November 1, 2005
Which college football fans are going, or not going to games this season
So it has come to that time of the college football season, where we delve into the question of who's showing up, or in some cases, not showing up, to watch pigskin live and in person.
In order to do the comparison, we'll be using accumulated percentage of stadium capacity for the breakdown.
Essentially - how much, in percentage points, are fans filling up their football stadium. The reasoning for this is simple. Does the school put butts in the seats if they have those seats available? By using this, we can tell what conferences as a whole are more popular by simple supply & demand.
I have no doubt that the Swamp, the Big House or the Horseshoe could add another 5,000 seats and fill it without a problem. The comparison factor comes in with smaller schools like UConn and Navy - both of whom regularly sell out what spots in the stadium they have available.
Plus for those teams on the lower end of the spectrum, the NCAA allegedly is cracking down on the low attendance teams in Division I-A, so this serves as a watch list for who is in trouble trying to keep up with the big boys.
There will no doubt be cries that using percentage of capacity as an unfair measurement stick. After all, Arkansas, UCLA, Washington and Arizona State are all averaging over 60k a game, yet neither place in the top 50 schools. Meanwhile New Mexico, Colorado State and Boise State all average fewer than 40k, but are in the top 20.
So there is no doubt this ranking isn't perfect. But it's as far as we can get with the numbers given. Remember, this isn't a comparison of who is the more popular football team. Merely it is a look at one component of that debate.
For a longer comparison, the season ending 2004 percentages have been added right along side.
As of right now, the SEC leads the way, just slightly over the Big 12. With the exception of the Mountain West, there are the BCS schools, and everyone else when it comes to attendance. For the 3rd straight year the Mountain West has placed itself directly in range of both the Pac-10 and the Big East, with regard to attendance capacity.
School - 2005 % to date (2004 final %)
SEC - 95.2 (94.0)
Big 12 - 94.5 (92.1)
Big Ten - 91.4 (88.2)
ACC - 90.2 (93.6)
Pac-10 - 85.2 (78.7)
Big East - 85.0 (78.6)
MWC - 79.4 (77.6)
WAC - 67.3 (70.6)
MAC - 55.8 (59.3)
C-USA - 55.3 (53.4)
Sun Belt - 63.0 (49.4)
ACC
NC State - 109.1 (109.1)
Maryland - 102.2 (99.8)
Virginia - 100.5 (100.0)
Florida St - 100.2 (100.7)
Virginia Tech - 98.3 (100.0)
Clemson - 96.0 (97.8)
Wake Forest - 93.0 (97.7)
Georgia Tech - 91.7 (85.1)
North Carolina - 90.0 (87.4)
Boston College - 87.1 (97.1)
Miami - 62.4 (81.8)
Duke - 51.5 (66.3)
Big Ten
Ohio St - 103.4 (103.3)
Purdue - 103.2 (101.7)
Michigan - 103.1 (103.3)
Wisconsin - 102.6 (103.6)
Michigan St - 100.3 (102.2)
Iowa - 100.3 (100.0)
Penn St - 97.6 (96.8)
Minnesota - 78.2 (74.7)
Indiana - 74.8 (54.2)
Illinois - 73.8 (70.2)
Northwestern - 68.2 (60.3)
Big 12
Nebraska - 104.8 (105.1)
Texas - 104.0 (103.8)
Iowa St - 103.7 (90.6)
Oklahoma - 102.4 (104.4)
Texas A&M - 94.9 (90.2)
Oklahoma St - 94.5 (96.5)
Texas Tech - 94.0 (100.2)
Colorado - 92.3 (89.1)
Kansas St - 91.9 (94.9)
Kansas - 83.6 (81.7)
Baylor - 80.7 (61.2)
Missouri - 80.1 (87.2)
Big East
UConn - 100.0 (98.3)
Louisville - 98.6 (96.5)
South Florida - 98.0 (65.3)
West Virginia - 96.6 (94.2)
Syracuse - 81.3 (74.8)
Rutgers - 80.3 (74.7)
Pitt - 63.5 (64.0)
Cincinnati - 61.6 (60.7)
Conference - USA
UTEP - 94.5 (79.3)
Southern Miss - 85.8 (87.8)
East Carolina - 80.4 (71.4)
Marshall - 75.2 (68.2)
Tulsa - 64.8 (41.9)
SMU - 62.0 (55.3)
Memphis - 58.5 (66.0)
Houston - 50.8 (66.6)
UCF - 27.4 (28.4)
UAB - 26.6 (24.8)
Tulane - 21.5 (32.7)
Rice - 15.7 (22.6)
Independents
Notre Dame - 100.0 (100.0)
Navy - 99.2 (91.2)
Army - 82.6 (83.9)
Temple - 19.1 (24.7)
MAC
Toledo - 84.0 (91.5)
Ohio - 82.3 (66.6)
Ball St - 75.6 (63.6)
Northern Illinois - 74.6 (87.3)
Miami - 69.2 (59.2)
Western Michigan - 58.8 (53.0)
Central Michigan - 54.7 (49.8)
Bowling Green - 50.0 (60.9)
Akron - 40.8 (51.1)
Buffalo - 32.9 (39.3)
Kent St - 27.1 (42.2)
Eastern Michigan - 19.5 (47.6)
Mountain West
New Mexico - 102.2 (99.8)
Colorado St - 101.1 (91.0)
Utah - 95.0 (100.1)
BYU - 89.0 (91.3)
San Diego St - 72.8 (66.7)
TCU - 69.7 (66.8)
Wyoming - 67.0 (50.4)
Air Force - 64.4 (72.5)
UNLV - 53.8 (59.4)
Pac-10
Oregon - 108.2 (107.5)
USC - 98.8 (92.6)
Oregon St - 97.7 (102.8)
Arizona - 95.3 (86.7)
Washington St - 92.0 (99.3)
Washington - 87.8 (89.3)
Cal - 85.7 (94.8)
Arizona St - 81.6 (85.1)
UCLA - 65.6 (66.1)
Stanford - 39.0 (42.0)
SEC
Tennessee - 103.6 (102.5)
Florida - 102.1 (99.8)
Georgia - 99.9 (100.0)
LSU - 99.9 (99.6)
South Carolina - 97.7 (100.2)
Alabama - 96.7 (97.7)
Auburn - 95.6 (96.5)
Vanderbilt - 93.9 (68.4)
Kentucky - 93.4 (92.3)
Arkansas - 90.5 (94.7)
Mississippi - 87.7 (96.4)
Miss St - 81.9 (79.5)
Sun Belt
FIU - 91.0 (N/A)
North Texas - 66.8 (49.8)
Troy - 65.6 (70.8)
FAU - 61.6 (14.3)
La.-Lafayette - 57.3 (69.0)
Arkansas St - 55.0 (50.0)
Middle Tenn St - 54.9 (43.2)
La.-Monroe - 52.0 (48.4)
WAC
Boise St - 101.1 (101.7)
Idaho - 95.2 (103.9)
Fresno St - 93.8 (96.9)
Hawaii - 69.5 (73.6)
Louisiana Tech - 53.8 (57.4)
San Jose St - 52.0 (22.4)
New Mexico St - 50.5 (60.3)
Nevada - 47.8 (54.3)
Utah St - 41.7 (64.5)
-All stats taken from the NCAA statistical database on attendance.
Comments:
BalRog said:
posted on November 2, 2005 11:44 AM — 207.250.29.129 — link — abuse?
Good Lord, what is wrong with UCLA!
- Offensive fireworks to beat the band
- Poor enough defense to keep the games interesting
- Undefeated in the last conference standing with two undefeated teams
- And-oh-by-the-way the other undefeated is a two-time defending national champ and crosstown rival
This team can't fill a third of its seats? Something is rotten in the state of California!Fanofthepac said:
posted on November 2, 2005 3:21 PM — 63.87.122.42 — link — abuse?
ASU put up 31 on the supposedly great LSU defense. I would think USC could score more, no? Fourteen of LSU's points in that game were off of special teams blunders by ASU so the LSU offense could only score 21 off the "weak" ASU defense. Face it, SEC teams have weak offenses and over-rated defenses. Can't wait for Bowl season so I can bet heavily against SEC teams.
LSU #1 said:
posted on November 2, 2005 4:39 PM — 68.159.18.156 — link — abuse?
An opening game on the road for LSU. What was scheduled to be a second home game for us. Give me break *******! Why dont you do a little research and see where LSU's defense ranks in the nation along with the other top 5 SEC teams?
Col. Reb said:
posted on November 2, 2005 5:04 PM — 68.23.192.206 — link — abuse?
It was LSU's first game back after their lifes had been turned upside down. The defense may not have been up to par, but the offense played pretty well considering LSU is in a conference with no offense. I will admit that the SEC does not have the best single team this year, but the conference is still head and shoulders above the Sack 10.
Martin said:
posted on November 2, 2005 5:11 PM — 69.231.192.59 — link — abuse?
Having fun with numbers are we?
FYI
Rose Bowl Capacity about 91,000 for UCLA
LA Coliseum Capacity about 92,000 for USC
The Coliseum is in downtown LA not far from the USC campus. By contrast, the Rose Bowl is in Pasadena, at the foot of the mountains north east of LA while UCLA is in West LA nearer Santa Monica and the beach.
That said, the UCLA Alum tend to be more laid back and the USC Alum more rabid football fans with a tradition dating back to the 1880's.Newspaper Hack said:
posted on November 2, 2005 8:39 PM — 70.240.187.111 — link — abuse?
On the PAC-10 v. SEC debate:
If you look back, it's usually the West Coast types that talk a lot of smack, cast disdain on the South, then get embarrassed on Jan. 1. Is it any wonder the Rose Bowl decided to go with Big Ten squads instead of facing the chance of some Southerners walking into Pasadena and quieting the PAC-10 crowd? Just because Southern Cal laid 70 on a crap Arkansas team.... After all, the Hogs have a Johnson, a Dick and only one Nutt. You can't win like that.
GA Boy said:
posted on November 2, 2005 8:46 PM — 66.110.197.20 — link — abuse?
Martin, Are you kidding me? People drive all over the Southeast to fill their teams' stadiums and you're telling me that you pre-madonnas out there can't drive from Northeast of LA to West LA. What a joke! I think it is more like UCLA has stunk it up so bad the last few years and been dominated by the one good team in the PAC that no one wants to waste time getting excited for a what amounts to a big let down in the annual cross town rivalry game.
Too bad! This is the year you finally knock the Trojans off their high horse.Martin said:
posted on November 2, 2005 10:27 PM — 69.231.192.59 — link — abuse?
GA Boy, I have always assumed southerners were passionate about their college football. The closest I have seen to that is USC, Notre Dame, and some of the Big Ten schools when they came to town for the old Rose Bowl. In the old days bowls used to hate being stuck with UCLA since their fan base didn't travel well.
For full disclosure I went to college in Pasadena at an Academic top ten school with no real sports even our Div III teams played other schools JV! I did Grad study at UCLA but never felt an attachment (apparently few do). GF went to USC, many relatives are Texas alum. Many relatives through marriage are Big 10 alum and Notre Dame fans.
posted on November 3, 2005 8:57 AM — 156.56.73.16 — link — abuse?Pete Holiday said:
GA Boy: I agree that the SEC is much more passionate than the PAC, but I would much rather drive from Tuscaloosa to Athens, Oxford, or Gainesville than drive across LA.
posted on November 3, 2005 9:03 AM — 156.56.73.16 — link — abuse?
Joey: Alabama's numbers are based on the reduced capacity (81,018) as opposed to previous total capacity.
deo in sin city said:
posted on November 3, 2005 1:35 PM — 68.108.117.180 — link — abuse?
Pete's got it, I would rather drive an open highway anyday, than take any of L.A.'s crowded freeways were you move probably about 20 feet every fifteen minutes. Can you imagine if both teams had home games, if any of you people been to L.A. you'd know what I'm talking about. And on top of that, basketball season started, and all the loser laker fans are on the road too. If I were UCLA fan, I would just go to a sportsbar and just watch it there, save money and save myself the headache of traveling around one of the nation's heavily congested freeways. I'm sure glad I'm not......
FIGHT ON MEN of TROY
Trouty said:
posted on November 3, 2005 2:48 PM — 68.186.113.11 — link — abuse?
It doesnt matter what you ***** SEC fans say who cares, I Sure dont.The trafic is horrible in LA thats why theres nobody going to the rose bowl. Big ten Teams historically are better thanSEC teams thats why the rose bowl chooses them to play in the bowl game. USc is the best team they have won 2 straight national titles. 2 AP national titles one BCS soon to be 2. They are by far the most talented group of athlets in the nation. They have a 30 game win streak in an underrated confrence. Yes the Defences in the pac are not as good as SEC defences. but give me break with the offences that they have to deal with on a weekly bases SEC teams would have trouble with them too. So in closing I would like to say U southerns are ***** and your jealous and you have crappy play callers so get over it the west willl reign supreme for at least another couple years.
Fight on USC! Fight on!
Brad said:
posted on November 3, 2005 8:35 PM — 69.171.40.95 — link — abuse?
This is my analysis on this topic.
Big Ten - Classically a power running tough defense conference. This year though, a spread offense with some great or poor defenses.
SEC - Usually high powered offense with the occasional good defense mixed in. This year though, Poor offenses with great defenses.
Pac-10 - Outrageously great offenses and defenses that couldnt stop a fly.
Big 12 - Hard to tell, some teams have great offenses with horrible defenses (Texas Tech) Bad offenses with good defenses (Oklahoma) or teams with both (Texas)
ACC - Not too sure...I wont comment because of my inexpierence with the conference.
With the attendance thing...the Big Ten has six teams with over 100% capactiy, thats higher than all the other conferences. True the SEC has the best attendance average, (Miss St. being the lowest with 81.9%) but the fact the Big Ten has more sellouts than anyother conference should prove that their fans are the best in college football.
GA Boy said:
posted on November 3, 2005 10:02 PM — 66.110.197.20 — link — abuse?
Pete. Getting out of Tuscaloosa after a game is brutal. Or at least it was the last time I tried it. It was a after a 1990 10-0 loss in an ESPN night game. It must have taken 2 1/2 hours with the nasty Crimson fans raising hell at us DAWG fans all the way out of town.
Have they done anything to make it easier? Just curious. By the way, try not to lose to LSU or Auburn before we meet you in the SEC Championship game. GA will get a little respect back by beating your top 5 team when we play in December.GA Boy said:
posted on November 3, 2005 10:12 PM — 66.110.197.20 — link — abuse?
Trouty. What is your problem? Me thinks thou dost protest too much?
Do you have some kind of inferior complex about being in a conference that only has one great team? I wouldn't. USC is definitely the #1 team in my mind. 29 in a row is 29 in a row. That is an unbelievable run.
But, the fact of the matter is there is NO WAY in hell you win 29 in a row playing in SEC (or Big 12, Big 10, ACC for that matter.)
Regardless, you don't play in the SEC, you play in the best offensive conference in the league and you win. You score ungodly amounts of points (but so did I in intramural football with no defences.) So drop the hostility and sit back and laugh as USC wins another national championship.Alex Ferguson said:
posted on November 4, 2005 12:10 PM — 71.80.32.10 — link — abuse?
Until you've been in the student section at Penn State in a 20,000 person "White Out" screaming your throat out, don't talk to me about SEC "passion".
I've been to Neyland, and the place is a tomb compared to PSU- and this was LAST season!Rob said:
posted on November 4, 2005 1:52 PM — 68.221.204.244 — link — abuse?
Fanofthepac,
Don't use Alabama games as the only benchmark of SEC offensive talent... There are some good offenses out there - maybe not like the Pac10, but they are up agains tough defences. Defence in the SEC has been tough for many, many years.
Joey said:
posted on November 5, 2005 1:23 AM — 67.22.114.248 — link — abuse?
LSU #1 you are sadly mistaken. Alabama has given up only 19 points total in its last four games, and that includes games against a #5 Florida and a ranked Tennessee team. Fact is, they are averaging giving up less than ten per game for the whole season. When you can hold quality opponents to less than ten points per contest, you don't have to put up USC-like offensive numbers (If you don't believe that, remember the number one rated Miami Hurricane offense that failed to score a touchdown against the Tide in the 1993 Sugar Bowl). Bama will sell the LSU game out just like it has all other games this season...Roger is right. ALL BAMA HOME GAMES HAVE BEEN SELLOUTS this year. Rammer Jammer Give 'em Hell, Alabama!
posted on November 5, 2005 8:30 AM — 12.223.242.140 — link — abuse?
21. Roger: You can have a sell-out with 0% attendance. These numbers are based on who actually comes to the games, not who buys tickets.
23. GA Boy: I'm not sure it has gotten any easier (I presume it hasn't), though I will say that I think the fans have toned down their rowdy behavior post-game... something about some of our last 3 or 4 seasons will do that to a fan. :)
25. Alex Ferguson:
"I've been in some loud stadiums in my day -- the 2004 Belmont Stakes, for example, when more than 100,000 people literally made the grandstand shake for Smarty Jones -- but I don't know if I've ever heard a crowd as loud as the one in Tuscaloosa. "~Mark Beech, SI.com
Jon Taylor said:
posted on November 6, 2005 12:15 PM — 70.124.221.113 — link — abuse?
Nobody knows who the best team will be until you have a playoff. USC is lucky that they do not have two losses this year. If they played teams with better talent, (not the PAC-10) they would have probably lost at least one of those games. In a playoff you would have to win against more than one good team. Who knows Auburn sure had a better chance to beat USC last year than Oklahoma did. Everybody out west votes for the same teams. There are too many good schools in the east and it is almost impossible to go undefeated. Playoffs are the only way.
William Rainey said:
posted on November 8, 2005 10:31 PM — 68.47.135.89 — link — abuse?
Brad, how can you say that the Big Ten has the best fans? Anybody can go to a game when the program is doing well. But true fans go even when the team is struggling. Considering how bad Mississippi State has been, it is unbelievable that they are selling 80% percent of their tickets. And as a hog fan, considering how absolutely horrible our team is this year, 90% is shocking.
Bleed Crimson said:
posted on November 8, 2005 11:08 PM — 72.146.26.240 — link — abuse?
Alabama's stadium will seat about 92,000 next year. It is already the loudest stadium (I have been to LSU's, Tennessee's, and Florida's stadiums-they do not compare) in the SEC. Next year it will be the loudest in the nation. (Hows that for home field advantage). Plus they will continue to sell out every game to the most passionate fans in college football. (Don't believe me-this blog alone now has 3 bama fans)
gator14 said:
posted on November 9, 2005 12:33 AM — 68.218.164.13 — link — abuse?
RE:#25 Alex
Please. Most SEC fans will vouch that Neyland is not a very loud stadium. I've been to Neyland, too. Last year's UF/UT game and it wasn't that loud. Too many old alumni, too little student section. Come on down to Gainesville and sit in the middle of our 25,000 person student section. The entire east and lower northeast stands are all students and it is deafening all game long.
I'll give props for the PSU/OSU game this year. That stduent white out and entire atmosphere was awesome on TV. I can only imaging how it was in person.
Just never again use Neyland as your gauge of football passion in the South. Neyland is behind the Swamp, Tiger Stadium, Bryant-Denny, Sanford, and Jordan-Hare in terms of game stadium atmosphere.
Bleed Crimson said:
posted on November 9, 2005 6:48 PM — 72.146.26.240 — link — abuse?
alex ferguson and jeffpsu
First off, Neyland stadium IS a tomb-full of the nastiest rednecks in the south (not saying there aren't any rednecks at bryant-denny but not near as many or as nasty) so don't use that stadium to judge the SEC fans. Go to a real stadium like Bryant-Denny, Florida's stadium, or Death Valley (the stadium that registered as an earthquake on a richter scale that was on campus). All i know is that no matter who Bama is playing, it gets so loud that you can't hear yourself scream (imagine the trouble an opposing offense has while trying to call a play at the line of scrimmage). And speaking of hardcore fans, don't talk until you have been to the Iron Bowl. People start showing up for that game on the Monday before the game. Also scalpers have reported people buying tickets for over $1,000 a piece for a normal bleacher seat.
to GA boy
yes they have made it alot easier to get out of tuscaloosa. I went to the Florida game and was going 70 mph on the interstate after about 30 minutes of traffic. Georgia will most likely get beaten by an underrated Auburn team this weekend so we will be meeting Florida in Atlanta. Our offense is gonna drop 30 on Florida. They won't even get 3 points this time.
Jake Fegan said:
posted on November 11, 2005 7:08 PM — 208.48.238.22 — link — abuse?
HOW ABOUT THIS FOR A POSSIBLE CONFERENCE, INCLDUGING AN END OF THE SEASON CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:
"The Outcast Conference"
Western Division
BYU
BOISE STATE
FRESNO STATE
TCU
UTAH
NORTHERN ILLINOISEastern Division
WVU
LOUSIVILLE
MARSHALL
PITTSBURGH
BOWLING GREEN
NORTHERN ILLINOISI know travel costs would be high for some of the teams (NIU), but this conference is pretty solid as all of these teams have had recent stays in the Top 20. The lack of poor teams should help recruiting as well.
Also, how about this idea: Create a fifth BCS bowl. The BCS conferences still get the same six bids. There will also be three at large bids based on the same rules as are in place right now. The tenth bid will go the non-BCS (not Notre Dame) school with the highest BCS ranking that year.
Let me know your thoughts.duckman said:
posted on November 11, 2005 7:14 PM — 66.223.208.241 — link — abuse?
Prowd to be a duck fan!!! Prowd to be in the pac-10!!! I am sick of SEC fans turning every conversation into a pac-10 vs. SEC conversation. Every year we hear this and when a pac-10 team goes in to SEC land and wins or gives a SEC team all they can handle SEC fans will a)call that team overated or b) come up with every excuce in the book why they strugelled. Keep making excuses and calling other other confrences weak and if you can find time try to get some class. I can only hope that not all SEC fans are that way. P.S.-GO DUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!
Bleed Crimson said:
posted on November 13, 2005 11:23 PM — 72.146.1.51 — link — abuse?
I like Jake Fegan's idea but i have the best of all.
CREATE AN NFL-TYPE COLLEGE FOOTBAL LEAGE!!!
There will be no more conferences or anything, we will just add another division to college football. Division 1 would include the top 32 football programs (in terms of money). You might not like it to be based on money, but think about it; every good team has a good fan base and therefore good money. Have two conferences (north and south) and have four divisions in each conference (pacific, mountain, central, and eastern). Division 1 would include teams like Texas, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, USC, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Tennessee, Miami, Virginia Tech, Michigan, Florida State, Arizona State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame,(all of the big powerhouses), etc.
Every year do like the FA Premier League in soccer and eliminate the bottom teams and bring in new teams.
This way we could have playoffs, wildcards, and best of all-AN NCAA FOOTBALL SUPERBOWL!!!!(have a stadium built that seats 150,000 people and play just the ncaa superbowl there every year).
Tell me any reason that this wouldn't work.
This would also generate much more money than the NFL.Jake Fegan said:
posted on November 14, 2005 6:33 PM — 208.48.238.22 — link — abuse?
Bleed Crimson. I like your idea, but wouldn't it water down tradiitonal conference rivalries. I couldn't imagine a season without Ohio State-Michigan State or 'Bama-Auburn or Oklahoma-Texas/Nebraska.
I guess we could ensure that these games were still played, but it seems somewhere along the line that some traditional rivalries would be compromised.
TRIVIA QUESTION: Which two Div 1 schools have met the most times?
ANSWER: Wisconsin/Minnesota
hottytoddy said:
posted on November 19, 2005 9:30 AM — 70.150.19.47 — link — abuse?
In regards to the loudest, as a Rebel fan it pains me a great deal to say this, but the FL and BAMA fans are wrong about the loudest / most hostile environment stadium - unfortunately it is the tigers from bayou country, I have made it to all but one SEC stadium and other games around the country and there is no comparison.
In regards to best fans I will have to give the nod to South Carolina fans, they sold out their stadium for years and had a horrendous teamHotty Toddy GOOOO REBS
posted on April 12, 2006 12:40 PM — 65.121.37.207 — link — abuse?
Who cares!!! let the play on the field do the talking, when this season is over and your team wins, let that talk smack for you! Being a Kansas fan myself we sellout most of our games but have had a struggling team over the past few years, we still go and we still have fun. we dont talk smack about other conferences, we let the play on the field do the talking. When we beat Mizzou, we rub it in, thats a rivalry thats what matters! but we dont go around thinking we are better then other conferences. so stop whining about all this pointless crap and have fun watching YOUR team. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
LSU #1 said:
posted on November 2, 2005 11:27 AM — 68.159.18.156 — link — abuse?SEC RULES!!!!!