Why are college football stadiums bigger?

Anybody who has ever attended an NFL or college football game knows how big the crowds can get. But many wonder why college football stadiums are bigger. 

Top programs in college football have bigger stadiums because they have massive student enrollments, and they need enough seating to accommodate fans, alums, and students. Tickets are also cheaper for students, and the schools are located much closer to their fans, so more seats are needed.

There is no environment quite like a power conference college football game. These larger schools have big budgets and dedicated fan bases, and we intend to explain why the stadiums are so much bigger.  

Why Are College Football Stadiums Bigger?

Football is one of the most beloved sports in the United States and has been that way for decades. This results in college football games attracting thousands (sometimes tens of thousands) of people to stadiums nationwide every Saturday.

But why are college football stadiums so much larger than other sports stadiums?

Stadium Age

The primary reason why some of these stadiums are so much bigger is because of when they were built. The older stadiums built in the 1930s are compact, with bleacher-style seating to fit more fans. 

There are no NFL stadiums with this design anymore. They update and rebuild stadiums more frequently because of high revenues, so all the biggest college stadiums are 70-100 years old. 

It’s difficult to build new stadiums this size and still have enough seats for every fan to get a clear, unobstructed view of the field. 

Fanbase Size

One possible reason is because of school pride and tradition. College football fans are some of the most dedicated and passionate followers, with an unwavering devotion to their team regardless of how good or bad things are going on the field.

Because there is such an emotional attachment to teams, a larger stadium amplifies this connection by bringing more fans together to share wins and losses.

Schools tend to have bigger fan bases because of current student enrollment and all alums who attend games and root for their teams. 

Proximity To Fanbase

An ever-growing ticket demand could be another driving force behind why college football stadiums are bigger. Because colleges are closer to their fanbase with students on campus and local alums, filling up larger stadiums with fans is easier than a pro sport.

Many schools with the biggest stadiums also have massive student body enrollments. The extra seating is included in the stadium design to get more students inside the building, increase crowd noise, and help create a better gameday environment. 

Stadium Design

Some top programs have expanded their seating capacities to provide a better fan experience. College football games can get quite rowdy as students from rival schools battle it out for bragging rights.

By expanding stadium seating space so that everyone has an enjoyable experience without feeling overcrowded or uncomfortable, universities create an atmosphere ideal for intense competition while still providing a safe environment.

This kind of improvement also boosts overall university pride as alums feel proud to be part of such a large-scale celebration whenever they attend games at their alma mater’s home gameday venue.

College Football Vs. NFL Stadium Capacity Comparison

This comparison will show the difference in stadium capacity between college football programs and NFL teams. 

College Football Stadium Capacity

Below is a detailed chart of the biggest names in college football. These schools lead the country in stadium capacity, with Michigan ranking first at 107,601. 

Stadium Name	School	Conference	Capacity
Michigan Stadium	Michigan	Big Ten	107,601
Beaver Stadium	Penn State	Big Ten	106,572
Ohio Stadium	Ohio State	Big Ten	104,944
Kyle Field	Texas A&M	SEC	102,733
Neyland Stadium	Tennessee	SEC	102,521
Bryant Denny Stadium	Alabama	SEC	101,821
Tiger Stadium	LSU	SEC	100,500
Royal Memorial Stadium	Texas	Big 12	100,119
Los Angeles Coliseum	USC	Pac 12	93,607
Sanford Stadium	Georgia	SEC	92,746
Memorial Stadium	Nebraska	Big Ten	92,000
Rose Bowl	UCLA	Pac 12	89,702
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium	Florida	SEC	88,548
Jordan Hare Stadium	Auburn	SEC	87,451
Memorial Stadium	Oklahoma	Big 12	84,000
Doak Campbell Stadium	Florida State	ACC	82,300
Memorial Stadium	Clemson	ACC	81,500

NFL Stadium Capacity

There are only about 15-20 colleges with stadiums over 80,000 fans. But as the chart shows below, only three are in the NFL. Clearly, many of the most popular college football stadiums are bigger. 

Stadium Name	Team	Capacity
MetLife Stadium	New York Giants/Jets	82,500
Lambeau Field	Green Bay Packers	81,441
AT&T Stadium	Dallas Cowboys	80,000
FedEx Field	Washington Commanders	79,000
Arrowhead Stadium	Kansas City Chiefs	76,416
Empower Field	Denver Broncos	76,125
Bank of America Stadium	Carolina Panthers	74,867
Superdome	New Orleans Saints	74,295
NRG Stadium	Houston Texans	71,795
Highmark Stadium	Buffalo Bills	71,608
M&T Bank Stadium	Baltimore Ravens	71,008
Mercedes Benz Stadium	Atlanta Falcons	71,000
SoFi Stadium	Los Angeles Rams/Chargers	70,000
Nissan Stadium	Tennessee Titans	69,143
Lumen Field	Seattle Seahawks	68,740
Levi’s Stadium	San Francisco 49ers	68,500
Acrisure Stadium	Pittsburgh Steelers	68,400
FirstEnergy Stadium	Cleveland Browns	67,895
Lincoln Financial Field	Philadelphia Eagles	67,594
TIAA Bank Field	Jacksonville Jaguars	67,264
Lucas Oil Stadium	Indianapolis Colts	67,000
US Bank Stadium	Minnesota Vikings	66,200
Raymond James Stadium	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	65,890
Gillette Stadium	New England Patriots	65,878
Paycor Stadium	Cincinnati Bengals	65,515
Hard Rock Stadium	Miami Dolphins	65,326
Allegiant Stadium	Las Vegas Raiders	65,000
Ford Field	Detroit Lions	65,000
University of Phoenix Stadium	Arizona Cardinals	63,400
Soldier Field	Chicago Bears	61,500

Key Takeaways

• College football stadiums are bigger because they are older and the teams have bigger fan bases because of students on campus. Many of the fans are in close proximity to the school, so more seats are needed. 
• The biggest college football stadium is Michigan Stadium, which has a capacity of 107,601. 
• The biggest NFL stadium is MetLife, with a maximum capacity of 82,500 for NFL games.