Is Michigan’s 'Big House' college football stadium ranking an insult by ESPN?

College football stadiums and the atmospheres they create are a huge part of what makes the sport so popular. Fans are proud of their stadiums and usually think their school has the best. 

That’s especially true at Michigan, which boasts the biggest and possibly most iconic on-campus stadium in the country. Boasting an official capacity of 107,601, Michigan Stadium isn’t just the largest in college football, but it is the largest in the western hemisphere.  

In a ranking of the best stadiums in college football

, ESPN ranked the Big House No. 3, behind only LSU’s Tiger Stadium and the Rose Bowl. 

In explaining the ranking, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg says, “Size matters with stadiums, and Michigan remains the largest by capacity at 107,601, edging fellow Big Ten venues Beaver Stadium (Penn State) and Ohio Stadium (Ohio State).” The ranking was based on a poll of 14 ESPN writers. 

But is a 3rd place ranking actually too low? Wolverines fans won’t like coming in 3rd! 

An argument could be made that the Rose Bowl shouldn’t be No. 2. Obviously, the Rose Bowl is legendary, but it is mostly known as a neutral site stadium. UCLA plays its home games there, but if you’ve ever been to a Bruins game in Pasadena you know the atmosphere is more like a flea market than a big time college football game. 

As for LSU? It comes down to preference – big and iconic like the Big House or a huge party like Death Valley.