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<\/p>\nMore than 1,100 colleges and universities sponsor NCAA sports, including 136 in FBS football. Visiting all of them would be impossible. On top of that, some of the most important college sports events of the year take place in off-campus venues.<\/p>\n
With the 2025-26 school year about to begin, we figured we\u2019d narrow down 25 college sports places to visit over the next 10 months. It\u2019s a blend of historic stadiums and arenas, renowned atmospheres, bitter rivalries and high-stakes matchups.<\/p>\n
While football represents half our list, you\u2019ll find that 11 other sports make appearances as well. One rule: No city or campus could appear twice. It was hard to narrow the list to 25. It would have been nice to include an FCS football game, for one, and perhaps some conference tournaments in basketball. The good news, though, is that we get to pick 26 for 2026 next year.<\/p>\n
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No. 1: Columbus, Ohio<\/p>\n
The iconic Horseshoe hosts a potentially iconic game.<\/p>\n
Texas at Ohio State, Aug. 30 (football)<\/p>\n
Start the college football season strong with a preseason No. 1 vs. No. 3<\/a> matchup at \u201cThe Horseshoe,\u201d one of Ohio Stadium\u2019s nicknames. ESPN College GameDay enthusiasts should arrive early to get a prime spot behind the set for Lee Corso\u2019s final headgear pick.<\/p>\n No. 2: Chapel Hill, N.C.<\/p>\n Reigning champions against an upstart favorite<\/p>\n Florida State at North Carolina, Sept. 17 (women\u2019s soccer)<\/p>\n The Tar Heels play on Dorrance Field, named after legendary coach Anson Dorrance, who retired<\/a> before last season. UNC is coming off the program\u2019s 22nd national title and begins the 2025 season back at No. 1. It just so happens FSU is No. 3.<\/p>\n No. 3: State College, Pa.<\/p>\n An iconic nighttime atmosphere<\/p>\n The White Out game, Sept. 27 (football)<\/p>\n Arguably the greatest atmosphere in college<\/a> football takes place just once a year: Under the lights at Beaver Stadium, where 106,000 Penn State fans light up in white. This season\u2019s matchup is awesome. Oregon takes on Penn State, both of which are in the preseason top 10.<\/p>\n One Saturday Closer\u2026\u23f3 pic.twitter.com\/92M7tmdlCm<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) August 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n No. 4: Dallas<\/p>\n For football and fried things<\/p>\n The Red River Rivalry, Oct. 11 (football)<\/p>\n Everyone should experience a football game played smack dab in the middle of the Texas State fair, where the aroma of corny dogs<\/a> (not a typo) and fried everything fills the air. This year, the 50\/50 Sooners-Longhorns crowd at the Cotton Bowl gets to see a juicy quarterback matchup: Texas\u2019 Arch Manning vs. Oklahoma\u2019s John Mateer.<\/p>\n No. 5: South Bend, Ind.<\/p>\n It could be the last chance in a while to see this rivalry game.<\/p>\n USC at Notre Dame, Oct. 18 (football)<\/p>\n A trip to see Touchdown Jesus and the Grotto should be near the top of any football fan\u2019s bucket list, but especially for this game. After all, USC has been threatening to discontinue<\/a> the annual battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh, just as the Fighting Irish are turning back into a national power.<\/p>\n No. 6: Jacksonville, Fla.<\/p>\n Experience the famous tailgate before its two-year hiatus.<\/p>\n The World\u2019s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, Nov. 1 (football)<\/p>\n Like Oklahoma-Texas in the Red River Rivalry, the neutral-site setting for Florida-Georgia only adds to its mystique. Get there this year before the game moves to campuses<\/a> in 2026 and 2027 due to stadium renovations. Oh my, the Halloween costumes you\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n No. 7: Tuscaloosa, Ala.<\/p>\n Saturday night in the SEC<\/p>\n LSU at Alabama, Nov. 8 (football)<\/p>\n There is truly nothing like a Saturday night in the SEC. While several stadiums give you the full ear-splitting 100,000-seat experience, these two rivals clashing at Bryant-Denny after a full day of tailgating is as good as it gets. Here\u2019s guessing both will still be in College Football Playoff contention.<\/p>\n The Cornhuskers have sold out Memorial Stadium since the 1960s. (Dylan Widger \/ Imagn Images)No. 8: Lincoln, Neb.<\/p>\n A Black Friday sporting bonanza<\/p>\n Iowa at Nebraska (football) and Penn State at Nebraska (women\u2019s volleyball), Nov. 28<\/p>\n First, experience the Sea of Red at Memorial Stadium, which has sold out every game since 1962. Then head over to watch a preseason No. 1 vs. No. 2 volleyball showdown in the sport\u2019s best home atmosphere.<\/p>\n No. 9: Ann Arbor, Mich.<\/p>\n Witness The Athletic\u2018s No. 1 all-time rivalry<\/a><\/p>\n The Game, Nov. 29 (football) <\/p>\n Michigan-Ohio State has gotten particularly heated recently with Michigan\u2019s four consecutive victories, sign-stealing accusations, flag-planting and pepper spray at last year\u2019s game in Columbus. Oh, and Ohio State answering Michigan\u2019s national championship the year prior.<\/p>\n No. 10: Lawrence, Kan.<\/p>\n An early-season nonconference banger\u00a0<\/p>\n UConn-Kansas, Dec. 2 (men\u2019s basketball) <\/p>\n Allen Fieldhouse is a must-see college basketball cathedral. Why wait for the Jayhawks\u2019 Big 12 schedule when you can swoop in and see a big nonconference game against Dan Hurley\u2019s Huskies, which welcome back forward Alex Karaban for what feels like his 27th season?<\/p>\n No. 11: Baltimore<\/p>\n The pomp and circumstance of a 125-year-old rivalry<\/p>\n Army-Navy, Dec. 13 (football)<\/p>\n Nothing matches the pageantry of this 125-year-old rivalry, from the pregame \u201cMarch On\u201d to the joint singing of alma maters by the two teams at the end. It just so happens that both academies are coming off double-digit win seasons.<\/p>\n No 12: Pasadena, Calif.<\/p>\n The Granddaddy remains the postseason\u2019s most prestigious game.<\/p>\n The Rose Bowl, Jan. 1 (college football)<\/p>\n The Granddaddy is still the one postseason game you\u2019ve got to experience<\/a>, even more so than the national championship. It will be a quarterfinal CFP game played against the unparalleled backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains, with the sun setting mid-third quarter.<\/p>\n No. 13: Storrs, Conn.<\/p>\n For a matchup of potential top WNBA draft picks<\/p>\n Notre Dame-UConn, Jan. 19 (women\u2019s basketball)<\/p>\n Time to pay a visit to Geno Auriemma\u2019s defending national champions. WNBA rookie star Paige Bueckers may be gone, but UConn\u2019s Azzi Fudd and Notre Dame\u2019s Olivia Miles are currently projected to go in the top 3<\/a> of next spring\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n No. 14: Iowa City, Iowa<\/p>\n These teams have combined to win 16 of the past 17 national titles.<\/p>\n Penn State-Iowa wrestling, date TBD (men\u2019s wrestling)<\/p>\n College wrestling\u2019s most heated rivalry<\/a> returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena, where Iowa has led the country in attendance since 2007. The two programs have combined to earn 16 of the past 17 national championships, with the Nittany Lions winning the past four.<\/p>\n No. 15: Boston<\/p>\n Bundle up for this old college tradition.\u00a0<\/p>\n Men\u2019s Beanpot Tournament, Feb. 2 & 9 (men\u2019s hockey)<\/p>\n It\u2019s a tradition that dates back to 1952: Boston College, Boston University, Harvard and Northeastern square off over consecutive Mondays at TD Garden. A ton of future NHL greats have participated, and more will be there this year.<\/p>\n No. 16: Columbia, S.C.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t sleep on this state capital\u2019s buzzy sports scene.<\/p>\n Tennessee-South Carolina, Feb. 8 (women\u2019s basketball) <\/p>\n Dawn Staley\u2019s Gamecocks have led the country in attendance for the past 11 seasons, averaging 16,437 fans last season. They\u2019ve won or reached three of the last four national title games and will be one of the favorites again this season.<\/p>\n The SEC slate is in\u2026https:\/\/t.co\/M5n0Fyvc7F<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/xq2KIuPhzz<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 South Carolina Women’s Basketball (@GamecockWBB) August 5, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n No. 17: Syracuse, N.Y.<\/p>\n March up from Marshall Street<\/p>\n A regular-season lacrosse game (men\u2019s lacrosse)<\/p>\n The Orange hold the sport\u2019s most national titles (10, though none since 2009), and JMA Wireless Dome (the former Carrier Dome) is considered the best atmosphere in college lacrosse. When the schedule comes out, check if Cornell or Johns Hopkins is coming to town.<\/p>\n No. 18: Durham, N.C.<\/p>\n The most famous college basketball area in the world?<\/p>\n Duke-North Carolina, March 6 (unofficial) (men\u2019s basketball)<\/p>\n Every college basketball fan should experience the Cameron Crazies once, ideally for an installment of the sport\u2019s top rivalry. Cooper Flagg is gone to the Dallas Mavericks, but top-5 recruits Cameron Boozer Jr. (Duke) and Caleb Wilson (North Carolina) are ready to take their turns.<\/p>\n Cameron Indoor Stadium has one of the most well-known game day atmospheres in all sports. (Zachary Taft \/ Imagn Images)No. 19: Salt Lake City<\/p>\n The Red Rocks hold the NCAA record for attendance of any women\u2019s sport.<\/p>\n A regular-season Utah gymnastics meet (women\u2019s gymnastics)<\/p>\n The Huntsman Center is usually sold out and rollicking whenever the Red Rocks compete, including last March when they knocked off Olympian Jordan Chiles and UCLA. Utah\u2019s Makenna Smith is a 10-time All-American and electrifying crowd favorite. The Red Rocks also hold the NCAA record for attendance of any women\u2019s sport at 16,019, which was set on March 6, 2015. The fire marshal was called in due to overcapacity.<\/p>\n No. 20: Fort Worth, Tex. and Sacramento, Calif.<\/p>\n Set up the Final Four over two nights.<\/p>\n NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, March 29-30 (women\u2019s basketball)<\/p>\n Because the NCAA splits the women\u2019s regionals into two sites, not four, you can watch half the Final Four field decided over two nights. It was this round two years ago when Iowa\u2019s Caitlin Clark put up 41 points to exact revenge on Angel Reese and LSU.<\/p>\n No. 21: Indianapolis<\/p>\n One of America\u2019s most event-friendly downtowns plays host\u00a0<\/p>\n NCAA Tournament Final Four, April 4-6 (men\u2019s basketball)\u00a0<\/p>\n The Final Four isn\u2019t just about basketball. It\u2019s like a big family reunion where coaches, players, athletic directors, agents and notable alumni all convene in one place. Indy is the ideal city for the event, as Lucas Oil Stadium, the concerts and almost all events are walkable from most hotels.<\/p>\n No. 22: Baton Rouge, La.<\/p>\n Million-dollar coaches prove their worth<\/p>\n Any regular-season conference series at LSU (baseball)<\/p>\n College baseball is huge in the South, and no one does it quite like LSU. The Tigers won their eighth national championship last season while also boasting the nation\u2019s top home attendance (11,185). Yes, there will be tailgating and plenty of jambalaya.<\/p>\n The moment the LSU Tigers became the 2025 #MCWS<\/a> Champions \ud83e\udd29#MCWS<\/a> x \ud83c\udfa5 ABC \/ @LSUbaseball<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/1vCaNJXJJM<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n No. 23: Oklahoma City<\/p>\n This midwestern town is riding high on sporting events<\/a>.<\/p>\n Women\u2019s College World Series Championship, June 3-5 (softball)<\/p>\n Sparkling 13,000-seat Devon Park hosts the annual mecca for college softball, as the initial field of eight winnows to two finalists that play a three-game series. The home-state Sooners will be itching to get revenge on Texas Tech, which knocked them out<\/a> last season.<\/p>\n No. 24: Eugene, Ore.<\/p>\n Track Town, USA<\/p>\n NCAA Track and Field Championships, June 10-13<\/p>\n Eugene is known as Track Town USA, and no other venue matches the history of Hayward Field, built in 1919 and renovated in 2020. Generations of Olympic gold medalists competed here. You can bet future gold medalists will compete here in June.<\/p>\n No. 25: Omaha, Neb.<\/p>\n More than 75 years of history for this event<\/p>\n Men\u2019s College World Series Championship, June 20-22 (baseball)<\/p>\n Your 25th and final stop is an event that\u2019s called Omaha home since 1950. Around 25,000 fans pack Charles Schwab Field Omaha for the final series, which follows a format\u00a0similar to the women\u2019s. Check out the Jello Shot Challenge at Rocco\u2019s while you\u2019re in town.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n (Illustration: Kelsea Petersen \/ The Athletic; Sean Rayford \/ Getty, Richard Gagnon \/ Getty, Paul Vernon \/ AP, Scott Winters \/ AP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/USATSI_24836504-1024x683.jpg\")
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