College football stadiums are as unique as their fan bases. The structures of many stadiums promote and embody traditions that go back decades.
Some stadiums are harder for visiting teams to play at than others. While programs like Tennessee, Penn State and LSU can have crowds of 100,000-plus people, other schools like Notre Dame and UCLA tout the atmosphere of an iconic layout.
The Athletic’s staff recently ranked the top stadiums in college football, and their results were different than what their fan poll showed.
The Athletic ranked LSU’s “Tiger Stadium” No. 1, Penn State’s “Beaver Stadium” at No. 2 and Notre Dame’s “Notre Dame Stadium” at No. 3.
Fans vaulted the Irish above LSU and Penn State to rank them at the top. Reasons for voting ND at No.1 had to do with the old-school charm of the facility amid the Basilica and the Golden Dome.
“The thing that gets lost (but is probably intentional from suits) in building these massive new age stadiums is that the ‘nosebleeds’ have essentially no value,” wrote a fan. :At Notre Dame, there is literally no bad seat in the house, with the traditional bowl structure they have.
“Touchdown Jesus in the background, a nice October wind, and the light bouncing off of the golden dome helmets is perfect stuff. The only argument against it is that they use turf instead of grass these days.”
Michigan Stadium was ranked right behind Notre Dame, and again the aesthetics played a key role.
“Beautiful brick facades match the campus style,’ wrote a fan. “The stadium is tucked into a real neighborhood, which amps up the college (vs. pro) feel, and being dug into a hillside gives it a ‘bigger on the inside’ feel that, along with the always massive crowd, never fails to impress when you enter the bowl.”
Football is a major part of life for people in the south, but fans waited until No. 3 to put an SEC program on the list. Tiger Stadium was ranked third, and the boisterous nature of the stadium was the reason it received such high honors.
The next top seven stadiums as ranked by fans: (4) Beaver Stadium, (5) Ohio Stadium, (6) Neyland Stadium, (7) Rose Bowl, (8) Husky Stadium, (9) Autzen Stadium, (10) Sanford Stadium.
As the season gets into the last weekend of October and then November, many of those stadiums could play a key role in which teams make the College Football playoff. And indeed, a couple could host a CFP game in the first round.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
