Having started to follow college football in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I fondly remember the Big XII being a conference full of awful AstroTurf fields. Of course, it has gone through quite a bit of upheaval since then while technology has seen those bright green playing surfaces become a thing of the past. And while I do miss that old alignment, our ranking of Big XII stadiums looks at the current ten teams.
That means Texas and Oklahoma are in and BYU and UCF have not been included. However, we still have ten venues to rank here. As far as this ranking of Big XII stadiums is concerned, I’m approaching things from a neutral point of view.
Being a west coast guy, I have no dog in this fight. Nor do I care what their fanbases think. This is probably the most truthful ranking of Big XII stadiums as you can expect to find. But if we’re being honest, none of them come close to Martin Stadium or several Mountain West venues. That’s just an accepted fact.
Related: A brief treatise on what makes college football great and what will destroy it
Ranking Big XII Stadiums
10) David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium
One of the takeaways from the Kansas Jayhawks Cinderella season in 2007 was the crapiness of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. And while some improvements have been made over the past 15 years, namely removing the ridiculous running track, it is still pretty terrible. I mean it’s great if you love things shaped like the letter “U” but most everyone else will be thoroughly unimpressed.
Also, let’s call a spade a spade. Lawrence is just as pretentious as Austin. I get why both places think they’re so great compared to their surroundings, but it can be a bit much.
9) Jones AT&T Stadium
Texas Tech fans are alarmingly aggressive despite the fact no one really cares about them or their university. They are probably just angry they were dumb enough to go to school in such a boring place. Anyway, Jones AT&T Stadium is big but does nothing to stand out. Sorry, throwing tortillas doesn’t count. There is legitimately no reason to travel all the way to Lubbock, which is in the middle of nowhere, to see a game from here.
8) Milan Puskar Stadium
Basically, most of what I wrote about Texas Tech and Jones AT&T Stadium also applies to West Virginia and Milan Puskar Stadium. The key differences are that the surrounding area is nicer and Morgantown is closer to civilization than Lubbock.
The shortcomings of Milan Puskar Stadium are mostly due to the facility being a product of its time. It opened in 1980 and all stadiums designed between 1970 and 1990 look pretty awful.
7) Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Let’s start with the positives about Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Walking up to the stadium is memorable. It looks striking. Additionally, the slopping of the stands has been done extremely well. There isn’t a bad seat in the house.
Now it’s time for the negatives. Oklahoma Sooners fans suck. All they do is scarf down pan pizzas and light beer while complaining about any and everything. Seriously, they spend three hours every Saturday bitching while a football game plays out in front of them. They’ll bitch about the defense, the coaching staff, the kicker, politics, the bag boy at Homeland smushing their bread and really anything about their stupid lives in stupid Oklahoma. Long story short, awful fans ruin a good stadium.
Read More: Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium review
6) Bill Snyder Family Stadium
The limestone façade of Bill Snyder Family Stadium is quite unique for a football venue. It’s also a tribute to the team’s original home of World War I Memorial Stadium which is still used by Kansas State athletics to this day. Once inside, Bill Snyder Family Stadium is fairly standard. It was opened in 1968 and that fact definitely shows. Some renovations have been done over the years, but its age is very evident.
All things considered, the stadium is an embodiment of K-State football as a whole. Good but not great. You know its there but also don’t remember a lot about it.
5) McLane Stadium
McLane Stadium is the game manager quarterback of stadiums. It’s solid, fundamentally sound and does a lot of things right. As a new stadium, you will find modern amenities and the facility is certainly comfortable. It is a very good place to watch a game. But it just lacks something. In my opinion, that something is a proper fanbase.
For a school that prides itself on its Christian values, Baylor fans are kind of scumbags. Now, nothing they do differs from the usual fare you’d experience at public schools. However, Jesus probably isn’t loving the fact Bears supporters in the stands at McLane Stadium are showing off dick pics they received, sneaking alcohol into games and gossiping non-stop. That is not the students, by the way. These are things I have seen the alumni and fans do with my own eyes at a game.
4) Jack Trice Stadium
Jack Trice Stadium just feels like college football. It has been renovated really well over the years and is a good place to watch a game. Look, it’s not the sexiest venue in the world and the weather isn’t always agreeable. But there is a lot to admire here despite its shortcomings.
Iowa State fans deserve a mention as well. They are loyal and actually watch the game. Everyone is Iowa nice. Ames is a very underrated city. Overall, the experience is among the better ones in the Big XII and college football.
3) Amon G. Carter Stadium
It is amazing to look at photos of Amon G. Carter Stadium from the 2000s and then see it today. This place has transformed from a generic dump to a cool sporting venue. Some have tried to call it the Camden Yards of college football. I don’t know about all that, but it definitely has an old-timey feel that extends from the outside to the concourses and just about everywhere else.
People will criticize Amon G. Carter Stadium for a lack of atmosphere which is something that gets overblown. Let’s be truthful, the crowd here is full of real estate agents with fake tans, bleached teeth and pleasant dispositions. But when TCU plays a rival or team that matters, the crowd gets into it. And they are certainly much better than the riffraff at Baylor.
Spending three hours on a Saturday watching a game at Amon G. Carter Stadium is a nice experience all things considered.
Read More: Amon G. Carter Stadium review – A look at the Camden Yards of college football
2) Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium
Look, Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium is outstanding, especially with the south endzone upgrades which have reshaped the facility. However, it also gives off big Dodger Stadium vibes. At this point, people go to Texas football games as much to be seen and say they went as anything else. Don’t get me wrong, they are fans and care about the team, but the experience feels a bit vapid.
1) Boone Pickens Stadium
Here’s the deal, the paddles are stupid and Oklahoma State fans are only slightly less uncouth than Oklahoma supporters. But holy hell is Boone Pickens Stadium an awesome place to watch a game. It seriously feels like you are on top of the action and the atmosphere this creates is fantastic. Also, the design inside and out is exquisite.
Meanwhile, Stillwater is a good college town. People are friendly in person, although you know they probably hold some horrendous political beliefs that they most likely spread online. On the plus side, there are a lot of great places to eat in the city.
If you go to one Big XII conference game in your life, it should be at Boone Pickens Stadium and it’s not really much of a competition.
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