College Football’s Loudest Stadium Officially Named in New Ranking

A record set during a November 2023 loss to Georgia still stands three seasons later, and Tennessee has a home schedule in 2026 built to test it

Wide view of Tennessee Volunteers fans at Neyland Stadium | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of the unique qualities of college football games is the loud, raucous fan bases. On3 published a top 10 ranking of the loudest stadiums in college football, measured by the highest decibel reading ever recorded inside each building.

Tennessee's Neyland Stadium finished first at 137 decibels.

Washington's Husky Stadium and South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium tied for second at 133.6. Clemson's Memorial Stadium was fourth at 132.8 and LSU's Tiger Stadium was fifth at 130. Oregon's Autzen Stadium (127), Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium (126.2), Texas A&M's Kyle Field (126), Penn State's Beaver Stadium (122) and Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (115) rounded out the list.

Neyland Stadium's record-setting game against Georgia

Tennessee set the mark on November 18, 2023, in a home game against defending national champion Georgia. The 137-decibel reading came in the first quarter with the Vols down 10-7. Georgia won the game by 28 points.

Top 10 Loudest College Football Stadiums by Decibels🏟️ pic.twitter.com/UNM82zDhX7

— On3 (@On3) July 25, 2026

That number ended a 31-year run for Washington. Husky Stadium hit 133.6 decibels against Nebraska in 1992, and no college crowd topped it until Knoxville did. Seattle's stadium seats 70,083, about 30,000 fewer than the 101,915 in Neyland.

Tennessee's home crowd under Josh Heupel

The Vols have sold out 27 straight home games entering 2026. Tennessee drew 713,405 fans to Neyland Stadium in 2025, fourth in the FBS and second in the SEC, with an average of 101,915 that ranked sixth nationally.

Opposing players have gone on the record about the noise. Alabama beat Tennessee in Knoxville in October 2024, a 24-17 Vols win in which the Crimson Tide committed several pre-snap penalties, and quarterback Jalen Milroe addressed the crowd afterward.

"We do got to acknowledge that it was a great crowd that we just played in front of," Milroe said. "One of the greatest crowds in the country. So it's on us to control our controllables, understand our assignment, understand our snap count and understand what we need to do so that we can move forward when playing games like this."

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Alabama radio play-by-play announcer Chris Stewart claimed during that broadcast that Tennessee pumped in crowd noise. The school denied it. Head coach Josh Heupel was asked about the accusation days later.

"Neyland doesn't need anything fake piped into the stadium for that to be the loudest place in America," Heupel said. "Hopefully our fans take that personally, enjoy this bye week and come back and be louder than ever next time we're at home."

Fifth-year offensive lineman Cooper Mays took it as praise.

"I think the suggestion that it's artificial is a huge compliment to the crowd, the fans, the environment in general," Mays said.

Neyland Stadium in EA Sports College Football 27

The venue on the banks of the Tennessee River ranks eighth on the toughest places to play list in EA Sports College Football 27, which was released July 9. LSU's Tiger Stadium holds the top spot for a second straight year, followed by Ohio State's Ohio Stadium, Penn State's Beaver Stadium, Georgia's Sanford Stadium and Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Knoxville moved up four spots from No. 12 in last year's game and debuted at No. 13 when the series returned in 2024. Tennessee went 8-5 in 2025 and lost three games at home, including an overtime defeat to Georgia in the Checker Neyland game.

Tennessee's 2026 home schedule at Neyland Stadium

Heupel's sixth team hosts seven games. Tennessee opens against Furman on September 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET and hosts Kennesaw State on September 19 for the Salute to Service game.

Texas comes to Knoxville on September 26 at noon ET on ABC for the 10th Checker Neyland game and the first regular-season meeting between the programs. Auburn visits October 3 with former Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh leading the Tigers.

Alabama arrives October 17. Kentucky is the Homecoming opponent on November 7 in a primetime window, and LSU head coach Lane Kiffin returns to Neyland Stadium on November 21 for Senior Day.