College football venue data
The Highest-Elevation College Football Stadiums, Ranked
By OverUnderWeather Research Desk
The highest-elevation stadium in college football is Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium at 7,205 feet — nearly a mile and a half up. Air Force's Falcon Stadium (6,726 feet) is second, and nine FBS venues sit higher than Denver's Mile High. Below, the 30 highest venues ranked, and what thin air actually does to the ball, the players and the weather.
The short answer
Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium: 7,205 feet in Laramie — the highest in FBS by nearly 500 feet.
Colorado's Folsom Field at 5,315 feet, just ahead of BYU, Utah and Utah State.
Nine college venues sit above Denver's 5,280-foot NFL stadium.
Air is ~15% thinner at 5,000 ft: kicks carry further, evenings cool ~3.5°F per 1,000 ft, and visiting players fatigue faster.
The 30 highest-elevation FBS stadiums
Elevation above sea level for every FBS venue down to 970 feet, from our stadium database. Venues are ranked by the elevation at their own coordinates; figures are in feet.
| # | Stadium | Location | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | Laramie, WY | 7,205 ft |
| 2 | Air Force | Colorado Springs, CO | 6,726 ft |
| 3 | Colorado | Boulder, CO | 5,315 ft |
| 4 | New Mexico | Albuquerque, NM | 5,177 ft |
| 5 | Colorado State | Fort Collins, CO | 5,013 ft |
| 6 | BYU | Provo, UT | 4,685 ft |
| 7 | Utah State | Logan, UT | 4,662 ft |
| 8 | Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | 4,657 ft |
| 9 | Nevada | Reno, NV | 4,639 ft |
| 10 | Appalachian State | Boone, NC | 3,494 ft |
| 11 | Texas Tech | Lubbock, TX | 3,256 ft |
| 12 | Boise State | Boise, ID | 2,700 ft |
| 13 | Washington State | Pullman, WA | 2,540 ft |
| 14 | Arizona | Tucson, AZ | 2,430 ft |
| 15 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA | 2,057 ft |
| 16 | West Virginia | Morgantown, WV | 1,924 ft |
| 17 | UNLV | Las Vegas, NV | 1,601 ft |
| 18 | Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR | 1,340 ft |
| 19 | Oklahoma | Norman, OK | 1,175 ft |
| 20 | Nebraska | Lincoln, NE | 1,170 ft |
| 21 | Penn State | University Park, PA | 1,165 ft |
| 22 | Arizona State | Tempe, AZ | 1,150 ft |
| 23 | Iowa State | Ames, IA | 1,100 ft |
| 24 | Kent State | Kent, OH | 1,089 ft |
| 25 | Kansas State | Manhattan, KS | 1,083 ft |
| 26 | Georgia Tech | Atlanta, GA | 1,058 ft |
| 27 | Georgia State | Atlanta, GA | 1,056 ft |
| 28 | Akron | Akron, OH | 1,050 ft |
| 29 | Kansas | Lawrence, KS | 1,000 ft |
| 30 | Wake Forest | Winston-Salem, NC | 970 ft |
UNLV now plays its home games at Allegiant Stadium; Sam Boyd Stadium remains in our records with its historical elevation. New Mexico's venue is listed under its current name, University Stadium. Snapshot taken 10 October 2026.
What elevation does to a football game
- Thinner air, longer ball flight — air density falls roughly 3% per 1,000 feet. At 5,000 feet the air is about 15% less dense than at sea level, so drag on a kicked or thrown ball drops and it carries further. Kickers consistently hit longer field goals in Laramie, Colorado Springs, Boulder and Provo than at sea-level venues.
- Cooler evenings — temperature falls about 3.5°F for every 1,000 feet of elevation. High venues also lose heat fast after sunset in the dry mountain air, so a mild afternoon kickoff can turn into a genuinely cold fourth quarter by late October.
- Player fatigue — above roughly 5,000 feet there is measurably less oxygen per breath. Visiting teams that are not acclimatised fatigue faster, which is why trips to Wyoming, Air Force and the Utah schools are among the toughest travel spots in the sport.
- Stronger sun — UV intensity rises with elevation, which matters for early-season afternoon kickoffs in the Mountain West.
Elevation is the baseline — the forecast is the game-day story
Altitude permanently shifts the conditions at these venues, but the weather on any given Saturday still decides the game. War Memorial Stadium pairs its 7,205 feet with real Wyoming wind — it ranks in the top 20 of our windiest college football stadiums ranking — while the Utah and Nevada venues are among the calmest in the country. Check kickoff conditions for every FBS stadium on the college football weather page.
Method and sources
Elevations are the surveyed figures at each stadium's coordinates from our college football stadium database, cross-checked against published venue figures. Air-density and temperature-lapse figures are standard atmospheric values (about 3% density loss and 3.5°F cooling per 1,000 feet). By the OverUnderWeather Research Desk.
Where this is applied
These findings feed the game-time read on every College Football venue page, using the same sample-size and significance rules published here.
OverUnderWeather Research Desk
Independent data analysis on public sports and weather records. Studies match historical game outcomes to archived game-window weather, apply pre-set sample and significance rules, and publish null results when that is what the data show. Editorial policy and corrections log.
Cite this research
Free to republish with a visible credit and a link to this page. Ready-made citations below — click to copy.
Frequently asked
What is the highest-elevation college football stadium?
War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyoming, home of the Wyoming Cowboys, at 7,205 feet above sea level. Air Force's Falcon Stadium (6,726 feet) is second, and Colorado's Folsom Field (5,315 feet) is the highest in a power conference.
How does altitude affect a football?
Air density drops roughly 3% for every 1,000 feet of elevation, so aerodynamic drag on the ball drops with it. At 5,000 feet the air is about 15% thinner than at sea level, which is why kicks and deep throws carry noticeably further in Boulder, Provo and Laramie than at sea-level venues.
Does elevation change the weather at a stadium?
Yes, directly. Temperature falls about 3.5°F for every 1,000 feet of elevation, so high venues cool fast after sunset — a warm September afternoon in Albuquerque or Fort Collins can become a cold fourth quarter. High-elevation venues also see sharper day-to-night swings and more intense sun.
Is elevation the same as a weather forecast?
No. Elevation is a permanent property of the venue that shifts the baseline — thinner air, cooler evenings, stronger sun. The actual game-day conditions still depend on the forecast. Check each stadium's live page for kickoff temperature, wind and precipitation.
Why do visiting teams struggle at high-altitude stadiums?
Less oxygen per breath. Above roughly 5,000 feet, players who are not acclimatised fatigue faster, which is why programs travelling to Wyoming, Air Force, Colorado or the Utah schools often arrive a day early or rotate players more heavily.
What is the highest-elevation NFL stadium?
Denver's Empower Field at Mile High, at about 5,280 feet — exactly one mile. No other NFL venue is close; the next highest are in the 1,000–2,000 foot range. College football has nine venues higher than Denver.