Big 12 football stadiums ranked: Does Utah or Oklahoma State have toughest home venue?
Justin MartinezThe Oklahoman
Homefield advantage is a real thing in the Big 12.
The new-look conference has plenty of venues that opposing teams should strike fear into opposing teams. From OSU's Boone Pickens Stadium to Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium, the list is long.
Here are the rankings for the Big 12's toughest stadiums to play in. This list factors in max capacity, crowd atmosphere and team success.
Big 12 football stadium rankings
16. David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Kansas
Max capacity: 51,500It's hard to rank Kansas, which won't play its home games at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium this season. The venue is undergoing a $448 million renovation that'll be completed before the start of the 2025 campaign.
Kansas will play its home games at the Kansas City Chief's Arrowhead Stadium instead. It's one of the most feared places to play in for NFL teams, and it boasts a max capacity of 76,416.
But, when it comes to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, it's in the No. 16 spot because it'll be empty this season. It'll surely climb the list in 2025, especially if the Jayhawks continue their resurgence under head coach Lance Leipold.
15. TDECU Stadium, Houston
Max capacity: 40,000There was plenty of excitement within the Houston fan base entering last season, which marked the program's first in the Big 12. The Cougars broke their program record for the most season tickets sold.
But that excitement turned into frustration when Houston went 4-8 (2-7 Big 12), including 3-4 at home. The program then fired head coach Dana Holgorsen on Nov. 26.
Better days seem to be ahead for Houston under newly-hired head coach Willie Fritz, and that could lead to TDECU Stadium becoming a more feared place to play in. Until then, it sits at No. 15 on this list.
14. Sun Devil Stadium, Arizona State
Max capacity: 53,599Arizona State recorded an average home game attendance of 43,081 in 2022, which marked its lowest average since 1968. And while that number increased to 48,845 last season, there were still some low points.
The first one that comes to mind is Arizona State's 29-0 home loss to Fresno State on Sept. 16. Sun Devil Stadium was practically empty by the end of the game, and the some of the fans who stuck around began to watch the Colorado-Colorado State game on their phones.
13. Arizona Stadium, Arizona
Max capacity: 50,782Arizona is in the process of turning its home atmosphere around.
The Wildcats went 11-18 at Arizona Stadium from 2018-22, but they posted a 5-1 record last season. Arizona than implemented numerous changes this offseason to improve the fan experience, including new concession locations to reduce concourse congestion and a “Cat Cruiser” rideshare option for fans in the Phoenix area.
Those are all encouraging signs for the atmosphere at Arizona Stadium, which ranks No. 13 for now. It could certainly climb this list if the program continues to have success under newly-hired head coach Brent Brennan.
12. McLane Stadium, Baylor
Max capacity: 45,140McLane Stadium has one of the better home atmospheres in the Big 12 when Baylor is playing well. That was apparent in 2021 when the Bears went 12-2 (7-2 Big 12), including 7-0 at home.
But the Bears haven't been very good since then. They've gone 4-10 at home in the past two seasons, and the average attendance dropped from 45,463 in 2022 to 43,388 in 2023.
Baylor should be marginally better this season, although it'll likely be in the bottom half of the conference standings once again. That doesn't bode well for the atmosphere at McLane Stadium.
11. Folsom Field, Colorado
Max capacity: 50,183The Coach Prime effect is a real thing at Colorado.
With first-year head coach Deion Sanders leading the way last season, the Buffaloes sold out every home game for the first time in program history. They even hosted ESPN's College Football GameDay for the first time since 1996.
The buzz around Folsom Field was there, but it's only No. 13 on this list because it didn't prove to be too difficult of a place to play. Colorado went 2-4 at home last season and will likely be a middle-of-the-pack team in the Big 12 this season.
10. Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati
Max capacity: 40,000Nippert Stadium used to be one of the nation's toughest places to play in. While it didn't face the stiffest competition in the AAC, Cincinnati went 31-1 at home from 2018-22 under head coach Luke Fickell.
But Fickell left for Wisconsin prior to last season, and Cincinnati struggled in its Big 12 debut. The Bearcats went 3-9 (1-8 Big 12), including 1-6 at home.
Nippert Stadium still comes in at No. 11 on this list because of what it used to be during the Fickell era. It has the potential to be one of the toughest Big 12 stadiums to play in if Cincinnati can regain its footing under head coach Scott Satterfield.
9. FBC Mortgage Stadium, UCF
Max capacity: 45,301Similar to Cincinnati, UCF dominated at home prior to its move from the AAC to the Big 12. The Knights went 35-4 at FBC Mortgage Stadium from 2017-22.
UCF then went 6-7 (3-6 Big 12) last season. And while that marked its first losing campaign since 2020, it still went 4-2 at home.
The atmosphere didn't waiver at FBC Mortgage Stadium, which is nicknamed "The Bounce House" because it's susceptible to considerable shaking when its crowd jumps in unison. That consistency despite a down season makes this stadium worthy of the No. 9 spot.
