NCAA Football Attendance: A Comprehensive Analysis

College football, with its rich history and passionate fan base, has long been a major draw, uniting people and serving as a powerful platform. This article delves into the attendance statistics of NCAA football, examining trends, factors influencing attendance, and the economic impact of the sport.

Historical Context and Growth

The evolution of college football attendance is remarkable. From a humble gathering of approximately 100 spectators at the first-ever college football game in 1869 on Rutgers' campus, the sport has exploded in popularity. Over the years, extraordinary renovations and multimillion-dollar projects have transformed stadiums, making crowds of 100,000-plus commonplace. Before the 2016 Battle at Bristol meeting between Tennessee and Virginia Tech, Michigan Stadium held the modern-day college football attendance record.

Attendance Trends and Influencing Factors

While college football maintains a strong following, attendance figures have experienced fluctuations in recent years. Pandemic or not, college football attendance - as well as many other collegiate and pro sports - has witnessed steady decreases over the last decade. Several factors can influence these trends, including team performance, stadium capacity, and fan engagement.

Winning Cures All

It’s no secret: Winning cures all, especially when it comes to attendance numbers. The chart below breaks down the average stadium capacity fill percentage based on Sagarin national ranking.

Stadium Capacity and Fill Percentage

Beyond total attendance, a team’s stadium capacity fill percentage gauges the percentage of seats sold for every home game, on average. A high fill percentage indicates strong fan support and demand for tickets. In 2021, Michigan, Nebraska, Utah, Penn State and Georgia were at capacity during the season.

Declining Attendance

A total of 55 FBS programs have had their attendance dip by at least 10 percent since 2016, with no Power-Five program exceeding Duke’s 48.4-percent decline.

Conference and Team Performance

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has consistently led in conference-wide attendance. In 2019, the SEC led all FBS conferences in attendance for the 22nd straight year, averaging 72,723 fans per game with a total attendance of 7,417,759, followed by the Big Ten (65,065 avg. & 6,311,298 total), Big 12 (57,467 avg. & 3,792,831 total), ACC (48,243 avg. & 4,486,578 total) and Pac-12 (46,080 avg. However, in 2021, the SEC remained the leader of the pack in conference-wide attendance, seeing a modest dip of just 0.5 percent vs. 2019’s numbers.

Top Teams in Attendance

Certain teams consistently draw large crowds, solidifying their positions as attendance leaders. Michigan once again led the nation in average home attendance during the 2021 season at 108,763 fans. Penn State closely followed at No. 2 as the only programs in six figures while Alabama climbed up to No. 3 from its No. 5 ranking in 2019. Overall, every team that ranked in the top 10 in average attendance in 2019 remained in the top 10 in 2021. Michigan led all FBS schools again with an average attendance of 111,459 fans per home game in 2019. Five other schools also averaged more than 100,000 fans per home game: Penn State (105,678), Ohio State (103,383), Texas A&M (101,608), Alabama (101,117) and LSU (100,842). Rounding out the 2019 Top Ten leaders for average home game attendance were: Texas (96,306), Georgia (92,817), Nebraska (89,348) and Tennessee (87,864).

Individual Team Successes

While overall attendance trends provide valuable insights, individual team performances also deserve recognition. Rutgers enjoyed the largest overall increase in average attendance compared to the 2019 season.

Michigan has led the nation in attendance for 43 of the past 45 seasons. (The two breaks occurred with a No. 3 ranking in 2014 and No. 2 ranking in 1997.) The Wolverines have now played before 100,000-plus fans for a record 293 straight home games, a streak that extends back to Nov.

Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile

LSU led the nation for total fan attendance, attracting 1,280,985 spectators to all of their games in 2019, including home, away, neutral and postseason tilts.

Nebraska continued its NCAA-record streak of 375 consecutive home sellouts, a stretch that dates back to Nov. 3, 1962, at Memorial Stadium. The stadium has a current capacity of 85,458, and the Huskers averaged 89,348 at its home games during the 2019 season for a total attendance of 625,436 at seven games.

Georgia currently boasts a streak of 52 consecutive sellouts, including seven sellouts in 2019. The Bulldogs' current record for sellouts stands at 64 from Sept. 1, 2001 to Sept.

Attendance in other divisions

Beyond FBS, strong attendance figures are also seen in other NCAA divisions. Jackson State claimed the FCS attendance title for the second year in a row, attracting 168,808 fans for an average of 33,762 fans for the Tigers' five home games in 2019. Montana, which had claimed the FCS title from 2014-17, came in at second with an average of 22,545 fans for the Grizzlies' seven home games and 157,812 spectators overall in 2019. Morehouse (GA) captured the Division II attendance title for the second consecutive year, attracting a total of 43,697 fans for a 10,924 average per home game. Grand Valley State (MI) with 9,821 landed in the No. 2 spot, followed by Tarleton State (TX) with an average of 8,952. Hampden-Sydney (VA) finished first among all Division III programs for a second consecutive year in home attendance, with a total of 34,747 attending five home games for an average of 6,949. Rounding out the top five were Wisconsin-Whitewater with 6,095, St. Ithaca College (NY) and SUNY Cortland (NY) became the most-attended football game in Division III history, with 45,161 fans watching the Ithaca Bombers defeat the Cortland Red Dragons, 32-20, in the 61st Cortaca Jug game, which was played Nov. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) netted its 17th straight Division II attendance crown, averaging 5,988 fans and a total attendance of 287,437.

Viewership and Media Coverage

College football's popularity extends beyond stadium attendance, with television viewership reaching significant numbers. The 38 postseason bowl games on ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, FOX and FS1 at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season averaged 5,037,000 viewers per game (a 1% increase from last season) while reaching 90 million unique fans† on television.

Key Viewership Statistics

Several games stood out in terms of viewership, demonstrating the broad appeal of college football. Top Ten for viewership (P2+) also included LSU-Georgia (Dec. 7 on CBS) with 13,703,000; Ohio State-Wisconsin (Dec. 7 on FOX) with 13,642,000; Ohio State-Michigan (Nov. 30 on FOX) with 12,501,000; Alabama-Auburn (Nov. 30 on CBS) with 11,505,000; Penn State-Ohio State (Nov. 23 on FOX) with 9,425,000; Notre Dame-Georgia (Sept. 21 on CBS) with 9,287,000; Baylor-Oklahoma (Dec. 7 on ABC) with 8,700,000; LSU-Texas (Sept. 7 on ABC) with 8,633,000; and Army-Navy (Dec. The top five games all eclipsed the 10 million viewer mark and all of the top 12 exceeded seven million viewers each.

Network Performance

Various networks contribute to the extensive coverage of college football, further amplifying its reach. ABC and ESPN combined to air 15 of the 30 most-watched games this season, topped by the Big 12 Championship with Baylor vs. LSU at Texas on Sept. The regular season Oklahoma vs. The Miami (FL) vs. The Pac-12 Championship between Utah and Oregon (Dec. "ESPN College Football 150" programming was consumed by 19 million unique fans on Saturday, Aug. ESPN's "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" averaged 1,956,000 viewers per show, a 3% increase from 2018, reaching nearly 35,900,000 during the season. CBS Sports notched the top-two games and five-of-the-top-10 games for viewership during the 2019 regular season, including LSU vs. Alabama (16,729,000); the SEC Championship with LSU vs. Georgia (13,703,000); Alabama vs. Auburn (11,505,000); Notre Dame vs. Georgia (9,287, 000); and Army vs. CBS Sports' coverage of the LSU-Alabama game delivered a 9.7 rating, making it the highest-rated regular-season college football game (excluding Conference Championships) on any network in eight years and the most-watched regular-season game between the teams since 2011. CBS Sports' coverage of Georgia vs. FOX Sports notched two of the top-five games and three-of-the-top-10 games for viewership during the 2019 regular season, including the Big Ten Championship with Ohio State vs. Wisconsin (13,642,000); Ohio State vs. Michigan (12,501,000); and Penn State vs. FOX Sports coverage of Ohio State's victory over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship was the most-watched Big Ten Championship in six years and the most-watched FOX College Football game this season with 13,642,000 viewers, representing a 56% increase over last season's game between Ohio State and Northwestern.

Media Outlets

The game has benefited enormously from the commitment of every major media sports outlet, including ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, BYUtv, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, ESPN+, FOX, FS1, FS2, FOX College Sports, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports Net, Longhorn Network, NBC, NBC Sports Network, NFL Network, Pac-12 Networks, SEC Network, Stadium and multiple regional and local outlets.

Bowl Games and Postseason Attendance

Bowl games and postseason play provide a significant boost to overall attendance figures. A total of 1,637,417 fans attended the 40 FBS postseason games this season, including the CFP title game, averaging 40,935 spectators per game. A total of 34,799 more people attended bowls in 2019-20 than the 39 bowl games played last season. The Valero Alamo Bowl drew a crowd of 60,147, the third highest total of the non-CFP games and more than two CFP games. For the first six years of the Valero Alamo Bowl's Big 12 #1 vs. The Walk-On's Independence Bowl saw an attendance increase of 21 percent with 33,129 fans up from 27,492 in 2018. The 38 postseason bowl games on ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, FOX, FS1 at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season averaged 5,037,000 viewers per game (a 1% increase from last season) while reaching 90 million unique fans† on television.

Bowl Game Results

The 2019-20 bowl season featured a variety of exciting matchups and memorable moments.Bowl Result. Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl, ESPN: Buffalo 31-9 over Charlotte. Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl, ESPN2: Kent State 51-41 over Utah State. Celebration Bowl, ABC: North Carolina A&T 64-44 over Alcorn State. New Mexico Bowl, ESPN: San Diego State 48-11 over Central Michigan. FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl, CBSSN: Liberty 23-16 over Georgia Southern. Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl, ABC: Florida Atlantic 52-28 over SMU. Camellia Bowl, ESPN: Arkansas State 34-26 over Florida International. Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl, ABC: Washington 38-7 over Boise State. R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, ESPN: Appalachian State 31-17 over UAB. Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl, ESPN: UCF 48-25 over Marshall. SoFi Hawai'i Bowl, ESPN: Hawai'i 38-34 over BYU. Walk-On's Independence Bowl, ESPN: Louisiana Tech 14-0 over Miami (FL). Quick Lane Bowl, ESPN: Pittsburgh 34-30 over Eastern Michigan. Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman, ESPN: North Carolina 55-13 over Temple. New Era Pinstripe Bowl, ESPN: Michigan State 27-21 over Wake Forest. Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl, ESPN: Texas A&M 24-21 over Oklahoma State. San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl, FS1: Iowa 49-24 over USC. Cheez-It Bowl, ESPN: Air Force 31-21 over Washington State. Camping World Bowl, ABC: Notre Dame 33-9 over Iowa State. Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, ESPN: Penn State 53-39 over Memphis. College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, ESPN: LSU 63-28 over Oklahoma. SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, ESPN: Western Kentucky 23-20 over Western Michigan. Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, ESPN: Louisville 38-28 over Mississippi State. Redbox Bowl, FOX: California 35-20 over Illinois. Capital One Orange Bowl, ESPN: Florida 36-28 over Virginia. Belk Bowl, ESPN: Kentucky 37-30 over Virginia Tech. Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, CBS: Arizona State 20-14 over Florida State. AutoZone Liberty Bowl, ESPN: Navy 20-17 over Kansas State 17. NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl, CBSSN: Wyoming 38-17 over Georgia State. Valero Alamo Bowl, ESPN: Texas 38-10 over Utah. Vrbo Citrus Bowl, ABC: Alabama 35-16 over Michigan. Outback Bowl, ESPN: Minnesota 31-24 over Auburn. Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual, ESPN: Oregon 28-27 over Wisconsin. Allstate Sugar Bowl, ESPN: Georgia 26-14 over Baylor. TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl, ESPN: Cincinnati 38-6 over Boston College. TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, ESPN: Tennessee 23-22 over Indiana. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, ESPN: Ohio 30-21 over Nevada. Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, ESPN: Tulane 30-13 over Southern Mississippi. LendingTree Bowl, ESPN: Louisiana 27-17 over Miami (OH). College Football Playoff National Championship, ESPN: LSU 42-25 over Clemson.

Individual Bowl Game Highlights

The Rose Bowl's capacity for UCLA home games stands at 91,136, its all-time attendance record is 106,869. That was set in 1973 at the 59th Rose Bowl Game, which saw USC defeat Ohio State 42-17. The Trojans were then unanimously voted the No.

The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic between Penn State and Memphis saw several records set, including most combined points (92) and second-most yards (1,071) in Cotton Bowl history.

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl aired on CBS for the 52nd consecutive season, the longest continuous relationship between a bowl game and one TV network. The game featured Arizona State and Florida State, and CBS aired a halftime segment on the recipient of the 2019 William V.

The Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl between Buffalo and Charlotte notched the sixth edition of the game, making it the longest-running international bowl game in FBS history.

College Football Playoff

En route to the national title, LSU went 15-0 for the first time in school history and is just the second team in FBS history to go 15-0 in a season. Seven of LSU's 15 wins came against teams ranked in the Top 10, the most of any team in college football history.

During halftime of the CFP title game, the top 11 players on the College Football 150 Greatest Players list were honored during a ceremony as part of the CFB150 celebration. Six of the 12 members of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class guided their teams to an FBS bowl game in 2019: Rodrigo Blankenship (Georgia in Allstate Sugar Bowl), Jordan Fuller (Ohio State in CFP Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl), Justin Herbert (Oregon and recipient of the 2019 Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda in Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual), Adam Holtorf (Kansas State in AutoZone Liberty Bowl), Jordan Mack (Virginia in Capital One Orange Bowl), Jon Wassink (Western Michigan in Servpro First Responder Bowl).

North Dakota State won its eighth FCS national championship in nine years with a 28-20 victory over James Madison on Jan. 11 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. West Florida became the second team to ever win four road games en route to claiming the NCAA Division II National Championship. The Argonauts beat Minnesota State, 48-40, Dec. North Central (IL) notched a 41-14 victory over the Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks at the Stagg Bowl in Shenandoah, Texas, Dec.

Economic Impact

College football has a substantial economic impact on local communities and states. The Allstate Sugar Bowl's annual slate of activities created more than $200 million in economic impact to Louisiana last year. In addition, the Sugar Bowl spearheaded New Orleans' hosting of the 2020 College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship. The Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game annually produce nearly $200 million in economic impact in Southern California. The Orange Bowl Festival, including the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital Orange Bowl, in the past has generated an estimated $261.4 million in new economic impact and media exposure value for South Florida. The game attracts approximately 67,050 visitors to the area, including 88% of the game attendees from outside of South Florida. The Outback Bowl has contributed over $155 million to universities over its history and is estimated to have generated more than $1 billion in economic impact for the Tampa Bay area over this time. The Hawai'i Bowl Foundation in conjunction with the College Football Playoff Foundation, The Mountain West and SoFi donated $30,000 to Teach For America - Hawai'i to assist Hawai'i Teachers.

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