The 25 best college football stadiums according to fans
A great college football game is about much more than what happens on the field, which is why it's crucial to identify the top stadiums in order to maximize your gameday experience. Podium.com-a startup that has revolutionized customer reviews for local businesses-has made that easy by using data from Google reviews to identify the best Division I college football stadiums in the country as of last season.
In order to be eligible for the rankings, a stadium had to have 30 or more reviews. Podium then consolidated all of the review data through its platform to produce the following rankings:
25. Jones AT&T Stadium at Texas Tech University
Overall star rating: 4.655
Total number of reviews: 119
One thing to know: The Goin' Band from Raiderland—Texas Tech's 400-member hype squad that is widely regarded as one of the best marching bands in the country — marches out of the stadium and across campus to much fanfare after every home game.
24. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida
Overall star rating: 4.657
Total number of reviews: 458
One thing to know: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium—more commonly known as "The Swamp"—is home to the Gator Chomp, one of the most iconic fan gestures in college football. Fans stretch out their arms and clap their hands together to mimic an alligator snapping its mouth.
23. Apogee Stadium at University of North Texas
Overall star rating: 4.660
Total number of reviews 53
One thing to know: Apogee Stadium was designed by HKS, the same architecture firm that created the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium, the Indianapolis Colts' Lucas Oil Stadium, and the Minnesota Vikings' U.S. Bank Stadium.
22. McLane Stadium at Baylor University
Overall star rating: 4.665
Total number of reviews: 173
One thing to know: McLane Stadium sits right on the Brazos River that runs through Baylor's campus. Many die-hard Bears fans participate in“sailgating”—or tailgating in boats on the water—before home games.
21. Autzen Stadium at University of Oregon
Overall star rating: 4.669
Total number of reviews: 293
One thing to know: The Oregon Ducks faithful flock to Autzen Stadium and are known for getting loud. "Per person, the Oregon stadium is the loudest stadium I’ve ever been in," ESPN College Gameday's Lee Corso said. "The fact that it’s so low to the ground doesn’t allow the sound to escape."
20. LaVell Edwards Stadium at Brigham Young University
Overall star rating: 4.672
Total number of reviews: 357
One thing to know: With the Rocky Mountains standing tall on all sides, LaVell Edwards Stadium may be home to the most stunning views in all of college football. The Cougars also boast the largest college symbol in the country as the result of a high school junior-senior rivalry.
19. Tiger Stadium at Louisiana State University
Overall star rating: 4.681
Total number of reviews: 285
One thing to know: In 1934, a handful of athletic administrators at the university bought a two-hundred pound, one-year-old tiger from the Little Rock Zoo who has served as the emblem of LSU sports. "Mike the Tiger" used to make live appearances at the stadium on game days, but the university has since decided to leave him in his yard throughout the week. The seventh version of Mike lives between Tiger Stadium and the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, and you can take a live look at him here.
18. Beaver Stadium at Penn State University
Overall star rating: 4.682
Total number of reviews: 296
One thing to know: During home games, Beaver Stadium's 106,572 person capacity makes State College the fourth-largest city by "population" in the state of Pennsylvania.
17. Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium at East Carolina University
Overall star rating: 4.683
Total number of reviews: 98
One thing to know: The ECU Pirates — who don purple and gold uniforms — enter Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in a cloud of purple smoke to the tune of Jimi Hendrix' Purple Haze.
16. Kinnick Stadium at the University of Iowa
Overall star rating: 4.688
Total number of reviews: 327
One thing to know: After the first quarter of every home game, all 70,000+ people at Kinnick Stadium turn away from the field and wave to the kids watching from the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital across the street.
15. The Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium at the University of Oklahoma
Overall star rating: 4.69
Total number of reviews: 182
One thing to know: With more than 80,000 people packed into Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for each home game, OU fans' "Boomer Sooner" call-and-response chant is one of the loudest and best-known cheers in college football.
14. Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee
Overall star rating: 4.7024
Total number of reviews: 373
One thing to know: Before every home game, the Volunteers run through a giant "T" comprised of the more than 300-member Pride of the Southland Marching Band.
13. Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium at Middle Tennessee State University
Overall star rating: 4.7027
Total number of reviews: 37
One thing to know: A blue horseshoe on campus has a penny from 1911, the year the University was founded, buried beneath it. Fans have a tradition of touching the horseshoe for good luck before big games.
12. Michigan Stadium at the University of Michigan
Overall star rating: 4.706
Total number of reviews: 931
One thing to know: The legendary Michigan Stadium — more commonly known as "The Big House" — is the largest stadium in the United States and the second-largest stadium in the world.
11. Jack Trice Stadium at Iowa State University
Overall star rating: 4.707
Total number of reviews: 123
One thing to know: Before the Cyclones take the field for every home game, a “Cyclone Weather Alert” — accompanied by a tornado siren and a warning for opposing teams and fans to seek shelter — flashes across the video boards at Jack Trice Stadium.
10. Spectrum Stadium at the University of Central Florida
Overall star rating: 4.710
Total number of reviews: 114
One thing to know: Fans of the National Champion UCF Knights (take that as you will) go crazy whenever Zombie Nation's Kernkraft 400 blares through Spectrum Stadium's speakers.
9. Amon G. Carter Stadium at Texas Christian University
Overall star rating: 4.719
Total number of reviews: 132
One thing to know: TCU's "Riff Ram" cheer is one of the oldest in the nation. At home games today, the chant accompanies a hype video that ends with a famous Horned Frog saying "Give 'em Hell, TCU" on the jumbotron.
9. Memorial Stadium at Clemson University
Overall star rating: 4.763
Total number of reviews: 215
One thing to know: Clemson's Memorial Stadium is best known for the Most Exciting 25 Seconds in College Football — when the Tigers rub Howard's Rock and barrel down "The Hill" before every home game.
7. Milan Puskar Stadium at the University of West Virginia
Overall star rating: 4.817
Total number of reviews: 93
One thing to know: If you go watch the Mountaineers win at Milan Puskar Stadium, make sure to stick around and join the fans in singing along to John Denver's "Country Roads."
6. Lane Stadium at Virginia Tech
Overall star rating: 4.827
Total number of reviews: 185
One thing to know: Before each home game, Virginia Tech players and coaches tap the Hokie Stone and then charge onto the field to Metallica's "Enter Sandman." The crowd jumps around and cheers loud enough to register on seismographs regularly.
5. Memorial Stadium at the University of Nebraska
Overall star rating: 4.830
Total number of reviews: 465
One thing to know: Nebraska has plenty of fun traditions centered on its football team, but none is as unique as what happens once the game ends. Before everyone leaves Memorial Stadium, fans stand and cheer for the visiting team as they exit the field.
4. Glass Bowl Stadium at the University of Toledo
Overall star rating: 4.837
Total number of reviews: 43
One thing to know: In 1961, the Rockets came into possession of a genuine Nike-Ajax missile from the U.S. Army missile program. The university still prominently displays the projectile in the northeast corner of Glass Bowl Stadium.
3. Jerry Richardson Stadium at UNC-Charlotte
Overall star rating: 4.838
Total number of reviews: 31
One thing to know: UNC Charlotte reintroduced its football program in 2013. The 49ers' new stadium is small but state-of-the-art, and fans have a great view no matter where they sit.
2. Kyle Field at Texas A&M University
Overall star rating: 4.84
Total number of reviews: 447
One thing to know: The night before every football game, Aggies die-hards gather at Kyle Field to follow "yell leaders" in chants and cheers dating back to the earliest days of the university.
1. Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium at Kansas State University
Overall star rating: 4.88
Total number of reviews: 93
One thing to know: Perhaps the most famous gameday tradition at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium is Wabash Cannonball. Wildcats fans clap and dance in unison to this unofficial fight song.