There's a reason Michigan Stadium is known as “The Big House.”
With a staggering seating capacity of 107,601, it is not only the largest stadium in college football, but also the largest in the United States and the Western Hemisphere. On any fall Saturday, this hallowed venue welcomes crowds against a backdrop of cornfields and blue skies that have witnessed some of the greatest players, teams, coaches and games in college football history.
Not only is the stadium massive, it's also widely known as having one of the best game-day atmospheres in American sports — and now there's another statistic to back that up.
Must read:A chorus of “Let's Go Blue” erupts during J.D. Vance's speech at the Republican National Convention
Michigan Stadium ranked third in ESPN's ranking of the best college football stadiums released Thursday morning, behind Tiger Stadium (LSU) and the Rose Bowl (UCLA).
The rankings were based on a vote by 14 ESPN college football writers, who submitted their top 20 stadiums in order. These rankings were assigned numerical values, with a first place vote receiving 20 points, a second place vote receiving 19 points and a 20th place vote receiving 1 point.NumberVotes are cast in two places, and the total votes determine the winner.
Michigan Stadium received 182 points, narrowly beating out fourth-place Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame, 175 points) and fifth-place Beaver Stadium (Penn State, 172 points).
For now, it's technically the highest-rated venue in the Big Ten Conference, as UCLA doesn't join the conference until Aug. 2. Perhaps most notable for Wolverines fans is that the Big House moved up four spots over Ohio State's Ohio Stadium, which scored 149 points.
The Michigan Stadium ranking states:
Size matters, and Michigan's seating capacity of 107,601 remains the largest in the Big Ten, surpassing other venues such as Beaver Stadium (Penn State) and Ohio Stadium (Ohio State). In 2013, Michigan played 115,109 against Notre Dame, the largest attendance ever for an on-campus football game. Since 1956, the listed capacity has ended in “01,” and the “extra seating” was owned by former Michigan coach and athletic director Fritz Crisler.
The stadium underwent a $227 million renovation in 2010 that added club and private suites but significantly increased the noise level around the big bowl. Games in “The Big House” — a term coined by former commentator Keith Jackson — begin dramatically with the Wolverines touching a “Go Blue” banner as they enter the field.
Thursday's rankings came nearly a month after EA Sports released its list of the most difficult stadiums for the video game “College Football 25,” with Michigan Stadium coming in last at 16th on the list.
In recent years, the Wolverines have used 100,000-plus fans to their advantage.
The team is riding a 22-game home winning streak into the 2024 season, head coach Sherone Moore's first season at the helm since Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL. Last season, the team won its seven home games by an average margin of 26.1 points, with the only game won by fewer than 24 points being a 30-24 win over Ohio State.
Since the start of the 2018 season, Michigan is 35-1 at the Big House, excluding the COVID-19-altered 2020 season.
Must read:Ranking Michigan football's position groups heading into the 2024 season
ESPN College Football Stadium Rankings
Here are the top 10 rankings of the top 25 stadiums in college football according to ESPN.
- Tiger Stadium, LSU
- Rose Bowl, UCLA
- Michigan Stadium, Michigan
- Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame
- Penn State Beaver Stadium
- Husky Stadium, Washington
- Ohio Stadium, Ohio State University
- Camp Randall Stadium, Wisconsin
- Bryant-Denny Stadium, Alabama
- Neyland Stadium, Tennessee
You can see ESPN's complete rankings here.
