Night games create an even greater atmosphere for college football games as the lights go on, the cameras start to roll and everything just seems bigger and more intense. While television contracts and overall talent usually determines where the night games are played we subtracted those elements in an effort to break down the best venues for night games. Here is a look at the top five venues for college football night games.
Tigers Stadium
LSU Tigers
The home of LSU football has affectionately been known as Death Valley since the 1920’s, which is fitting since it is usually where the hopes of opposing teams go to die. The Tigers have registered 21 night wins since 2011, which is the most of any power-conference team over that span. According to the school, LSU has posted a 231-61-4 record in night games from 1960 through 2014 including a 6-1 record in games that kicked off at 5 PM or later. However, they haven’t been as airtight in that regard in recent years as they have in the past. For example, last year they lost at home to a mediocre Arkansas Razorbacks team on Saturday night and it wasn’t even close. They were trampled 31-14 as the Hogs had 299 yards on the ground along with three touchdowns.
However, the school is known for some of the loudest fans in the entire country and the capacity crowd of 102,000 in Baton Rouge gets that much louder at night when the sun goes down and the lights come on.
Doak Campbell Stadium
Florida State Seminoles
Doak Campbell Stadium opened in 1950 and has undergone major renovations since to the point where it went from a capacity of 15,000 to being able to hold more than 82,000 fans. The capacity crowds for their game make the experience of Florida State home games that much more intense, especially when the sun goes down and the lights come on. That atmosphere has helped translate to success as well as the Seminoles have won each of their last 10 home games including thrillers over Clemson, Notre Dame and Miami. Florida State has a significant home field advantage and it is that much more pronounced in its night games.
Ohio Stadium
Ohio State Buckeyes
Buckeyes fans are widely regarded as some of the most intense in the country and they seem to get even louder at night when the sun goes down. In 2014, Ohio State athletic director Bob Hunt told the Columbus Dispatch that he wants to have at least three or four nights games per season in order to capitalize on the atmosphere. The Buckeyes own a 15-4 all-time record in home night games and it’s actually somewhat surprising that they haven’t had more of them. There might be something to maintaining the atmosphere by not having too many home games but the Buckeyes certainly provide one of the most intense atmospheres in the country when they do play after dark.
Autzen Stadium
Oregon Ducks
Autzen Stadium is almost half the size of Tigers Stadium, but it is known for overflowing crowds with an average attendance of 57,631, which translates to 106.2 percent capacity. The Oregon fans are particularly loud and it creates an incredible atmosphere at their home games. The Ducks have posted a 16-3 record in night games over the last five years and while they don’t play as often at night as some of the other Pac-12 schools, it is quite the showcase when they do. This year, they’ll host Virginia in what would be considered a night game for them as it is currently slated for a 10:30 p.m. ET start with ESPN having the broadcast.
Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Fighting Irish didn’t have working lights at Notre Dame Stadium until the late 1990’s so they didn’t have the luxury of playing at night. However, a lucrative television contract helped to change that and with the lights came one of the most intense atmospheres in the country for night games. Notre Dame hasn’t lost a night game since 2011 and the atmosphere when the lights come on in South Bend makes it one of the best venues for night games in college football.
