Ranking Best Big Ten Stadiums on Home-Field Advantage

Which Big Ten stadium gives its program the biggest home-field advantage in the conference?

Sep 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojan cheerleaders dance in the game against the Utah State Aggies during the first quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

With the USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins, Oregon Ducks, and Washington Huskies playing two full football seasons in the Big Ten, which teams in the expanded conference have the best home-field advantage?

The Indiana Hoosiers are on top of the college football world after winning the national championship, but Indiana's stadium doesn't crack the top 10 of the best home-field advantages in the Big Ten. On the other hand, the Illinois Fighting Illini are 12-2 at home since the West Coast teams were added to the conference, but Gies Memorial Stadium doesn't have a strong enough reputation yet.

10. Michigan State (Spartan Stadium)

The Michigan State football program has not won more than five games in the last four seasons, but the Spartans have one of the biggest stadiums in the conference. With a capacity of 75,005, Michigan State fans have been known to give the Spartans a home-field advantage.

If the team doesn't turn it around new coach Pat Fitzgerald, Spartan Stadium's reputation will continue to suffer.

9. Nebraska (Memorial Stadium)

Able to hold 85,458 fans, the Nebraska Cornhuskers' Memorial Stadium can be one of the loudest in the conference, but it's not necessarily known for its rowdy environment. In the last two seasons, Nebraska is 9-5.

8. USC (Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum)

Sep 2, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General overall view of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum peristyle and Olympic torch during a NCAA football game between the Western Michigan Broncos and the Southern California Trojans. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans flexed their home-field advantage with a sellout in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum against the Michigan Wolverines. USC won 31-13, offering a glimpse of what college football looked like in Southern California when the Trojans were competing for national titles.

However, USC fans did not fill the Coliseum's capacity of 77,500 outside of the Michigan game. Consistency is key, and the Trojans don't quite have that yet.

7. Iowa (Kinnick Stadium)

Iowa's Kinnick Stadium holds just under 70,000 people, and Hawkeyes fans have given themselves a reputation for night games in Iowa City, Iowa. Since 2024, Iowa has only lost three games at home: a one-point loss to Iowa State, a five-point loss to Indiana, and a two-point loss to Oregon.

The Hawkeye Wave might not add any element to Iowa's home-field advantage at Kinnick, but it still remains one of the best traditions in all of college sports.

6. Wisconsin (Camp Randall Stadium)

Wisconsin is known for having one of the more rowdy fanbases in the Big Ten, and the Badgers' "Jump Around" tradition is up there with the best in the country when it comes to preparing the crowd for the fourth quarter. Camp Randall seats 76,057 fans at capacity and is known as one of the loudest stadiums in the conference.

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5. Washington (Husky Stadium)

Sep 17, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies fans sailgate outside on Lake Washington outside Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium before a game against the Michigan State Spartans. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The design of Husky Stadium makes it one of the loudest in the country as cantilevered metal roofs over both sidelines trap in crowd noise. Tucked in the Pacific Northwest, Washington also has a unique home-field advantage in the Big Ten with a majority of conference opponents having to travel across the country to face the Huskies in Seattle.

At 11-2, Washington has one of the best home records in the Big Ten since 2024, tied with USC.

4. Michigan (Michigan Stadium)

Known as "The Big House," Michigan Stadium is iconic, and it's the third-largest stadium in the world with an official capacity of 107,601. The large size doesn't make it the loudest stadium in the Big Ten or in college football, but the Wolverines do enjoy a home-field advantage.

The Wolverines enter 2026 with former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham leading the way, and he will look to build off of Michigan's 11-3 record at home in the past two seasons.

3. Penn State (Beaver Stadium)

The home-field advantage for the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium is legendary, but the program has faltered a bit with a 10-4 record at home from 2024-25. With a capacity of 106,572 and an attendance record of 111,030, Penn State's stadium has hosted some of college football's biggest games for the past few seasons.

However, Penn State's loss to Oregon in the "White Out" in 2025 sent the season off the rails, and the Nittany Lions fell to Ohio State at home in 2024. Before losing to the Ducks, Penn State had won six consecutive "White Out" games.

Will the Nittany Lions' new coach Matt Campbell be able to get the program back on their feet in his first season? Penn State is set to host Wisconsin, USC, Purdue, Minnesota, and Rutgers in 2026.

2. Oregon (Autzen Stadium)

Fans fill the stands as the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on Nov. 22, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks are 25-2 inside Autzen Stadium over the past four seasons, and they are 13-1 since joining the Big Ten. Oregon lost to the eventual national champions, Indiana, at home in 2025, and the Ducks coach Dan Lanning and his team fell to Washington in 2022.

Autzen is known for being one of the louder environments in the country despite a relatively smaller capacity. The attendance record is 60,129, set during the 2024 season when Oregon hosted Ohio State during the regular season. The Ducks beat the Buckeyes, but Ohio State got revenge in the Rose Bowl and eventually won the national championship.

1. Ohio State (Ohio Stadium)

Ohio State fans cheer during Script Ohio prior to the NCAA football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Nov. 26, 2016. | Adam Cairns / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Over the last decade, the Ohio State Buckeyes have one of the best records regardless of where the game is played. Over the last four years, Ohio State is 27-2 at home and 14-1 since the Big Ten expanded.

Ohio Stadium's horseshoe shape lets some sound out, but "The Shoe" is known as one of the louder stadiums in the country and routinely holds crowds over 100,000. A daunting place to play, Ohio Stadium takes the top spot in the biggest home-field advantage in the Big Ten.