Michigan Football: The top 10 highest attended games at the Big House

Although Michigan Stadium has an official capacity of 107,601, the Big House has surpassed that mark a number of times in recent years.

Chris Breiler | Jul 19, 2024

Nov 25, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines fans cheer during the second half of the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium. Ohio State lost 30-24. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

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Michigan Stadium is known as the “Big House” for a reason. It’s the largest stadium in the United States, the biggest stadium in the Western Hemisphere, and the third largest sports venue in the world. Michigan Stadium has also hosted a home crowd of over 100,000 fans for 307 consecutive games dating back to 1975, the longest active streak in college football.

During the 2023 season, Michigan’s seven home games brought in a total of 769,797 fans, good for an average of 109,971 fans per game. Not surprisingly, the highest-attended game of the 2023 season came on November 25th, where 110,615 fans watched the Wolverines defeat the Buckeyes by a score of 30-24.

Nov 25, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines fans cheer during the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium. Ohio State lost 30-24. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

Although having 110,000 fans in the Big House for a Saturday afternoon is impressive, it’s far short of landing within the top ten of the highest attended games in Michigan Stadium history. Here’s a look at that top ten list:

10. Michigan vs. Iowa - 113,016 (11/17/2012)

9. Michigan vs. Michigan State - 113,065 (10/9/2010)

8. Michigan vs. Penn State - 113,085 (10/11/2014)

7. Michigan vs. UConn - 113,090 (9/4/2010)

6. Michigan vs. Ohio State - 113,511 (11/30/2013)

5. Michigan vs. Nebraska - 113,718 (11/19/2011)

4. Michigan vs. Michigan State - 113,833 (10/20/2012)

3. Michigan vs. Ohio State - 114,132 (11/26/2011)

2. Michigan vs. Notre Dame - 114,804 (9/10/2011)

1. Michigan vs. Notre Dame - 115,109 (9/7/2013)

The current single-game attendance record across all of college football technically belongs to the 2016 matchup between Tennessee and Virginia Tech, otherwise known as the "Battle at Bristol". Held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol (TN), the game brought in a whopping156,990 fans who watched the Vols defeat the Hokies by a score of 45-24. But when it comes to on-campus games, Michigan's 2013 matchup against Notre Dame still claims the record for the largest crowd in college football history (115,109).

Here’s a look at all of the Big Ten stadiums in order of official capacity:

1. Michigan Stadium (Michigan) – 107,601

2. Beaver Stadium (Penn State) – 106,572

3. Ohio Stadium (Ohio State) – 102,780

4. Rose Bowl (UCLA) – 87,702

5. Memorial Stadium (Nebraska) – 85,458

6. Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin) – 80,321

7. LA Memorial Coliseum (USC) – 77,500

8. Spartan Stadium (Michigan State) – 75,005

9. Husky Stadium (Washington) – 70,138

10. Kinnick Stadium (Iowa) – 69,250

11. Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue) – 61,441

12. Memorial Stadium (Illinois) – 60,670

13. Autzen Stadium (Oregon) – 54,000

14. SECU Stadium (Maryland) – 51,802

15. Memorial Stadium (Indiana) – 52,656

16. SHI Stadium (Rutgers) – 52,454

17. Huntington Bank Stadium (Minnesota) – 50,850

18. Ryan Field (Northwestern) – demolished

From a national perspective, Michigan Stadium still leads the pack:

1. Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor, Mich.) 107,601

2. Beaver Stadium (University Park, Pa.) 106,572

3. Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio) 102,780

4. Kyle Field (College Station, Texas) 102,733

5. Tiger Stadium (Baton Rouge, La.) 102,321

6. Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, Tenn.) 101,915

7. Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) 101,821

8. Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas) 100,119

9. Sanford Stadium (Athens, Ga.) 92,746

10. Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) 91,136

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