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Rice-Eccles Stadium

Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT, home of Utah. Capacity 51,444. Opened September 12, 1998.

Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT
Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UTPhoto: Kuleralsen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Capacity
51,444
Opened
1998
Surface
Artificial turf
Roof
Open air
Elevation
4,631 ft
Home team
Utah
Utah here
112–⁠32 games on file since 2003
College GameDay
six times

Since it opened: Utah is 129–⁠42 in home games from the 1998 season on. Our source names a game’s stadium only from 2001, so that count takes every earlier home game not marked neutral and may include a few played elsewhere.

Biggest games here

From the games on file here, 2003 on: title and postseason games, meetings of two ranked teams, upsets by our pregame Elo ratings and the biggest swings in CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.

Crowds season by season

Average and biggest crowd at Rice-Eccles Stadium by season, 2003 to 202630k40k50k60k2003: 41,478 a game over 6 games; biggest 46,7682004: 44,112 a game over 6 games; biggest 45,4192005: 41,536 a game over 6 games; biggest 45,5282006: 43,279 a game over 6 games; biggest 45,3302007: 42,593 a game over 6 games; biggest 43,7882008: 45,542 a game over 6 games; biggest 46,4882009: 45,155 a game over 6 games; biggest 45,5882010: 45,459 a game over 6 games; biggest 46,5222011: 45,149 a game over 6 games; biggest 45,4122012: 45,347 a game over 6 games; biggest 46,0372013: 45,194 a game over 7 games; biggest 45,3722014: 46,437 a game over 6 games; biggest 47,6192015: 46,533 a game over 7 games; biggest 47,8252016: 46,506 a game over 6 games; biggest 47,8012017: 45,913 a game over 7 games; biggest 46,0222018: 46,332 a game over 6 games; biggest 47,4452019: 46,462 a game over 7 games; biggest 47,3072021: 51,817 a game over 6 games; biggest 52,7242022: 52,057 a game over 6 games; biggest 53,6092023: 52,499 a game over 7 games; biggest 53,6442024: 52,962 a game over 6 games; biggest 54,3832025: 51,701 a game over 6 games; biggest 52,2362026: 51,485 a game over 3 games; biggest 51,53220032008201320182023

Biggest crowds on file

54,383BYU at Utah2024
53,644Florida at Utah2023
53,609USC at Utah2022
53,586Oregon at Utah2023
53,299TCU at Utah2024

Bars are each season’s average crowd, dots its biggest (the record in orange), the dashed rule today’s capacity. Attendance is on file for most games from 2001 on.

The pregame shows here

ESPN’s College GameDay has broadcast from Rice-Eccles Stadium six times, first in 2004; Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff once.

Nov 1, 2025College GameDayUtah 45, Cincinnati 14Presidents Circle
Sep 20, 2025Big Noon KickoffTexas Tech 34, Utah 10
Oct 28, 2023College GameDayOregon 35, Utah 6Presidents Circle
Oct 29, 2016College GameDayWashington 31, Utah 24Presidents Circle
Oct 10, 2015College GameDayUtah 30, California 24Presidents Circle
Nov 6, 2010College GameDayTCU 47, Utah 7Outside Rice-Eccles Stadium
Nov 20, 2004College GameDayUtah 52, BYU 21Outside Rice–Eccles Stadium

College GameDay’s sites from Wikipedia’s list of College GameDay locations (CC BY-SA). Big Noon Kickoff’s from Wikipedia’s list of its sites (CC BY-SA).

Weather on game day

Coldest kickoffs

Hottest kickoffs

Snow at kickoff

Coldest game days before 2004

Hottest game days before 2004

Kickoffs: the NOAA report nearest kickoff from the closest weather station (NOAA NCEI Integrated Surface Database). Game days: the day’s high and snowfall at the NOAA station nearest the stadium, for Utah’s home games before 2004 (NOAA GHCN-Daily, public domain).

The stadium’s history

Opened
September 12, 1998
Architect
FFKR Architects
Record crowd
54,383 (vs. BYU, 2024)

From the stadium’s Wikipedia article, Rice-Eccles Stadium.

From above

50 mN ↑
The stadium’s footprint, north up: about 210 by 230 meters (690 by 760 feet), the field in green. Outline from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Recent games here

Oct 10, 202612Utah 41, Kansas 24
Sep 19, 202617Utah 33, Utah State 0
Sep 12, 202620Utah 43, Arkansas 10
Sep 3, 202621Utah 66, Idaho 14
Nov 22, 202513Utah 51, Kansas State 47
Nov 1, 202524Utah 45, 17Cincinnati 14
Oct 25, 2025Utah 53, Colorado 7
Oct 11, 2025Utah 42, 21Arizona State 10
Sep 20, 202517Texas Tech 34, 16Utah 10
Sep 6, 202525Utah 63, Cal Poly 9
Nov 23, 202422Iowa State 31, Utah 28
Nov 9, 20249BYU 22, Utah 21

Around the stadium

Playing surface
FieldTurf · Single source
Beer sales
Sold to all fans · Single source

Found by several AI researchers searching the web, then kept only where the page loads and says so in words naming the program; every quote is checked again each time the data is rebuilt. Official source: the school’s own page. All of them.

Pouring rights

PepsiCo has the stadium’s soft-drink pouring rights, on record since 2025. Official source.