College Football's top 12 stadiums by fan atmosphere (2024)

At 102,780 seats, Ohio State is a top-five, on-campus facility in college football when it comes to seating size. And you can bank on every seat in that massive allotment being filled to the brim. Fans flock to the parking lots early in the morning and don’t leave until the game is over and another win is on the left side of the column. Along with the excitement from Ohio State’s band in pregame traditions, Ohio Stadiumbuzzes from start to finish.

Despite the team struggling a bit as of late, the support for Tennessee has not faltered. Over 100,000 fans still fill the stadium with the iconic checkerboard end zones weekly, ready to support the Volunteers. Once Tennessee turns things around, this could become one of the toughest places in college football.

“The passion and energy from our fanbase…I’ve been in a lot of competitive arenas as a player and as a coach. There was nothing better that I’ve ever been in than what happened on Saturday night.” — Tennessee coach Josh Heupel after his team faced Ole Miss in 2021

Some forget about how rowdy Memorial Stadium can be because of Nebraska’s struggles as of late. But when the Huskers are rolling and the fans are in the stands, it’s truly one of the special atmospheres in the sport. As nearly 100,000 fans chant, “Husker,” and “Power,” the team prepares to take the field to The Alan Parsons Project’s “Sirius.” That gets Husker fans rowdy and has Memorial Stadium as one of the most intimidating atmospheres in the sport.

"When you walk in here, you see nothing but red. I can't recall walking into another stadium and seeing such an amazing, monochromatic scene and so much loyalty. When they're stirred up when Nebraska is challenged - that's when this crowd can become one of the most intimidating in college football." — ESPN'sChris Fowler

Clemson has some of the most iconic traditions in college football. For starters, when the Tigers take the field at home every week, they run down a hill that is surrounded by thousands of fans. But as the players run down the hill, they also touch “Howard’s Rock” that sits at the top of the hill. Of course, the rest of the gameday environment is loud and exciting enough as is, but those two traditions alone make it one of the best atmospheres in the sport.

“Clemson’s small town comes to life on Saturdays in the fall and becomes the third-most populated town in the state on game days. Tradition runs deep. Howard’s Rock, ‘The Hill,’ invested fans, and a big-time stadium environment made Death Valley a must-visit for college football fans.” — Anna Hickey, Clemson247

“The Big House” is one of the most iconic stadiums in all of the sport with one of the most iconic teams as well. With an attendance of over 100,000 fans, it’s also one of the loudest stadiums in the sport when it’s full. There are some games that always draw a loud and rowdy crowd, specifically when Ohio State comes to town as we saw in 2021. Those that are at Michigan Stadium on a weekly basis know just how special it can be.

“I’d say this for Michigan Stadium: I'd take a big game atmosphere over almost any in the country. It’s electric as hell for the big ones. I think it gets an unfair rep on a week in, week out basis. It’s almost always filled to the brim and the recent physical additions to the stadium have made it even louder.” — Steve Lorenz, The Michigan Insider

As Jimbo Fisher continues to build Texas A&M into a legitimate SEC contender, Kyle Field's intimidation factor grows. The stadium literally moves as the “Aggie War Hymn” is played and media members are warned that the press box moves. But one thing that makes Texas A&M special and perhaps sets it apart from other schools is how the Aggies’ entire allotment of students is welcome to come to games, creating an even rowdier environment. With the Aggies expected to contend in 2022, it should be an even better enviornment.

“A&M has yell leaders, which lead 100,000+ people all yelling the same thing at the same time. In addition, every time the Aggie War Hymn plays, the entire stadium sways as everybody in the stands sways back and forth. But maybe the most impressive thing is that A&M has the largest student allotment of tickets in the country. And all the students stand up the entire game, as a symbol of them being the 12th Man and ready to enter if called upon.” — Brian Perroni, GigEm247

There are very few stadiums — college of professional — that have the team mascot that allows them to do the Tomahawk Chop — or “War Chant” as Florida State calls it. But when that cheer fires up at Doak Campbell Stadium, it’s an electric and intimidating sound, as thousands chop their arms and chant together. It fires up the crowd for the entire game and has the stadium rocking as kickoff nears.

“A night game inside of Doak has a certain magic to it. Energy builds from the get-go with one of the best entrances in all of college football — Chief Osceola riding in on Renegade — and builds with the War Chant ahead of kickoff. The Marching Chiefs are great throughout the game, too.” — Brendan Sonnone, Noles247

The song, “Jump Around,” is nearly a 20-year-old song now, but it still fires up a crowd in Madison like any song out there. A song frequently played at games, everyone in attendance literally jumps with the song, making an intimidating environment both visibly and audibly. Wisconsin might not have the football history that some schools on this list have, but it’s easily one of the most iconic atmospheres in the sport.

"I was in the press box that night. The students were jumping, it looked like popcorn to me. It was pretty neat. Fortunately, Wisconsin went on to win that game." — Kevin Kluender, Wisconsin assistant athletic director formarketing and promotions.

With a nickname like, “The Swamp,” Florida is always going to be a college football stadium that sticks in people’s minds. And then 90,000 Gator fans join in, cheering on their team and doing the iconic Florida Gators “chomp” together. While the school has distanced itself from the chomp because of its racial history,the environment remains rowdy.

“The Swamp has long been one of the loudest game day environments in college football. A home game in Gainesville is a big home field advantage for the team with how passionate and loud fans are with their Gator Chomps. If you look back at a recent game, back in 2019 when Florida played Auburn at home, it was one of the loudest games in The Swamp in quite some time. That electric atmosphere made it tough for Auburn’s offense to get anything going.” — Blake Alderman, Swamp247

When you have the greatest dynasty in the sport, fans are going to flock to the stadium. That is exactly the case for Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium. On a weekly basis, 101,821 fans pile into the gates to watch the Crimson Tide, likely, coast to another victory. While there are plenty of cool traditions across the country for every school, Alabama playing “Sweet Home Alabama” and the entire crowd singing along with it is one of the most chilling moments in any sport.

“Alabama has had plenty of lopsided wins at home over the last decade, but when a ranked opponent rolls into town, it’s hard to top the atmosphere at Bryant-Denny Stadium, regardless of the time of day -- or even the size of the crowd.The 2020 Georgia game during the pandemic is a prime example of that. Even with limited capacity, the energy was electric, and that’s coming from someone that watched behind the glass in the new press box. Add the new LED lights that cover the stadium in crimson, though, and night games are now must-see events.” — Charlie Potter, BamaOnLine

Penn State could argue that it has the single-coolest tradition in college football, which in turn makes it an intimidating atmosphere. Penn State is well-known for having “white-out” games, where all fans come dressed in white. There’s something to be said about the entire stadium joining together for something as simple as clothing, but Nittany Lions fans join together in much more than just that, making for a rowdy environment.

“I like playing there. I’m excited to play there this year. And it’s beautiful. When we ran out of that tunnel — I think it might’ve been a ‘White Out’ when we played them. Just all the fans; it was a full stadium, and that’s what really stood out to me. How full that stadium was.” — Iowa running back, Toren Young

With the stadium lights off and the sun down, there isn’t anything in college football as memorizing as an LSU Football game at Death Valley. Another stadium with a capacity over 100,000, LSU fans love college football as much as anyone in the sport. And when the Tiger band joins in and plays, “Neck,” — a song that has been deemed a bit controversial in recent years — the crowd is as loud as it is all game long.

“I wanted to always go to a school that had a fan base that supported the team through thick and thin and that’s definitely LSU. There’s no place like Tiger Stadium. I swear it shakes. How could you not want to play for a school like this? Best place in the country to play football.”– NFL Pro Bowler Patrick Peterson