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 When the first-ever college football game was played in 1869, just about 100 spectators showed up on Rutgers' campus. Fast forward 147 years to Sept. 10, 2016 and Bristol Motor Speedway played host for a special Tennessee-Virginia Tech neutral site game that drew an NCAA-record 156,990 paid.

Crowds of 100,000-plus have become commonplace in college football thanks to extraordinary renovations and multimillion-dollar projects. In 2022, eight schools boast home stadiums that hold a six-figure capacity. 

FOOTBALL GUIDE: Notable firsts and milestones in college football history

Here are the 25 largest capacity stadiums that serve as primary homes for FBS college football teams ahead of the 2025-26 season. 
The 25 largest FBS college football stadiums in the United States: RANK     SCHOOL     STADIUM     CAPACITY
1     Michigan     Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor, Mich.)     107,601
2     Penn State     Beaver Stadium (University Park, Pa.)     106,572
3     Ohio State     Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)     102,780
4     Texas A&M     Kyle Field (College Station, Texas)     102,733
5     LSU     Tiger Stadium (Baton Rouge, La.)     102,321
6     Tennessee     Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, Tenn.)     101,915
7     Alabama     Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)     101,821
8     Texas     Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas)     100,119
9     Georgia     Sanford Stadium (Athens, Ga.)     93,033
10     UCLA     Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)     91,136
11     Florida     Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (Gainesville, Fla.)     88,548
12     Auburn     Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, Ala.)     88,043
13     Nebraska     Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)     85,458
14     Oklahoma     Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (Norman, Okla.)     83,489
15     Clemson     Clemson Memorial Stadium (Clemson, S.C.)     81,500
16     Notre Dame     Notre Dame Stadium (South Bend, Ind.)     80,795
17     Florida State     Doak Campbell Stadium (Tallahassee, Fla.)     79,560
18     South Carolina     Williams-Brice Stadium (Columbia, S.C.)     77,559
19     Southern Cal     Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles)     77,500
20     Arkansas     Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium (Fayetteville, Ark.)     76,212
21     Wisconsin     Camp Randall Stadium (Madison, Wisc.)     75,822
22     Michigan State     Spartan Stadium (East Lansing, Mich.)     74,866
23     Washington     Husky Stadium (Seattle, Wash.)     70,138
24     Iowa     Kinnick Stadium (Iowa City, Iowa)      69,250
25     South Florida     Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.)     69, 218
Notes: 

    Before that 2016 Battle at Bristol meeting between Tennessee and Virginia Tech, Michigan Stadium owned the modern-day college football attendance record. In 2013, Notre Dame visited Michigan and played in front of a crowd of 115,109, where Michigan won 41-30.

    While the Rose Bowl's capacity for UCLA home games stands at 91,136, its all-time attendance record is 106,869. That was set in 1973 at the 59th Rose Bowl Game, which saw USC defeat Ohio State 42-17. The Trojans were then unanimously voted the No. 1 team in the nation in both the final AP poll and coaches' poll.
Here's the schedule for the 2025-26 College Football Playoff bracket. This is the second year the CFP is using a 12-team format.

Games are scheduled Dec. 19, 2025 to Jan. 19, 2026, with the first round on Dec. 19-20, quarterfinals on Dec. 31-Jan. 1, semifinals on Jan. 8-9 and finally the CFP National Championship Game on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Check out the full schedule below.
2025-26 College Football Playoff schedule, dates, TV channel, sites

All times Eastern. Click or tap here for a live scoreboard

    First round (Dec. 19-20) — on campus
        Friday, Dec. 19: One game
        Saturday, Dec. 20: Three games
    Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1)
        Wednesday, Dec. 31: Cotton Bowl (Arlington, Texas) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
        Thursday, Jan. 1: Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Fla.) | 12 p.m. | ESPN
        Thursday, Jan. 1: Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) | 4 p.m. | ESPN
        Thursday, Jan. 1: Sugar Bowl (New Orleans) | 8 p.m. | ESPN
    Semifinals (Jan. 8-9)
        Thursday, Jan. 8: Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Ariz.) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
        Friday, Jan. 9: Peach Bowl (Atlanta) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
    CFP National Championship
        Monday, Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN

Here is the history of the College Football Playoff national championship game.
Year
(Game Date)     Game     LOCATION
2015     No. 4 Ohio State 42, No. 2 Oregon 20     Arlington, Texas
2016     No. 2 Alabama 45, No. 1 Clemson 40     Glendale, Arizona
2017     No. 2 Clemson 35, No. 1 Alabama 31     Tampa, Florida
2018     No. 4 Alabama 26, No. 3 Georgia 23     Atlanta, Georgia
2019     No. 2 Clemson 44, No. 1 Alabama 16     Santa Clara, California
2020     No. 1 LSU 42, No. 3 Clemson 25     New Orleans, Louisiana
2021     No. 1 Alabama 52, No. 3 Ohio State 24     Miami Gardens, Florida
2022     No. 3 Georgia 33, No. 1 Alabama 18     Indianapolis, Indiana
2023     No. 1 Georgia 65, No. 3 TCU 7     Inglewood, California
2024     No. 1 Michigan 34, No. 2 Washington 13     Houston, Texas
2025     No. 8 Ohio State 34, No. 7 Notre Dame 23     Atlanta, Georgia
Future CFP National Championship Game locations

    2026: Jan. 19 — Miami (Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida)
    2027: Jan. 25 — Las Vegas (Allegiant Stadium) 

2024-25 College Football Playoff scores, results

    First round (Dec. 20-21)
        Friday, Dec. 20: No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 10 Indiana 17
        Saturday, Dec. 21: No. 6 Penn State 38, No. 11 SMU 10
        Saturday, Dec. 21: No. 5 Texas 38, No. 12 Clemson 24
        Saturday, Dec. 21: No. 8 Ohio State 42, No. 9 Tennessee 17
    Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1)
        Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Penn State 31, No. 3 Boise State 14
        Peach Bowl: No. 5 Texas 39, No. 4 Arizona State 31 (2OT)
        Rose Bowl: No. 8 Ohio State 41, No. 1 Oregon 21
        Sugar Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame 23, No. 2 Georgia 10
    Semifinals (Jan. 9-10)
        Orange Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 6 Penn State 24
        Cotton Bowl: No. 8 Ohio State 28, No. 5 Texas 14
    CFP National Championship
        No. 8 Ohio State 34, No. 7 Notre Dame 23 (Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta)

2023-24 College Football Playoff scores, results

Downing one of the most efficient offenses in college football, the 15-0 Michigan Wolverines finished their perfect season by winning their first football national title since 1997. Michigan topped Washington, 34-13, in the 2023-24 CFP National Championship Game.

Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy showcased his arm as well as his legs as he tossed for 140 yards and clocked his longest carry all season at 22 yards on a crucial third-and-long in the third quarter. With a key third quarter interception, defensive back Will Johnson earned Defensive MVP. Donning the same jersey number as Johnson (No. 2), Blake Corum earned Offensive MVP after notching 134 rushing yards. He also added two rushing touchdowns to tally 58 of his career — a school record. He concluded during the trophy ceremony, "Business is finished."

In his ninth season at the helm of his alma mater, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh collected his first national championship with the Wolverines. The game capped off the 10-year stint of the four-team College Football Playoff, with the playoff expansion to 12 teams for the 2024-25 season.