College Football: Big Sky Conference Stadium Power Rankings

The Big Sky Conference now has 13 members competing in football. 11 of those teams are full conference members, while two (Cal Poly and UC Davis) are football-only members. Some of those teams have a rich history of success, while others are still working on that. Like the teams themselves, there is a wide range of stadiums in the conference. Here is a power ranking of those 13 stadiums.

Location: Pocatello, Idaho

Year Opened: 1970

Capacity: 12,000

Known as the MiniDome when the arena opened in 1970, it was the first indoor stadium in the country. While it may have been innovative at the time, it has since become quite outdated. New turf was installed in 2011, but the Holt Arena is in need of a lot more upgrades than that. Right now it is cramped, dark and has the atmosphere of an old musty barn.  The Bengals are in need of either an entirely new stadium or a massive renovation project similar in scale to what in-state University of Idaho carried out in 2012. At the very minimum, they could at least paint the horribly outdated multicolor seating sections.

Location: Greeley, Colorado

Year Opened: 1995

Capacity: 8,533

Although relatively young, the stadium has already undergone two major renovations, expanding seating capacity each time. The press box and luxury suites are impressive, but the rest of the stadium is nothing special.  It feels like a glorified high school stadium overall. 

Location: Cheney, Washington

Year Opened: 1967

Capacity: 8,600

The Eagles have developed into one of the major programs in the FCS.  Their stadium, however, is showing a much slower rate of progress. Improvements are occurring, however. In 2004, new seating and a new locker room were added, and the press box and fan amenities were upgraded.  In 2010, the signature red turf was installed.  Love it or hate it, it is definitely distinctive and memorable. In 2012, a state-of-the-art video scoreboard was added. There is also a proposal in place called the Gateway Project that would massively overhaul the entire stadium and make it one of the finest in the entire FCS. For right now however, the stadium is still subpar, although it is making strides in the right direction.

Location: Cedar City, Utah

Year Opened: 1967

Capacity: 8,500

The Coliseum got a major upgrade last season with the installation of all-weather turf.  The area's harsh weather makes that a huge deal. The stadium has unique architecture, and has a beautiful setting, tucked into a grass berm adjacent to the I-15 freeway, perched on the Markagunt Plateau beneath the nearby mountains. However, the field is still a little undersized, pretty basic and suffers from less-than-stellar attendance.  Some facility upgrades and increased fan presence would go a long way here.

Location: Sacramento, California

Year Opened: 1969

Capacity: 21,195

Hornet Stadium is one of the largest in the conference. It has also undergone some recent improvements, with new turf replacing the grass in 2010. Two major facilities have also been built behind the north end zone. In 2008, the Broad Fieldhouse opened as a student athlete building serving the football and track teams. In 2010, a campus wellness and recreation center was built, named The WELL. Despite the major additions, there are still two major issues with Hornet Stadium. First is the massive track and field area that puts quite a bit of distance between the stands and the playing field.  Second is the stands themselves, which are just basic metal stands with no frills, about as simple as you can get. For a stadium the size of this one with such impressive end-zone buildings, the subpar stand proximity and stand design are a little surprising.

Location: Grand Forks, North Dakota

Year Opened: 2001

Capacity: 13,500

Now we start getting to the truly quality stadiums in the conference, which aren't noticeably in need of any major improvements. The stadium is the furthest east of any in the conference, and is indoors due to being located in the harshest climate in the conference.  Considering the rugged locales that make up most of the Big Sky, that's saying something. The Alerus Center is a perfectly fine stadium that's not even 15 years old yet. The myriad of crisscrossing beams in the ceiling add a distinctive touch to the stadium.  While not a spectacular stadium, it's a nice little arena that's more than serviceable for the team.

Location: San Luis Obispo, California

Year Opened: 1935

Capacity: 11,075

Although this stadium is amongst the oldest in the conference, it underwent a massive renovation in 2006 that turned it into a practically new stadium.  It is named after San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos, who funded the renovation. Located in a gorgeous setting, the stadium is located just miles from the Pacific Ocean and nestled beneath the Santa Lucia mountains.  The mission-style architecture further adds to the beauty of the stadium. Despite not being one of the largest stadiums in the conference, it is one of the most picturesque in the entire country.

Location: Portland, Oregon

Year Opened:1926

Capacity: 20,438

Although nearly 90 years old, the home of the Portland State Vikings is the most state-of-the-art of any stadium in the conference. They can thank the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer for that, as a massive renovation was undertaken in 2011 in order to provide a worthy home for the professional soccer team. There is nothing lacking in the stadium, which is a huge bonus for a team that doesn't have much history of success. The one drawback though is that the stadium is primarily a soccer stadium, not a football one, which means that the atmosphere isn't exactly what you'd like for a college football stadium. If not for that, Jeld-Wen Field would be even higher up on these rankings. 

Location: Ogden, Utah

Year Opened: 1966

Capacity: 17,312

The home of the Big Sky Conference headquarters is also home to one of the conference's top five stadiums. Nestled at the base of the Wasatch Mountains and overlooking the Great Salt Lake in the distance, Stewart Stadium is yet another of the breathtakingly gorgeous venues in the Big Sky. In 2001, the Sky Suites & Press Box section of the west stands was completed, and to this day remains one of the finest in the FCS. In 2011, a new turf field and the signature purple track were added. While the Wildcats have struggled on the field lately, that is likely to turn around in the near future with a stadium the caliber of Stewart Stadium.

Location: Bozeman, Montana

Year Opened: 1973

Capacity: 17,777

Located not far from Yellowstone Park, Bobcat Stadium has recently been renovated to become one of the nicest in the FCS. In 2011, the locker rooms and restrooms were renovated, a new video board and scoreboard were added and over 7,000 seats were added to the south end zone, turning the stadium into a bowl. In 2012, lights were added to the stadium, allowing the Bobcats to play night games at home for the first time in history. Montana State's stadium transformation coincides with the transformation of the team into a powerhouse program, showing that the Bobcats are here to stay on the national radar.

Location: Flagstaff, Arizona

Year Opened: 1977

Capacity: 10,000

Of the three indoor stadiums in the Big Sky, the Walkup Skydome reigns supreme. It is located over a mile above sea level, and there is a line about 20 feet up on the stadium wall showing where 7,000 feet above sea level is. It is the second largest clear span timber dome in the world, and the crisscrossing wooden beams give it a unique feel. A major renovation in 2011 turned it into one of the finest FCS stadiums in the country. With new turf having already been installed in 2008, nearly every other aspect of the stadium was upgraded in the 2011 renovations. The seats, fan amenities, locker rooms, training rooms, luxury suites and press box were all upgraded.  In addition, elevators were added. While the seating was reduced by over 6,000 with the renovations, the entire stadium now consists of wide chair seating. With the renovations, the Walkup Skydome has become one of the most luxurious stadiums in FCS football, while still doing a good job of reflecting NAU's quirkiness.

Location: Davis, California

Year Opened: 2007

Capacity: 10,743

The newest stadium in the conference is, not surprisingly, also one of the nicest. Nestled into a bowl in the ground with grass berms behind each end zone, the stadium provides an intimate, comfortable setting to watch the Aggies. It may not be the biggest, but few stadiums in the country are in as good of a condition as Aggie Stadium.

Location: Missoula, Montana

Year Opened: 1986

Capacity: 25,203

The appearance of WaGriz at the top of these rankings should come as no surprise, as it is arguably the top stadium in the entire FCS. The stadium is steeply built, putting the fans almost right on top of the field.  Think of it as the FCS equivalent of Oregon's Autzen stadium.  The fans are just as rabid too. Only a couple select FCS teams enjoy as much of a home field advantage as the Grizzlies. The team could easily move up to the FBS level if it so desired, but chooses to stay at the FCS level, making the WaGriz stadium experience arguably the best in the FCS, like a giant amongst men.