The Big Ten is full of iconic venues and stadiums, and is even home to three of the largest stadiums in the country. But for all of the massive crowds at places like Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State, there are also some smaller venues in the league. And while the size of the crowd isn’t always representative of the stadium atmosphere and environment, it does help.
But what are the best stadiums in the Big Ten, taking more things into account besides crowd size? Opinions vary, of course, but USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg ranked all eighteen Big Ten football stadiums, and you are going to love where Ohio Stadium, the “horseshoe,” landed on his ranking because it got top billing, ahead of No. 2 Autzen Stadium for Oregon, and No. 3 Beaver Stadium, where you can hear a lion no less than seeminly 300 times when Penn State is playing at home.
“Start with this: The Buckeyes have lost just three games at home since 2016,” wrote Myerberg about Ohio Stadium. “Two of those losses have come in the rivalry against Michigan. Basically, any trip to the Horseshoe with a crowd of more than 100,000 mostly against you is as close to a guaranteed loss as you’ll find in the Power Four.”
At the bottom of the rankings is Northwestern because there’s still a new on-campus stadium being built, just behind SECU Stadium at No. 17 for Rutgers, and Rutgers’ SHI Stadium at No. 16. Here’s a look at the complete ranking of all eighteen stadiums in the Big Ten according to Myerberg. Feel free to direct any mudslinging and nastygrams his way rather than ours.
There’s no doubt that a team’s record inside its home has influenced these rankings because, had the same exercise taken place when Wisconsin was winning more, Camp Randall Stadium no doubt would have been (and has been) higher. Also, Huntington Bank Stadium for Minnesota seems a bit low, but that’s really just splitting hairs.
What do you think about this list? Is it pretty accurate? What would you change?
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: USA TODAY ranks best Big Ten football stadiums. Where is Ohio State?
Reporting by Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire / Buckeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire | USA TODAY Network
