The Big Ten boasts the nation's three largest stadiums and some of the best fans in college football. On the cusp of the start to this season, our writers share their thoughts on the unique traits of the league's home venues:

Brian Bennett: Ohio Stadium

The Horseshoe has it all, from its wonderful setting on the banks of the Olentangy River to the stately rotunda on its north end and that instantly recognizable design.

Throw in everything else that makes the atmosphere great -- the 104,000-plus dedicated fans, the history of great football and, of course, The Best Damn Band in the Land -- and there's simply no better place to watch a college football game. Especially a big night game, where you might even spot LeBron James on the sideline.

Mitch Sherman: Memorial Stadium

Get past the typical rundown of dazzling facts about Memorial Stadium -- with its 341 consecutive sellouts, dating to 1962, and 29 consecutive season-opening wins -- and plenty of reason exists to get excited about Nebraska's 92-year-old venue.

Among my many vivid memories of the electric atmosphere in Lincoln, a 2006 visit from fifth-ranked Texas ranks near the top. The Longhorns won on a field goal in the final seconds, but it came only after the crowd roared in the fourth quarter with such fury that the falling snow flurries seemed shaken from the sky in a mystical display.

Nebraska owns home winning streaks over the past two decades of 47 and 26 games. Recent renovations have pushed the crowds for every game past 90,000.

Dan Murphy: Michigan Stadium

It's hard to top the biggest crowd in college football.

The Big House has been criticized for being too quiet, but show up after the sun goes down and it can crank out as many decibels as anywhere else in the Big Ten.

Michigan broke with tradition and started hosting an occasional night game in 2011. The three games they've played in prime time -- two against Notre Dame and one last year against Penn State -- have produced unmatched atmospheres and record-setting attendance figures.

Tradition oozes from every pore of the 88-year-old edifice on the corner of Stadium and Main. Afternoon games don't set the stadium apart from its competition, but these eyes have yet to see a better football scene than Michigan under the lights.

Jesse Temple: Camp Randall Stadium

The first time I watched a game from the press box at Camp Randall Stadium, I thought the televisions above me were going to collapse from some rare Wisconsin earthquake before the fourth quarter began.

It was merely Badgers fans shaking the stadium to its core while maniacally bobbing to House of Pain's "Jump Around." Few traditions in college football are better, even if it only dates to 1998.

Fans generally pack Camp Randall to the gills of its seating capacity (80,321). They usually have reason to celebrate. Since 2004, Wisconsin is 68-7 at home. Only Ohio State and LSU have won more games at home since then.

Austin Ward: Beaver Stadium

Maybe it's not the most convenient site to reach, and the press box might actually be the worst in the league. But aside from those complaints from the minority in the media, everything else about Penn State's setup is ideal for big-time football.

From the fact that it's a vintage college town to the passion of the fan base and the incredible noise in the stadium, the Nittany Lions do game days right -- and it's certainly a spot any football fan should experience at least once.