter-Finley Stadium, North Carolina State played its home games at Riddick Stadium, which was built in 1907. Carter-Finley Stadium wasn't renovated until a $100 million project in 2001, which included trading the south end zone's grassy bank for permanent seats. The north end zone was also enclosed in a 2006 project that added 7,800 seats.

Marquee game: Nov. 1, 2003: North Carolina State 51, Virginia 37

- College: Memphis
- Capacity: 58,325
- Opened: 1965

Fast facts: Besides serving as the home of the Tigers, the former Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a memorial to veterans of World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. It has hosted the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl since 1965. A 2016 makeover added 5,596 chairback seats and reduced capacity to what it is today. Before 1965, the team played at Crump Stadium.

Marquee game: Nov. 9, 1996: Memphis 21, Tennessee 17

- College: West Virginia
- Capacity: 60,000
- Opened: 1980

Fast facts: Mountaineer Field cost $22 million and originally seated 50,000. Renovations have added luxury suites and skyboxes. The Mountaineers have one of the coolest traditions in college football, as the team and fans sing John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" after each home win.

Marquee game: Oct. 15, 2005: West Virginia 46, Louisville 44, 3OT

- College: Texas Tech
- Capacity: 60,454
- Opened: 1947

Fast facts: Upon opening, Jones Stadium held 27,000 seats. That number jumped to 41,500 with an expansion in 1959-60, and several 21st-century renovations brought that figure to its present total. The stadium was named for SBC Communications in 2000 and renamed in 2006 when the company, which donated more than $25 million to the school, switched monikers to AT&T.

Marquee game: Nov. 1, 2008: Texas Tech 39, Texas 33

- College: Jackson State
- Capacity: 60,492
- Opened: 1950

Fast facts: This venue, with an original capacity of 21,000, has also been home to Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Southern Miss. It was first named War Veterans Memorial Stadium and later became Hinds County War Memorial Stadium. Home to the Tigers since 1970, it has been owned and operated by Jackson State University since 2011.

Marquee game: Sept. 23, 1972: Jackson State 72, Lane 0

- College: Illinois
- Capacity: 60,670
- Opened: 1923

Fast facts: Named after the state's citizens who gave their lives for the country during World War I, Memorial Stadium opened the same year "Red" Grange—widely considered among the greatest college football players of all time—arrived on campus. The day the stadium was dedicated, Grange scored six touchdowns in a homecoming win over Michigan. That mark remains the best individual performance in Memorial Stadium history.

Marquee game: Oct. 18, 1924: Illinois 39, Michigan 14

- College: Louisville
- Capacity: 60,800
- Opened: 1998

Fast facts: Built on the former Louisville & Nashville South Louisville Rail Yard, the 92-acre site is a brownfield. Cardinal Express-themed cabooses sit next to the still-operational tracks on the west side of the stadium. The latest renovation, a $63.3 million expansion, added 6,000 seats.

Marquee game: Nov. 2, 2006: Louisville 44, West Virginia 34

- College: Kentucky
- Capacity: 61,000
- Opened: 1973

Fast facts: Kroger Field is the newest football stadium in the SEC by three-plus decades. In 1999, both ends of what was then Stoll Field/McLean Stadium were enclosed, and in 2016, it underwent a $126 million renovation. The 2017 season was the first featuring the current name, thanks to a 12-year naming rights deal.

Marquee game: Oct. 13, 2007: Kentucky 43, LSU 37, 3OT

- College: Mississippi State
- Capacity: 61,377
- Opened: 1914

Fast facts: All you have to do to identify this venue is close your eyes: The sound of cowbells clanging is unique to Starkville. Also called Scott Field, it is named after Olympic sprinter Don Magruder Scott, one of the program's first football superstars, and the stadium is the third-oldest in the FBS.

Marquee game: Nov. 25, 1999: Mississippi State 23, Mississippi 20

- College: Purdue
- Capacity: 61,441
- Opened: 1924

Fast facts: The site celebrated a century of football in 2023 and is named after alum David E. Ross and playwright and columnist George Ade, who donated 65 acres to the school for the stadium. The original capacity was 13,500 plus standing room only for 5,000 more fanatics. Ross-Ade added permanent lighting in 2017 and a field-level brick facade in 2018.

Marquee game: Oct. 28, 2000: Purdue 31, Ohio State 27

- College: Yale
- Capacity: 61,446
- Opened: 1914

Fast facts: A testament to the early 20th-century popularity of Ivy League football, the Yale Bowl opened in 1914 with a capacity of 70,869. The neo-Gothic, bowl-shaped design later served as inspiration for the Rose Bowl, and the NFL's New York Giants used it in 1973 and 1974. The historic gem is home to the Yale-Harvard rivalry, which is known simply as "The Game."

Marquee game: Nov. 18, 2023: Yale 23, Harvard 18

- College: Iowa State
- Capacity: 61,500
- Opened: 1975

Fast facts: Jack Trice Stadium is named after the university's first Black student-athlete. Trice died from injuries suffered in a 1923 game against Minnesota. In 1988, Iowa State named the field after Trice, and in 1997 it changed the name of Cyclone Stadium. It is the only major college stadium named for a Black person.

Marquee game: Nov. 18, 2011: Iowa State 37, Oklahoma State 31, 2OT

- College: Virginia
- Capacity: 61,500
- Opened: 1931

Fast facts: Scott Stadium underwent an $86 million expansion project in 1997 that was completed in 2000. It features views of Monticello Mountain and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The north end zone is a can't-miss with a pergola plaza atop a grass hill that seats 5,000.

Marquee game: Nov. 2, 1995: Virginia 33, Florida State 28

- College: Cal
- Capacity: 63,000
- Opened: 1923

Fast facts: Memorial Stadium underwent a $321 million renovation from 2010 to 2012. One of the most noteworthy features of the venue is Tightwad Hill, the name given to the hill east of the stadium that offers free views of the field. The spot is regularly occupied during Golden Bears games.

Marquee game: Nov. 20, 1982: California 25, Stanford 20

- College: Brigham Young
- Capacity: 63,470
- Opened: 1964

Fast facts: Named after the legendary LaVell Edwards, this venue was originally called Cougar Stadium. Edwards coached BYU from 1972 to 2000, leading the program to the national championship in 1984, and the stadium was renamed upon his retirement.

Marquee game: Sept. 8, 1990: BYU 28, Miami 21

- College: Texas at San Antonio
- Capacity: 64,000
- Opened: 1993

Fast facts: When the Alamodome opened in 1993, its primary tenant was the San Antonio Spurs. The venue was without a team when the NBA franchise moved out in 2002, but the Roadrunners began using it in 2011. The building has hosted the Alamo Bowl since 1993, and UTSA set an NCAA record for attendance by a modern startup program in its inaugural game (56,743), though seating is usually restricted to the lower level's capacity of 36,582.

Marquee game: Jan. 2, 2016: TCU 47, Oregon 41, 3OT

- College: Mississippi
- Capacity: 64,038
- Opened: 1915

Fast facts: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was first named after Judge William Hemingway, a law professor and chair of the university's Committee on Athletics. Johnny Vaught, who coached the Rebels to three national championships from 1947 to 1970, had his name added in 1982. The venue was expanded in 2016 to make it the largest in the state.

Marquee game: Dec. 1, 1962: Ole Miss 13, Mississippi State 6

- College: South Florida
- Capacity: 65,000
- Opened: 1998

Fast facts: Raymond James Stadium was built for an NFL team—the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—but it has also been the home of the Bulls since it opened. The program didn't begin until 1997, and in its debut season, South Florida played at Houlihan's Stadium. Raymond James Stadium has hosted a College Football Playoff National Championship Game, three Super Bowls, the Outback/ReliaQuest Bowl each season since 1999, and the Gasparilla Bowl since 2018.

Marquee game: Jan 9, 2017: Clemson 35, Alabama 31

- College: Virginia Tech
- Capacity: 65,632
- Opened: 1965

Fast facts: Lane Stadium is consistently ranked among the toughest places for visiting teams to play. The Hokies take the field to "Enter Sandman" by Metallica, and a cannon named "Skipper" marks each Virginia Tech score. The venue is named for Edward Hudson Lane Sr., a student who co-founded the Lane Company, the largest producer of cedar chests in the world.

Marquee game: Sept. 23, 1995: Virginia Tech 13, Miami 7

- College: Iowa
- Capacity: 69,250
- Opened: 1929

Fast facts: Kinnick Stadium is named after Nile Kinnick, who is the program's only Heisman Trophy winner (1939). Kinnick was killed in World War II at 24 years old, and the stadium was named in his honor in 1972. During the 2017 season, fans began a tradition in which they wave at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, a newly constructed building that overlooks the stadium, at the end of each first quarter.

Marquee game: Nov. 8, 2008: Iowa 24, Penn State 23

- College: Washington
- Capacity: 70,138
- Opened: 1920

Fast facts: Husky Stadium is home to perhaps the most scenic setting in college football, with remarkable views of Lake Washington, Seattle, Mount Rainier, the Cascade Range, and the Olympic Mountains. Fans partake in "sailgating" before games, making for a truly unique game-day experience.

Marquee game: Nov. 22, 1975: Washington 28, Washington State 27

- College: Missouri
- Capacity: 71,168
- Opened: 1927

Fast facts: Faurot Field is famous for its Rock M beyond the north end zone. The field is named after legendary coach Don Faurot, who led the Tigers to three conference championships over 19 seasons. The stadium was built for $350,000, and it reached its peak capacity in 2014, two years after the school joined the SEC.

Marquee game: Nov. 8, 1969: Missouri 44, Oklahoma 10

- College: Arkansas
- Capacity: 72,000
- Opened: 1938

Fast facts: Arkansas has had two home stadiums since 1948: Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville and War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The Razorbacks play at most one game a year at the latter, opting to primarily use the closer venue with a higher capacity.

Marquee game: Dec. 6, 1969: Texas 15, Arkansas 14

- College: Michigan State
- Capacity: 74,866
- Opened: 1923

Fast facts: Spartan Stadium opened as Macklin Field, named after John Macklin, who coached the team from 1911 to 1915. The stadium was renamed Macklin Field Stadium in 1940 and Spartan Stadium in 1957 when the venue was also expanded to hold 76,000 seats. Rain or shine, the public address announcer begins each game by exclaiming, "It's a beautiful day for football!"

Marquee game: Oct. 22, 2011: Michigan State 37, Wisconsin 31

- College: Wisconsin
- Capacity: 76,118
- Opened: 1917

Fast facts: Camp Randall is among the loudest, most daunting venues in college football. Fans go wild before the start of the fourth quarter when the song "Jump Around" by House of Pain blares over the loudspeakers. The stadium is named after Wisconsin's first wartime governor, Alexander W. Randall, and its land was used to train troops during the Civil War.

Marquee game: Oct. 16, 2010: Wisconsin 31, Ohio State 18

- College: USC
- Capacity: 77,500
- Opened: 1923

Fast facts: Many teams have called the Coliseum home throughout the years—including the UCLA Bruins, Los Angeles Rams, and Los Angeles Dodgers—but only the USC Trojans have been there from the beginning. The stadium, a memorial to World War I veterans, is the only venue to have hosted the Summer Olympics twice (1932 and 1984), and it is set to host a third Games in 2028.

Marquee game: Nov. 18, 1967: USC 21, UCLA 20

- College: South Carolina
- Capacity: 77,559
- Opened: 1934

Fast facts: South Carolina fans always get hyped as soon as they hear "Sandstorm" by Darude. When Carolina Stadium was built by the Works Progress Administration, it seated 17,600 fans. It was renamed in 1972 after a bequest from the estate of Mrs. Martha Williams-Brice, whose husband, Thomas H. Brice, was a member of the Gamecocks from 1922 to 1924.

Marquee game: Oct. 9, 2010: South Carolina 35, Alabama 21

- College: Florida State
- Capacity: 79,560
- Opened: 1950

Fast facts: Doak Campbell Stadium was named after university president Doak S. Campbell, who oversaw the venue's construction, and the field was dedicated to legendary coach Bobby Bowden in 2004. Multiple expansions led to a capacity of 82,300 from 2003 to 2015, but seating has been scaled back since.

Marquee game: Nov. 26, 1994: Florida 31, Florida State 31

- College: Notre Dame
- Capacity: 80,795
- Opened: 1930

Fast facts: Notre Dame Stadium is perhaps best known for its view of the "Touchdown Jesus" mural, which is located on the campus' Hesburgh Library and named "The Word of Life." The stadium did not host a night game from 1991 to 2011, ending the streak on Oct. 22, 2011, against USC.

Marquee game: Oct. 15, 1988: Notre Dame 31, Miami 30

- College: Clemson
- Capacity: 81,500
- Opened: 1942

Fast facts: Death Valley has been aptly nicknamed for being one of the toughest places to get a road win. The stadium is home to one of the most famous college football traditions, running down the Hill, which predictably involves Tigers running down a hill beyond the east end zone before each game. On the way down, players also touch Howard's Rock, a piece of white flint from the actual Death Valley in California that was given to legendary head coach Frank Howard.

Marquee game: Oct. 1, 2016: Clemson 42, Louisville 36

- College: Oklahoma
- Capacity: 86,112
- Opened: 1925

Fast facts: Memorial Stadium held just 16,000 seats when it opened. First named Owen Field after coach Bennie Owen, it is also known as the Palace on the Prairie. The Gaylord family donated $50 million to the university, which renamed the stadium in 2002. It honored university personnel who died in World War I but was rededicated to those killed in all wars.

Marquee game: Oct. 28, 2000: Oklahoma 31, Nebraska 14

- College: Auburn
- Capacity: 88,043
- Opened: 1939

Fast facts: Jordan-Hare Stadium was named after Auburn's winningest coach, Ralph "Shug" Jordan, and a member of its first team, president of the Southern Conference, and chair of the Faculty Athletic Committee, Clifford Leroy Hare. The field was named after legendary coach Pat Dye, who led the Tigers to four SEC titles in 12 seasons, in 2005.

Marquee game: Nov. 30, 2013: Auburn 34, Alabama 28

- College: Florida
- Capacity: 88,548
- Opened: 1930

Fast facts: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium got its nickname from coach Steve Spurrier in 1992, when he famously declared, "The 'Swamp' is a place where only Gators get out alive." At that point, Spurrier's team was unbeaten at home in two seasons, and Florida won its first 23 home games under Spurrier before adding a streak of 31 starting in 1994.

Marquee game: Nov. 22, 1997: Florida 32, Florida State 29

- College: Nebraska
- Capacity: 90,000
- Opened: 1923

Fast facts: Few teams enter a stadium to more thunderous applause than the Cornhuskers during their traditional "Tunnel Walk," set to "Sirius" by the Alan Parsons Project. Memorial Stadium is nicknamed "The Sea of Red" for its NCAA-record 396 consecutive sellouts since 1962.

Marquee game: Nov. 11, 1978: Nebraska 17, Oklahoma 14

- College: UCLA
- Capacity: 91,136
- Opened: 1922

Fast facts: One of the most picturesque settings in college football, the Rose Bowl has played host to countless classic games. The first team to call the Rose Bowl home was the Caltech Beavers, whose program petered out half a century later. UCLA has played its home games there since 1982. The stadium is also the site of the annual Rose Bowl Game, first held there in 1923. The Granddaddy of Them All is the oldest of college football's bowl games.

Marquee game: Jan. 4, 2006: Texas 41, USC 38

- College: Georgia
- Capacity: 92,746
- Opened: 1929

Fast facts: There aren't many more iconic stadium monikers than Georgia's Between the Hedges. Named after university president S. V. Sanford, the stadium added lights in 1940, and both ends were later enclosed. It was originally built for $360,000.

Marquee game: Dec. 2, 1978: Georgia 29, Georgia Tech 28

- College: Alabama
- Capacity: 100,077
- Opened: 1929

Fast facts: Bryant-Denny Stadium was named after George Denny, the university president from 1912 to 1936, and in 1975 legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant was honored as well. In 25 seasons under Bryant, from 1958 to 1982, the Crimson Tide were a remarkable 72-2 at home.

Marquee game: Nov. 7, 2009: Alabama 24, LSU 15

- College: Texas
- Capacity: 100,119
- Opened: 1924

Fast facts: The stadium was first named for Texas' World War I veterans. In 1977, it was rededicated to veterans of all wars, and Darrell Royal, who coached the Longhorns from 1957 to 1976, was added to the marquee in 1996. A live Longhorn mascot, Bevo, has roamed the sideline since 1966, 13 years after the "Hook 'em, Horns" salute was born.

Marquee game: Nov. 27, 1998: Texas 26, Texas A&M 24

- College: Tennessee
- Capacity: 101,915
- Opened: 1921

Fast facts: One of the most notable features of Neyland Stadium is its checkerboard end zones, which were added in 1964. The stadium is named after Gen. Robert R. Neyland, the program's coach from 1926 to 1952 save for two military stints.

Marquee game: Sept. 19, 1998: Tennessee 20, Florida 17, OT

- College: LSU
- Capacity: 102,321
- Opened: 1924

Fast facts: This Death Valley has long been considered the most difficult place for visiting teams to win—particularly in night games. The turf at Tiger Stadium is notable for sporting numbers every five yards, whereas most fields have numbers only every 10 yards.

Marquee game: Oct. 6, 2007: LSU 28, Florida 24

- College: Texas A&M
- Capacity: 102,733
- Opened: 1905

Fast facts: The Home of the 12th Man, Kyle Field is named after Edwin Jackson Kyle, a dean of agriculture who was athletic council president and donated 1,600 square feet of land where the stadium was eventually built. Concrete stands were added beginning in 1927, and the stadium's most recent renovation, a $485 million project, was completed in 2015.

Marquee game: Nov. 9, 2002: Texas A&M 30, Oklahoma 26

- College: Ohio State
- Capacity: 102,780
- Opened: 1922

Fast facts: The Horseshoe stands as one of the most iconic venues in college football. Among the Buckeyes' many traditions, the home crowd chants "O-H-I-O," and the Best Damn Band in the Land performs the renowned dotting of the I.

Marquee game: Nov. 23, 2002: Ohio State 14, Michigan 9

- College: Penn State
- Capacity: 106,572
- Opened: 1960

Fast facts: Beaver Stadium is on the shortlist of the greatest atmospheres in college football. It may be the best stadium in the country, and it has consistently been considered among the loudest. This is particularly true during White Out games, which are reserved for marquee opponents.

Marquee game: Sept. 25, 1982: Penn State 27, Nebraska 24

- College: Michigan
- Capacity: 107,601
- Opened: 1927

Fast facts: The Big House is, quite simply, one of the most recognizable venues in American sports. Seats (2,300, to be exact) were removed before the 2015 season—but not enough to cost it the top spot on this list. Among the coolest traditions in college football, the Wolverines take the field by entering at the 50-yard line and jumping to touch the Letterwinners M Club banner.

Marquee game: Nov. 22, 1969: Michigan 24, Ohio State 12

Story editing by Mike Taylor. Copy editing by Robert Wickwire. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.