Smaller is better has been a trend that is dominating the conversation at many schools across the country when it comes to football stadium size. One rather notable exception to that trend, however, lies at the University of Utah.
With a capacity of just over 45,800 fans, the Utes’ Rice-Eccles Stadium is the third-smallest venue in the Pac-12 and discussion to expand the typically jam-packed home field has been ongoing for several years now (even predating from when the program moved over from the Mountain West). Utah athletic director Mark Harlan has only been on the job for three months in Salt Lake City but it appears he is rapidly coming closer to making a decision on whether or not to proceed with an expansion in the near term.
“It’s a massive project,” Harlan told the Salt Lake Tribune. “We have a lot of investors who care a lot about us, and that bodes well for what we’re doing.”
Harlan described expansion plans as taking up “the lion’s share” of his time since arriving at the school and has been so impressed with the fan base he has joined that he is even planning to join the student section (nicknamed The MUSS) for an upcoming Pac-12 game.
While declining attendance has been a concern at many schools in the conference, that has not been the case with the Utes as they’ve regularly been at or near capacity for several years now. It also goes without saying that Harlan’s ultimate decision could also reverberate far beyond Utah football games as the stadium hosted the 2002 Olympic Ceremonies and would likely play a similar role in the city’s bid for upcoming games in the next decade or two.
