What’s your favorite college football stadium?
The Athletic’s college football staff voted on a top 25, and it generated plenty of discussion. So what happens when readers vote?
Well, the results end up similar. Except at the very top.
Whereas LSU was a clear No. 1 in our staff list, the highest proportion of readers — who were asked to submit up to 10 favorites, in any order — chose Notre Dame Stadium, which just barely edged the Big House at Michigan and Death Valley at LSU.
Here is The Athletic readers’ top 10, with some notable commentary from our survey included for each. At the bottom, we’ve also included select cases for some other favorites around the country.
(Quinn Harris / Getty Images)
1. Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame Capacity: 80,795 Opened: 1930
“If there’s any stadium that encompasses the spirit of college football over that of the corporate dollar, it’s Notre Dame Stadium.” — Jason Z.
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“It encapsulates everything there is about attending a college football game in the fall — a cool chill in the air, traditions, iconic imagery, intensity and passion.” — Robert N.
“The house that Rockne Built. Modern because of the renovation, but still has that old-school charm. They attached a student center and classrooms to the stadium, so it feels like part of the campus. Touchdown Jesus, the Basilica and the Golden Dome in the background — you can’t top that!” — Anthony
“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. 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.” — Stephen
“It is more than a stadium. It is more than a venue in which to watch football. It is the entire vibe of college football rolled into one spot. It is an experience. The pageantry, the customs and the overall tone of gameday in South Bend is unlike anything else.” — Kyle
(Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
2. Michigan Stadium, Michigan Capacity: 107,601 Opened: 1927
“Beautiful brick facades match the campus style. 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
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