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It's almost impossible to rank the 10 best college football crowds of all time, but one thing is far easier to say: So many home crowds in NCAA football offer an insane level of hype. It's something that the home team will always be energized by, and what an away team dreads.
Let's find out about the most raucous crowds in college football – in no particular order!
The best college football crowds ever
University of Florida, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Affectionately nicknamed "The Swamp," Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium can hold up to 90,000 Gators-crazy spectators who greet visiting teams with their team's iconic "Chomp" gesture.
The atmosphere is regularly ranked among the toughest to play in, mainly due to the stadium's design itself. It was built inside a shallow sinkhole, meaning the field is actually below ground level. This makes sure that the noise of rowdy fans gets contained within the semi-enclosed space, with sound levels around 115 decibels. This level of loudness can almost literally hurt anyone's ears.
University of Georgia, Sanford Stadium
Sanford Stadium's famous privet hedges are the most iconic features of the University of Georgia's home field. A game "between the hedges" is often considered one of the best feelings for any player or fan, making for one of the best college football crowds by a mile.
This energy certainly has had an effect on the Bulldogs, which notably hasn't lost a home game since 2019 when they lost in double-overtime to South Carolina.
University of Nebraska, Memorial Stadium
Fans of the Cornhuskers might not have a lot to cheer about their team lately, but when they do have something to cheer for, they can be loud.
Almost 100,000 fans chanting in unison while the team takes to the field to the tune of the Alan Parsons Project's "Sirius" (the same iconic theme song that played during the Chicago Bulls' intros with Michael Jordan) will be more than enough to make an opposing player think twice about setting them off.
LSU, Tiger Stadium
When talking about the best college football crowds in history, you can never count out the rabid fans of the LSU Tigers. Tiger Stadium is consistently considered the best and most intimidating college football atmosphere there is, and for good reason.
Otherwise dubbed as the "Death Valley," Tiger Stadium can also be jokingly called "Deaf Valley" because of how loud the fans can get. Furthermore, the team's actual, living mascot, Mike the Tiger, has his cage right next to the stadium itself. Not long ago, LSU brought Mike into the stadium before games and left him in his cage close to the visiting team's locker room as an intimidation tactic.
Nothing like a vicious predator roaring close to you during a big game day, right?
University of Iowa, Kinnick Stadium
Kinnick is not as big as the first few stadiums on this list, but its capacity is still almost at 70,000 spectators on any given day. However, it's not exactly known for its hostile atmosphere against opposing teams in recent years, for it's got a far more positive reputation.
The home crowd takes time to wave in almost perfect unison to the patients of the University of Iowa Children's Hospital, which is located just beside the stadium. This placement was deliberate as the university wanted to give the young patients and their families a clear view of the games in Kinnick, which can even get opposing teams and referees to join in. Quite a wholesome gesture, right?
Penn State, Beaver Stadium
For the Nittany Lions of Penn State, Beaver Stadium probably has one of the best college football crowds ever due to one tradition: White Out Games. For those games, home fans come to Beaver Stadium dressed all in white, a kind of unity that could send shivers down any opposing team member's spine.
Seeing one of these White Out Games from the air is an absolute sight to behold, as almost nothing else is a different color aside from the field itself and the uniforms of the visiting team sticking out like sore thumbs.
Penn State games often draw crowds in excess of 100,000 on average, so go figure just how hostile this sight can be for an opposing player.
Texas A&M, Kyle Field
Four badass fighter jets fly above Kyle Field before every Aggies game. How's that for a pregame ritual? This is due to the stadium's proximity to the home base of the 301st Fighter Wing, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth Carswell Field.
Furthermore, the school is also home to one of America's largest ROTC programs, which is why a good amount of the pregame hype pays tribute to the armed forces.
Another tradition is the so-called "yell practice" that often happens at midnight before every home game, attended by roughly 25,000 fans. Kyle Field has the largest stadium in the SEC in terms of total seating capacity, with 102,733. Imagine the noise when all those seats are filled.
Florida State University, Doak Campbell Stadium
Florida State's athletic teams are called the Seminoles after the state's Native American people. One of the team's rituals is the Tomahawk Chop, also called the "War Chant" by fans. This features the fans performing the chopping motion with their hands a la the Native Americans who regularly wielded the one-handed axe in battle.
Also, Chief Osceola, the school's mascot, rides out into the field riding on top of his horse, Renegade, then sinks his flaming spear on the 50-yard line. Just watching this tradition on video is enough to give anyone goosebumps, so what more if you experience it live?
Ohio State University, Ohio Stadium
Buckeyes faithful have the 104,944-seater Ohio Stadium to call home for their team's games, and they surely make the most out of it. Aside from the team itself, fans also flock to see what they call "The Best Damn Band in the Land," the Ohio State University Marching Band, who plays anthems that give OSU perhaps one of the most effective home-field advantages in college football.
At home, the Buckeyes have an insane .729 all-time winning percentage, which no other team has ever come close to.
University of Nebraska, Lincoln Memorial Stadium
Despite not having had a real national contender for the last 20 years, the University of Nebraska still fills up the Memorial Stadium's 85,000 seats on every game day.
Also referred to as the "Sea of Red," Memorial Stadium likewise has sold out 375 straight home games, a streak which started in 1962. No other team in college football history is within 100 games of this streak, further punctuating the sheer, undying loyalty of Cornhusker fans – even if their team's play doesn't always come out great on the field.
