The 10 best-attended games in the Big House

Michigan Stadium is called the “Big House” for a reason. It is the largest stadium in the United States, the largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere, and the third largest sports venue in the world. Since 1975, Michigan Stadium has also hosted over 100,000 home fans for 307 consecutive games – the longest active streak in college football.

During the 2023 season, Michigan’s seven home games drew a total of 769,797 fans, for an average of 109,971 fans per game. Not surprisingly, the highest attendance game of the 2023 season occurred on November 25, when 110,615 fans watched the Wolverines defeat the Buckeyes by a score of 30-24.

While it’s impressive to have 110,000 fans in the Big House on a Saturday afternoon, that’s not nearly enough to break into the top ten highest-attended games in Michigan Stadium history. Here’s a look at the top ten list:

10. Michigan vs. Iowa – 113,016 (17.11.2012)

9. Michigan vs. Michigan State – 113,065 (9.10.2010)

8. Michigan vs. Penn State – 113,085 (10.11.2014)

7. Michigan vs UConn – 113,090 (04.09.2010)

6. Michigan vs. Ohio State – 113,511 (30.11.2013)

5. Michigan vs. Nebraska – 113,718 (19.11.2011)

4. Michigan vs. Michigan State – 113,833 (20.10.2012)

3. Michigan vs. Ohio State – 114,132 (26.11.2011)

2. Michigan vs. Notre Dame – 114,804 (9.10.2011)

1. Michigan vs. Notre Dame – 115,109 (07.09.2013)

The current record for attendance for a game in all of college football technically goes to the 2016 Tennessee-Virginia Tech game, also known as the “Battle at Bristol.” The game was played at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN and drew a whopping 156,990 fans to watch the Vols defeat the Hokies 45-24. But as far as on-campus games go, Michigan’s 2013 game against Notre Dame still holds the record for the largest crowd in college football history (115,109).

Here is a list of all Big Ten stadiums in order of official capacity:

1. Michigan Stadium (Michigan) – 107,601

2. Beaver Stadium (Penn State) – 106,572

3. Ohio Stadium (Ohio State) – 102,780

4. Rose Bowl (UCLA) – 87,702

5. Memorial Stadium (Nebraska) – 85,458

6. Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin) – 80,321

7. LA Memorial Coliseum (USC) – 77,500

8. Spartan Stadium (Michigan State) – 75,005

9. Husky Stadium (Washington) – 70,138

10. Kinnick Stadium (Iowa) – 69,250

11. Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue) – 61,441

12. Memorial Stadium (Illinois) – 60,670

13. Autzen Stadium (Oregon) – 54,000

14. SECU Stadium (Maryland) – 51,802

15. Memorial Stadium (Indiana) – 52,656

16. SHI Stadium (Rutgers) – 52,454

17. Huntington Bank Stadium (Minnesota) – 50,850

18. Ryan Field (Northwestern) – demolished

From a national perspective, Michigan Stadium is still the leader:

1. Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor, Michigan) 107,601

2. Beaver Stadium (University Park, Pennsylvania) 106,572

3. Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio) 102,780

4. Kyle Field (College Station, Texas) 102,733

5. Tiger Stadium (Baton Rouge, La.) 102,321

6. Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, Tenn.) 101,915

7. Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) 101,821

8. Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas) 100,119

9. Sanford Stadium (Athens, Ga.) 92,746

10. Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) 91,136

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