A bigger, better 'Big House?'

IOWA CITY - Few people know Michigan Stadium by its real name and most usually refer to it by its moniker “The Big House.”

The stadium's nickname is built by its reputation as the country's largest college football stadium. Now, in its 83rd season, it's gotten bigger.

More than 113,000 fans crammed into Michigan Stadium for its opener on Sept. 4, the largest crowd in NCAA football history. Saturday, the Wolverines host Iowa for homecoming at its revamped venue, which features about 4,000 more seats. A $226 million renovation completed this summer added 81 suites, 2,952 club seats and two upper concourses.

The renovation altered more than just the stadium's shape. It also changed the atmosphere.

“Sadly as big as the place is, the sound that is emanated by this huge crowd is heard more downtown than it is on the 50-yard line because of the design of the place,” Michigan Athletics Director Dave Brandon said in a promotional video this summer. “We now captured the sound and bounced it back on the field.”

Project architects adjusted the stadium's bowl structure to keep the sound inside it, thus putting more pressure on opponents' offenses. Brandon said the stadium will become 30 percent louder with the renovation, which was confirmed by Rob Rademacher, Michigan's associate athletics director for facilities.

“The crowd has seemed a lot louder,” Rademacher said. “It seems like the sound is reflecting off the structure on the east and west side of the stadium and bouncing back and forth and staying in the stadium. In the past it all just kind of went out.”

Michigan coaches also have noticed how the sound stays in the stadium.

“I think the new way it is structured it's actually tilted in a little bit,” Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez said. “I think it's kept some of the crowd noise in. I do believe we have new speakers as well so has appeared to be louder than it has in the past, which is to be expected. I think that's a very positive thing.”

Iowa players vow they won't be in awe of the new spectacle, a place in which they've never played. The last time Iowa competed in Michigan Stadium was four years ago in 2006, and none of Iowa's current players were active for that game.

Iowa junior safety Tyler Sash views Michigan Stadium as just other loud Big Ten venue filled with tradition. But Sash also will take a second to absorb the environment.

“I don't even know what the word is, but I have like a silent moment before the game where I just try to take it all in,” Sash said. “It's pretty overwhelming.

“Sometimes being able to watch all the games on TV growing up and being able to have a chance to come out and play these teams in these atmospheres and venues, it's pretty intense.”

Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said the team pumps in music during Wednesday practices on road weeks just so the players get used to working against loud decibels. Iowa's offense plans to use silent counts on Saturdays, just like it has at Ohio State, Wisconsin and Penn State.

Iowa plays games in big venues every year, and “The Big House” is just one more on the list no matter how it's changed, Ferentz said.

“I thought it was pretty big the last time we were there,” Ferentz said. “How much bigger is it, 3,000 people or something like that? 110, 113, really doesn't matter. Big is big.”