Is Michigan’s Big House still the biggest stadium in the US football landscape? As Penn State is busy renovating its Beaver Stadium with a lofty budget of around $700 million, the Big House could soon lose the title. But even if it does, the iconic stadium still holds an unbeaten record solely because of its devoted fans. 

“Remember when I told you they exceed seating capacity on Saturdays? Well, the Big House actually still holds and will still hold the all-time single-game attendance mark of 115,109 from their 2013 game against Notre Dame,” Craig Shemon said on the July 2 episode of Locked on Big Ten. 

The rivalry for stadium supremacy began when Penn State announced its $700M renovation. The Nittany Lions' Beaver Stadium, built in 1960, is now chasing Michigan's status.

According to a report by Centre Daily Times, the new seating now reaches new heights— 30 feet higher than it previously was. These new bleacher seats are expected to welcome more fans this season. When it opened to fans, there were just 50,000 seats, but over the years, it increased to just over 106,000. 

The Big House can seat 107,500 fans at a time, per reports. An increase in the number of seats doesn’t imply that they will be filled. Attendance solely depends on fans, and Wolverines fans proved just that in the 2013 game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. 

The September 7, 2013 face-off between the No.17 Wolverines and the No.14 Fighting Irish ended in a 41-30 victory for the maize and blue. 115,109 fans drove out to witness the game at Ann Arbor and exceeded the stadium’s seating capacity. 

“I don't know how they jammed that many people in there, but they did,” Shemon said. 

Penn State’s ambitious renovations are divided into phases. The first one is underway, with the others holding many more points to work on.

Penn State’s athletic director  reveals details on Beaver Stadium renovations

Pat Kraft, the athletic director of Penn State, spoke to Centre Daily Times previously and shared how the renovation is divided. Phase two will feature the following: 

• New bowl sound system 
• New north scoreboard 
• Upper stadium and seating completed during the season 
• New restrooms on the main concourse on the west side 
• Expanded east main concourse 
• Two new middle stairs on the east side 
• Permanent Gate F video board (pending board approval) 
• New field lighting on the east and west sides and 
• Removal of old field lights and poles on the east side

The third and final phase will add all the needed finishing touches. 

“The footprint is massive,” Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft said last year per Sports Illustrated. “It is a big, big, big, big building.”

Beaver Stadium could loom over the Big House, but the chances of it overshadowing maize and blue? Difficult. What are your thoughts? 

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar