College football is in trouble.
College regular season game attendance continues to drop. Fans are being economically squeezed out of the game they love. The fans are fed up with the power brokers running the game. They are fed up with the Transfer Portal, the NIL and the CFP.
The fan bases from 70% of Division I schools no longer have any hope to compete with the blue bloods of the sport. More and more fans would rather stay home and watch the games from the comfort of their Lazy Boy.
Stadiums are rarely sold out at those schools. The game is in a long-term death spiral.
To combat the above crisis, schools are trending away from mega stadiums and moving to enhance the game day experience.
How?
Schools with existing stadiums are renovating those hallowed halls, reducing seating capacity, getting fans closer to the action (field), concierge service, clubs viewing lounges, more suites and access to premium parking.
Here are five schools that have led the way to the next generation of stadiums.
Syracuse University:
Syracuse was one of this first schools to successfully retreat from the meg-stadium anchor when they opened the Carrier Dome in 1980. The stadium’s name was changed to JMA Wireless Dome in 2022, with a football seating capacity of 42,784.
It’s the largest domed stadium of any college campus, and the largest domed stadium in the northeastern United States. The stadium is domed for winter comfort and is extremely loud, often affectionately referred to as the “Loud House” by fans. The games are almost always at capacity. The dome also hosts the university’s basketball, hockey and lacrosse games. Syracuse’s athletic program leveled up the playing field by moving into a fan friendly venue.
Texas Christian University:
Texas Christian University (TCU) is a small private university located in Fort Worth, Texas. The Horned Frogs play their home games in Amon G. Carter Stadium, an open-air football stadium on the campus. The stadium has several popular nicknames, the most popular being "Hell's Half Acre" (a reference to the site in Fort Worth's Wild West past, which was located near the stadium). TCU found their athletic teams were falling farther and farther behind their regional competition.
In 2010, the trustees voted to renovate their old stadium with a seating capacity more appropriate to the size of their school and fan base. The new Carter Stadium was reduced to a seating capacity of 45,000. Standing-room only concourses allow capacity to exceed this number when ticket demand exceeds seating availability. Today, Carter Stadium is home to the Horned Frog football program and the annual Armed Force Bowl.
Like Syracuse, the Horned Frog football program has thrived over the last 20 years, including their first College Football Playoff berth. They defeated Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal and advanced to the national championship.
Northwestern University:
Northwestern University is a small private school located in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago. The Wildcats have played their home football games at Ryan Field since 1926, with a seating capacity of 47,130. The stadium is near the main campus.
In 2021, Northwestern announced that the Ryan family had donated $480 million to the university, supporting several academic initiatives and providing initial funding for replacing Ryan Field with a new stadium at the current site.
Northwestern's new Ryan Field opens in 2026, with a seating capacity of 35,000, almost 12,000 seats smaller than the former stadium. It will be the smallest football stadium in the Big Ten Conference. It’s final price tag will be $850 million.
The new Ryan Field is expected to contain elements not seen today in college football, with features found in the NFL. Spectators are expected to be much closer to the action than in traditional collegiate bowl stadiums, and the new stadium is projected to be 78 percent larger than its predecessor to accommodate club and plaza areas for entertainment and dining spaces. Like other modern venues, the stadium will have a canopy for spectator weather-protection and for sound retention as a competitive advantage.
Northwestern believes smaller is better for their future.
Southern Methodist University (SMU):
SMU is a small private university located in Dallas, Texas. After the NCAA imposed “death penalty” in 1987, the university re-established the football program in 1989.
The Mustangs now play their home games in the Gerald J. Ford Stadium located on campus. Ford Stadium opened on September 2, 2000 with a seating capacity of 35,481. An expansion was completed in 2024, with a seating capacity of 45,000 seats.
San Diego State University:
San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California. SDSU is a member of the Mountain West Athletic Conference. The university the latest school to build a new stadium that caters to enhanced fan comfort and game day experience. The Aztecs play their home games in the new Snapdragon Stadium, a 35,000-seat multipurpose venue owned by San Diego State University.
Snapdragon is home to SDSU Aztec Football, San Diego Wave FC of the National Women’s Soccer League, and the San Diego Legion of Major League Rugby. In addition to tenant events, Snapdragon Stadium will host a myriad of events including concerts, festivals, dirt shows, international sporting events, championships, and community events. On June 11, 2024, it was announced that the Holiday Bowl would be moving from Petco Park to Snapdragon Stadium.
Baylor University:
Baylor University is located in Waco, Texas. Baylor is a member of the Big-12 athletic conference. After 64 seasons at the off-campus Baylor Stadium, renamed Floyd Casey Stadium in 1988 they opened
their new $266 million on-campus McLane Stadium for the 2014 season .
The stadium has a seating capacity of 45,140. The stadium is designed to be expandable to a capacity of 55,000 as future needs require.
BOTTOM LINE:
The latest college stadium design trend is for smaller, more intimated and better fan experience. Smaller is better!
Will it save college football? Only if the field of competition is also leveled off.
GO CANES!
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