Ranking Big 12 Football Stadiums: From Worst to Ultimate Home Field

The 2025 Big 12 football season draws closer and closer. A little over two months remain before the college football season kicks off in Dublin, Ireland, with Iowa State vs. Kansas State on Saturday, Aug. 23.

While this offseason has been less hectic from a conference realignment standpoint, we are still getting used to having a 16-team Big 12 with the 2024 additions of Colorado , Utah, Arizona State and Arizona.

The various conference dynamics are still being determined, with certain rivalries forming and others reignited from previous conference ties.

New identities, styles of play and histories are now a part of the Big 12. College football is known for its grand cathedrals, and these identities encompass each team's venue and game-day experiences. With one season of games behind us, it's a good time to update our Big 12 stadium rankings.

There are numerous ways to rank the greatness of a stadium. Huge attendance numbers, home-field atmosphere, traditions, beautiful landscapes and, of course, looks. We used a combination of each to determine our rankings, with the tiebreaker, if any, being team play.

Here's a ranking of the Big 12 football stadiums from worst to first:

16. FBC Mortgage Stadium (UCF)

Capacity: 44,206

Opened: 2007

UCF's home stadium looks like an oversized high school venue, and the atmosphere never seems to be on par with the other great stadiums in college football.

15. Arizona Stadium (Arizona)

Capacity: 50,782

Opened: 1929

Arizona Stadium is definitely the worst venue of the former Pac-12 schools. It is bland, and I am not a big fan of the upper sections that seem to blend in with the lower levels. The Wildcats are also not a good team, so the atmosphere is severely lacking.

14. David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium (Kansas)

Capacity: TBA (47,233 before recent renovations)

Opened: 1921

I see this stadium skyrocketing up next year's ranking once it opens to the public and the Jayhawks play a full season within its walls. The renderings look amazing, but until I see it in real life, I can only give it so much credit.

13. Space City Financial Stadium (Houston)

Capacity: 40,000

Opened: 2014

One of the newer stadiums on this list, but one that, in my opinion, doesn't bring much to the table. No view, minimal character, and it doesn't house a talented team that could make the stadium better. However, I am a massive fan of the name change that took place this offseason. Who wouldn't want a stadium with "Space City" in the name?

12. Nippert Stadium (Cincinnati)

Capacity: 40,124

Opened: 1915

One of the smaller stadiums in the Big 12, and although it has some nice features, it looks more like stands sitting on a patch of turf.

11. Mountain America Stadium (Arizona State)

Capacity: 53,599

Opened: 1958

Although the setting is fabulous, set in the rocky Arizona desert, the stadium does not wow me from the outside. The vibe inside the stadium should only improve as the Sun Devils continue their ascension as one of the Big 12's top teams.

10. Jack Trice Stadium (Iowa State)

Capacity: 61,500

Opened: 1975

Iowa State's home stadium is a fairly conventional football venue with a traditional horseshoe layout. Nothing makes it stand out above the rest, but it doesn't do anything wrong either. The home-field advantage that the Cyclones seem always to have puts it in the top 10.

9. Bill Snyder Family Stadium (Kansas State)

Capacity: 50,000

Opened: 1968

I much prefer rounder stadiums, so perhaps that's why I only have Kansas State's home venue at No. 9. The intimate feeling from inside the stadium does the entire venue wonders, but what makes this one stand out is the exterior. The limestone exterior in the shape of a castle sets the bar for stadium exteriors.

8. McLean Stadium ( Baylor )

Capacity: 45,140

Opened: 2014

One of the newer stadiums in the Big 12 and one that looks a lot bigger than it is. The way the stadium is still designed as a horseshoe, yet has three separate decks, creates a fantastic look. Add in the view of the Brazos River from some sections, and that gives it a top 10 spot.

7. Milan Puskar Stadium (West Virginia)

Capacity: 60,000

Opened: 1980

Milan Puskar Stadium is not the most updated stadium in the conference, but its fans and atmosphere are on another level, giving West Virginia's home a high ranking.

6. LaVell Edwards Stadium ( BYU )

Capacity: 63,470

Opened: 1964

The stadium's seating arrangement features a unique layout with four disconnected sections. Not the most attractive stadium in my eyes, but the view is worthy of being in the top 10.

5. Rice-Eccles Stadium (Utah)

Capacity: 51,444

Opened: 1998

Rice-Eccles Stadium is elite. It even rivals Folsom Field with its views of the Wasatch Mountains. The end-zone seats don't detract from the views, which is a significant plus, and the angled sideline stands help create a raucous atmosphere.

4. Jones AT&T Stadium (Texas Tech)

Capacity: 60,229

Opened: 1947

A classic college football stadium look. Texas Tech has one of the best venues in the Big 12, in my opinion. The sunken field and the archways that line the exterior make the stadium stand out from the rest. The Spanish architecture that covers much of the outside is a bonus.

3. Amon G. Carter Stadium (TCU)

Capacity: 46,000

Opened: 1930

Amon G. Carter Stadium is built in a unique way that seems to stand out in the Big 12. The entire lower bowl goes around the field, while two giant decks rise over the sidelines. Honestly, this might be one of the most underrated stadiums in college football — no complaints at all about the look.

2. Boone Pickens Stadium (Oklahoma State)

Capacity: 53,855

Opened: 1920

When I think Big 12, I think Oklahoma State and Boone Pickens Stadium. The exterior is so uniform that it seems to match the team's orange, black and white color scheme perfectly. The walls of seats make the entire venue feel imposing, and the nearly perfect horseshoe design reminds me of Ohio Stadium—quite the compliment in my book.

1. Folsom Field (Colorado)

Capacity: 50,183

Opened: 1924

Call it a homer pick if you must, but no one can deny the type of venue Folsom Field is. It has uniformity with the entire campus, thanks to its brick exterior, and offers great seating options where you don't feel so far away from the field, with perhaps the best view in the entire sport. What more could you ask for?

This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Ranking all 16 Big 12 football stadiums from worst to first