BYU, Utah voted as having Big 12’s best college football stadiums. Who’s No. 1 in the league?
College football fans in Utah understand how the Wasatch Mountains create a beautiful backdrop for gameday atmospheres that often aren’t so friendly for the opposition.
That vibe was recognized on a national scale this week, though.
USA Today’s Paul Myerberg and Blake Toppmeyer made a list of their top 25 best FBS college football stadiums, and both BYU and Utah earned a coveted spot.
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It wasn’t just the atmosphere these writers took into consideration.
Does the home team and its crowd create an inhospitable environment for the opposition and, by virtue, earn an overwhelming homefield advantage that’s reflected in a strong home record?
While the Big Ten and SEC dominate the list, the ACC also has several schools show up before the Big 12 is finally represented.
Where are Utah and BYU on the list of top FBS college football stadiums?
Utah comes in at No. 18, best in the Big 12.
“The beautiful panorama in the background belies the electric game-day atmosphere inside Rice-Eccles. On a pound-for-pound (or decibel-for-decibel) level, RES is tough to beat. Utah won 18 home games in a row before losing to Oregon in 2023,” Myerberg and Toppmeyer wrote about the Utes’ home stadium.
BYU players begin coming onto the field as BYU and Oklahoma State prepare to play at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
BYU is four spots back, at No. 22 and one spot ahead of another western school known for its home field, Boise State.
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“Provo’s towering mountaintops give LaVell Edwards Stadium some of the most beautiful scenery in college football this side of the Rose Bowl,” Myerberg and Toppmeyer wrote. “A noisy, intense and intimidating home crowd is supported by the nearly mile-high elevation that can wear down opponents. BYU is 25-6 at home since 2020.”
What other Big 12 teams have a top college football stadium?
The Big 12 is represented by one other team on the USA Today list: Oklahoma State comes in at No. 25.
“The oldest stadium in the Big 12 and one of the few in the country to run in an east-west direction received a major facelift and reboot with Oklahoma State’s development into a regional and national player in the 2000s, resulting in all 10 of the most-attended games in program history occurring since 2011,” Myerberg and Toppmeyer wrote.
“While things ran off the rails last season, Mike Gundy’s teams dropped only three home games from 2020-23. (The stadium gets bonus points for having the nicest press-box restroom experience in the Power Four.)”
