Where is Beaver Stadium among The Athletic's top 25 college football stadiums?

Beaver Stadium has long been considered one of college football’s premier venues. Attending a ‘White Out’ game is not just a bucket list item for fans of the sport but for sports fans in general. It’s why the home of Penn State football has long ranked near the top when it comes to breaking FBS venues into tiers. Does the staff at The Athletic still agree, even though the structure is currently undergoing a multi-year $700 million renovation project?

The answer is yes.

Beaver Stadium accrued 167 points from the outlet’s staff to finish at No. 2 on its 2025 list of the top 25 college football stadiums. LSU’s Tiger Stadium, with 274 points, finished first.

Penn State’s home venue used volume to earn its spot. It received just one first-place vote. But, it made 23 voters’ top 10, which tied for second with Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium.

“My first trip to Happy Valley was for a night game between No. 2 Miami and unranked Penn State at the newly expanded Beaver Stadium in 2001,” Bruce Feldman writes for The Athletic. “I was blown away by the atmosphere, mostly by the tailgating scene of over 100,000 Nittany Lions faithful. The Canes ended up destroying Penn State that night, but I remember more about the vibe around Happy Valley that day than I do anything that actually happened in the game.

“White Out or not, the fans are so invested, as much as or more than any in college football, in the stadium atmosphere. It’s more than just a cool thing. It’s impressive.”

You can see The Athletic’s full top 25 college football stadium rankings by clicking here.

Penn State headlines of the day

3 Andy Kotelnicki takeaways: On the Penn State pass game struggles, his future after 2025, and more: Pickel, BWI

Out of Sync: Why Penn State wasn’t built to play complementary football in 2025: Carr, BWI

Cornerback Julian Peterson decommits from Penn State: Snyder, BWI

What has gone wrong, and is wrong, with the Penn State offense? Andy Kotelnicki weighs in: Pickel, BWI

Defensive lineman Alex Haskell flips commitment from Penn State to Syracuse: Snyder, BWI

Everything Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith said at his bye week news conference: Pickel, BWI

Notes and observations from Penn State’s open practice: Fitz, BWI

Quote of the day

“I don’t know,” Kotelnicki said. “That answer could be so, so long and into stuff. But the reality is, it hasn’t gone like we’re hoping. And what do you do? You go to the next play, you go to the next game, you go to the next moment and opportunity. But I don’t really have a good explanation for where it is. Or where it was, I should say. I’m more focused on what it’s got to be by next week.

“So there’s really not a lot to say. You can point out stats, you can talk about this or that, and those are all accurate. They are what they are. So you got to just go out there and work on getting better. That’s probably not the profound answer that you’re looking for. But, you watch tape, and those are things you think about all the time.”

PSU OC Andy Kotelnicki in response to a question about why the Lions’ attack has struggled in 2025.