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Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kinnick garners respect in USA TODAY Sports Big Ten stadium rankings
Kinnick Stadium is one of the most historic stadiums in all of college football. The home of the Iowa Hawkeyes is named after Heisman Trophy winner and World War II hero Nile Kinnick, whose statue every player and coach passes by on game day. It's a place where The Hawkeye Wave at the end of the first quarter reminds everyone that life is bigger than football. And it's a place where opponents of the Hawkeyes hate to play because Iowa usually plays very well at home. Iowa is 109-60 at home since 2000, good for an almost 65% winning percentage. They've pulled off their fair share of huge wins, beating numerous top-five teams like Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State. While it hasn't always been positive, Kinnick Stadium is widely regarded as a great home-field advantage for the Hawkeyes. And USA TODAY Sports agrees with that sentiment with the release of their 2025 Big Ten stadium rankings. Where does Kinnick land USA TODAY Sports' Big Ten stadium rankings? Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports gave Kinnick Stadium some respect. Myerberg put the home of the Hawkeyes at No. 6 on the rankings, just cracking the upper third of the stadiums in the conference. In addition to goosing Iowa's Big Ten chances – the Hawkeyes are 22-6 at home since 2021 – Kinnick is home to the best new tradition in the sport: Since 2017, players and fans turn at the end of the first quarter and wave to the patients at Stead Family Children's Hospital. 'The Hawkeye Wave' is already an indelible part of the college football fabric. - Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports The five stadiums ranked ahead of Kinnick are Ohio Stadium (Ohio State), Beaver Stadium (Penn State), Autzen Stadium (Oregon), Michigan Stadium (Michigan), and Husky Stadium (Washington). Those are some legendary stadiums joining Kinnick at the top of this list, and it just goes to show how impressive the Big Ten conference as a whole is with its stadiums. Iowa fans will return to Kinnick on Aug. 30 for the 2025 season opener against Albany, where the Hawkeyes will look to continue their home dominance. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Kinnick garners respect in USA TODAY Sports Big Ten stadium rankings
The Herald Scotland
22-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Big Ten college football stadiums ranked from best to worst
There's the annual "White Out" game at Penn State. Michigan's record-setting capacity. The beauty of Pasadena at dusk. The unforgettable atmospheres at schools such as Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and more. From top to bottom, it's hard to top the history and tradition found at these Big Ten venues. In terms of pure intimidation, though, there's a very clear group at the top (and bottom). Here's how USA TODAY Sports ranks Big Ten home fields from nastiest to kindest for visitors: 1. Ohio Stadium, Ohio State Trips to the Horseshoe are basically a guaranteed loss for teams in and out of the Big Ten, unless you're Michigan. (The Wolverines have taken two in a row at home in the series.) Since the stadium opened in 1922, Ohio State has posted a mark of 478-115-20, including a remarkable 55-3 record (94.9%) since 2016. The Buckeyes have turned the 'Shoe into maybe the most hostile locale in the sport. 2. Beaver Stadium, Penn State "White Out" games are among the most unique home-field sights in college football: Nittany Lions faithful across the board dress up in white tops to provide visitors with an unsettling, eye-popping backdrop. Combined with the deafening roar provided by 100,000-plus fans, this makes Beaver Stadium one of the elite settings in the Bowl Subdivision. PART OF PLAN?: NCAA settlement for college sports already faces challenges PLAYOFF PROBLEM?: Why committee could be tested by two SEC teams 3. Autzen Stadium, Oregon Autzen became a house of horrors for opponents in the late 1990s before reaching a peak during the Chip Kelly era, when the Ducks rolled off a 21-game winning streak before an epic loss to Southern California in 2011. Oregon has lost just once at home since hiring Dan Lanning in 2022 and gone unbeaten the past two years. 4. Michigan Stadium, Michigan The largest venue by capacity in college sports? Check. But that's selling Michigan Stadium short: This is the largest stadium by total seating in the Western Hemisphere and the third-largest in the world. It may not be the loudest in the conference, but it might be the most iconic. 5. Husky Stadium, Washington There are few scenes in college football more aesthetically pleasing than a packed, rocking-and-rolling Husky Stadium with sailboats dotting Lake Washington - what locals call "sailgating." Historically, Husky Stadium has been seen as maybe the loudest spot in the FBS when things are going right for Washington. 6. Kinnick Stadium, Iowa In addition to goosing Iowa's Big Ten chances - the Hawkeyes are 22-6 at home since 2021 - Kinnick is home to the best new tradition in the sport: Since 2017, players and fans turn at the end of the first quarter and wave to the patients at Stead Family Children's Hospital. "The Hawkeye Wave" is already an indelible part of the college football fabric. SPECIAL PLACE: Inside the unique Iowa wave tradition 7. Camp Randall Stadium, Wisconsin At the end of the third quarter, Wisconsin fans will "Jump Around" to the 1992 House of Pain classic of the same name. The tradition started in 1998, took a very brief, highly controversial, one-game hiatus in 2003 and became a rallying cry during the Badgers' development into a Big Ten powerhouse under former coaches Barry Alvarez and Bret Bielema. 8. Memorial Stadium, Nebraska A decided lack of success at home in recent years dunks the Cornhuskers down this list. But when Nebraska is playing well, Memorial Stadium provides one of the best home-field advantages in college football. And even when the program is struggling, Memorial Stadium's deep wealth of history captures your attention and is sure to be sold out. 9. L.A. Memorial Coliseum, Southern California The Coliseum's art-deco-influenced design speaks to the venue's extensive history as the host not just for USC football but also multiple Olympic Games, the Super Bowl, NFL regular-season games and more. While it can be hit or miss, the Coliseum ratches up the intensity for opponents such as Notre Dame or rival UCLA. 10. Spartan Stadium, Michigan State Spartan Stadium hosted one of the defining matchups of the 20th century during the famous (or infamous) 10-10 tie against Notre Dame in 1966. More recently, Michigan Stadkum turned in a dominant run at home under former coach Mark Dantonio, though that edge has diminished this decade with the program's downturn. 11. Huntington Bank Stadium, Minnesota The newest stadium in the Big Ten (for now, as we'll see), Huntington Bank Stadium's capacity of just over 50,000 makes it one of the coziest venues in the conference. The open-air site will also turn frigid and occasionally snowy later in the year, though that doesn't stop locals from enjoying a Dilly Bar in the cold temps. 12. Memorial Stadium, Illinois After suffering a major dip in attendance during the woebegone days of the late 2010s, Illinois has reestablished a home-field advantage since Bielema was hired in 2021. The Illini averaged almost 55,000 fans per home game last year, the program's most since 2009. Illinois won six home games last season for the first time since 2001. 13. Ross-Ade Stadium, Purdue We won't penalize Purdue for incorrectly calling its oversize bass drum the "World's Largest Drum." (There's nothing wrong with a little hyperbole.) Ross-Ade has been inhospitable at times throughout its history: in the 1930s, the 1960s, the late 1970s and most recently during the Joe Tiller era (1997-2008). 14. Memorial Stadium, Indiana The home-field edge was alive in 2024, at least, when IU sold out its final four home games in Curt Cignetti's debut and drew a record single-season total of 386,992 fans. While not the case historically, the Hoosiers showed that Memorial Stadium can bring the noise when the team is competitive. 15. SECU Stadium, Maryland As a men's and women's lacrosse venue, SECU Stadium can be hard to beat. Football? There's a national title banner hanging inside (1953), and SECU (long known as Byrd Stadium) also hosted Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip for an upset of North Carolina in 1957. But the stadium doesn't wobble the knees of Big Ten opponents. 16. SHI Stadium, Rutgers The environment can be intimidating, as Washington found out last September. Back in the program's Big East days, then-and-now coach Greg Schiano helped Rutgers turn SHI Stadium (then called Rutgers Stadium) into a surprisingly unfriendly host. That hasn't always been the case in the Big Ten, though. 17. Rose Bowl, UCLA There's the Rose Bowl game - one that has long defined college football's postseason - and there's the Rose Bowl itself, which shares an address with the bowl game but little of the pageantry and hoopla (or fans). UCLA's home stadium is at least 30 minutes or so from campus, longer depending on traffic, and while the crowd will show up for rivals such as USC there is little in the way of an obvious home-field advantage. 18. Ryan Field, Northwestern The Wildcats will play their games in 2025 at Northwestern's soccer and lacrosse stadium while extensive renovations are completed at Ryan Field. When done, Ryan will be a slightly cozier, much more 21st-century venue "engineered to create a powerful homefield sound advantage at games," the school said. We'll have to wait and see where it ranks when complete.
USA Today
30-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
CBS Sports pits Auburn with this Big Ten team in a hypothetical alliance
CBS Sports pits Auburn with this Big Ten team in a hypothetical alliance The traditional fanfare between these two programs would create an electric atmosphere says Brad Crawford of CBS Sports. Talking season is underway, and the biggest topics of discussion this week are potential changes to the College Football Playoff format and a possible alliance between the SEC and Big Ten. During the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Florida this week, LSU head coach Brian Kelly discussed the desire of fellow SEC head coaches for SEC teams to face one Big Ten team each season in the future in an effort to challenge each team. "The Big Ten right now holds it on the SEC," Kelly said this week. "They've won the last two national championships, that's the reality of it. We want to get challenged in that regard and we'd like to be able to get that done. That's up to the commissioner and the ADs, but that's the wish of the room." If this dream were to become a reality, which Big Ten squad would pair best with the Auburn Tigers? Brad Crawford of CBS Sports recently pieced together hypothetical pairings of an SEC vs. Big Ten schedule, and has pitted Auburn with Iowa in this scenario. The two teams have never met on the gridiron, and the traditions that each team possesses would create an electric atmosphere in the regular season. Despite all of those Florida-based bowl games for the Tigers and Hawkeyes, these programs have never played. What's up with that? Iowa has one of the nation's best gamed traditions with the 'Hawkeye Wave' at the end of the first quarter of every home game while Auburn enjoys the 'Tiger Walk' and pre-game 'Flight of the War Eagle' prior to kickoff. It would be a neat experience for fans of both teams if Auburn and Iowa were locked in a alternating series with at least enough time for each program to get a home game. Auburn has a winning record historically against the Big Ten at 16-15-1, with most matchups coming in postseason play. The Tigers have a winning record over seven Big Ten squads including Washington, Michigan State, and Oregon, with teams such as Penn State, Wisconsin, and USC holding an edge over the Tigers. The potential alliance between the SEC and Big Ten would create opportunities for Auburn to square off with the conferences best teams while expanding their history with teams such as Illinois, UCLA, and Iowa, teams that Auburn has never played on the field. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Where does Wisconsin's 'Jump Around' rank among top college football gameday traditions?
Where does Wisconsin's 'Jump Around' rank among top college football gameday traditions? Pinpointing a Power 4 athletic program's belief in tradition, pageantry and pregame antics isn't tough to accomplish. Few programs, however, possess the firepower of University of Wisconsin's football program's most well-known tradition. In 247Sports' latest ranking of college football's top 10 gameday traditions, the Badgers' famous "Jump Around" landed at No. 2, falling behind only Virginia Tech's "Enter Sandman" entrance theme. Past that top duo, Chief Osceola's spear plant at Florida State secured the No. 3 spot, Ohio State's "dotting the 'I'" secured the No. 4 position and Auburn's practice of rolling the oak trees at Toomer's Corner took the No. 5 ranking. Here's what 247Sports contributor Grant Hughes had to say about Wisconsin's earthquake-registering tradition: "Several college athletics programs integrate the 1992 House of Pain song "Jump Around" into their game routine, but none do it as well as Wisconsin. The tradition began on October 10, 1998, during a homecoming game against Purdue. Ryan Sondrup, a tight end and marketing intern sidelined by injury, was tasked with creating a playlist to energize the crowd. With teammate Erik Waisanen, he selected "Jump Around" after testing songs at Wando's Bar in Madison. Since then, "Jump Around" has been played at every home game except one in 2003, and the pandemonium that ensues often registers on seismic scales." Interestingly enough, only three of 247Sports' top 10 college football traditions involve a music-related celebration. Those are Alabama's "Sweet Home Alabama," Wisconsin's "Jump Around," and Virginia Tech's "Enter Sandman." Meanwhile, Iowa's "Hawkeye Wave" to the UI Stead Family Children's Hospital, Clemson's "Howard's Rock" rub walking out the tunnel and Notre Dame's "Play like a Champion Today" sign involve the stadium and its atmosphere. While Wisconsin's on-field product over the last two seasons is unlikely to have satisfied the fans in attendance, the opening notes of "Jump Around" during the commercial break at the end of the third quarter remain a staple. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
