Big Ten Football is nearing the start of the 2023 regular season. Fans will soon return to their favorite fall spots as they fill up stadiums to root for their teams. The top three picks for the West were very close, and any of the top three could have taken the crown.
We look at where each stadium ranks in the Big Ten West.
1. Memorial Stadium (Nebraska) (85,458)Location: Lincoln, Nebraska | Built: 1923
Memorial Stadium needs to be on every college football fan’s bucket list. The place oozes history and pageantry. While not the largest venue in the Big Ten, it can be the loudest, and the fans always show up and show out.
2. Kinnick Stadium (70,585)Location: Iowa City, Iowa | Built: 1929
Kinnick Stadium is intimidating and intimate, which is a special combination. Iowa has done a terrific job of making the atmosphere around the stadium fan-friendly as well. Add “The Wave” to the children’s hospital at the end of the first quarter, and you have an extraordinary place.
3. Camp Randall Stadium (80,321)Location: Madison, Wisconsin | Built: 1917
Fall Saturdays in Madison are what college football is about. As one of the most iconic settings in the Big Ten, Camp Randall is over 100 years old and provides a tremendous home-field advantage. Jump Around is a great tradition, but a late-arriving student section for some games puts them behind Iowa and Nebraska.
4. Huntington Bank Stadium (50,805)Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota | Built: 2009
The newest of the Big Ten stadiums was good enough to host NFL games and is a significant upgrade over the Metrodome. An open-air stadium in Minnesota provides a considerable advantage when the weather turns. It is clearly behind the top three in terms of atmosphere.
5. Ross-Ade Stadium (57,236)Location: West Lafayette, Indiana | Built: 1924
Ross-Ade Stadium is one of the better atmospheres in the Big Ten when the Boilermakers are rolling. Upgrades to the stadium infrastructure have made the stadium much better, and more upgrades are coming. We have seen some top-ranked teams fall under the lights in West Lafayette.
6. Illinois Memorial Stadium (51,802)Location: Champaign, Illinois | Built: 1923
Another Big Ten stadium is celebrating its 100th birthday. Illinois’ Memorial Stadium brings nostalgia to life with its architecture, but a lack of success has robbed the place of much atmosphere.
7. Ryan Field (47,130)Location: Evanston, Illinois | Built: 1926
There are plans to replace Ryan Field in the near future, but those plans are not set in stone. Even when Northwestern is good, Ryan Field is usually packed with visiting fans. It does not provide the fans with modern amenities and creates a sleepy atmosphere for early games. However, the press box has the best view in the Big Ten.
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