The Big Ten might have stadium quality — in the form of the three biggest college football stadiums (and biggest stadiums of any kind) in the country — but the SEC has stadium quantity.
The Big Ten is home to the only three stadiums in the United States with a seating capacity over 103,000: Michigan Stadium (107,601), Beaver Stadium (106,572) and Ohio State (104,944). However, after Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State, the conference tails off, with only one other program boasting a capacity over 81,000 (Nebraska's Memorial Stadium, 86,047).
The SEC, while without a top-three spot, owns the next four largest stadiums and seven of the top 13. Texas A&M's Kyle Field (102,733) ranks fourth overall, followed closely by Tennessee's Neyland Stadium (102,455), LSU's Tiger Stadium (102,321) and Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium (101,821).
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The SEC has both the highest average (80,587) and median capacity (83,851) — by a mile. The Big Ten is next closest at 71,724 and 65,628, respectively, while the other three power conferences are far behind. Both the ACC and Pac-12 have an average and median below 60,000. The Big 12, carried by Texas (100,119) and Oklahoma (84,389) sits in the middle.
| Conference | Average | Median |
|---|---|---|
| ACC | 58,452 | 59,542 |
| American | 44,748 | 40,000 |
| Big 12 | 61,730 | 60,109 |
| Big Ten | 71,724 | 65,628 |
| Conference USA | 36,431 | 30,925 |
| MAC | 26,827 | 25,624 |
| Mountain West | 39,420 | 38,012 |
| Pac-12 | 59,164 | 55,015 |
| SEC | 80,587 | 83,851 |
| Sun Belt | 27,096 | 30,000 |
The American has both the highest average and median of any Group of Five conference, while the Sun Belt brings up the rear as the only conference in college football with both numbers at or below 30,000.
Here's the full list of all 130 FBS stadiums and their seating capacity:
