College Football Teams That Had Highest 2015 Spring Game Attendance
The spring game numbers are in. In some cases, they're better than ever.
Puffing out your chest over spring game attendance numbers is pretty funny—not to mention that the accuracy of said numbers can be iffy. However, it is interesting to see what a program pulled in for a glorified scrimmage. And, hey, it's approaching May and we won't see college football again for another three months.
It's all we have. It's all we have.
Anyway, the announced spring game attendance numbers are in—a big thanks to Kevin McGuire at CollegeFootballTalk.com are in order for keeping tabs on them in this handy Google Doc—and it's time to take stock of which programs had the best returns.
Keep in mind that announced attendance numbers can be different, sometimes very different, from actual attendance. They're also affected by things like weather conditions and ticket prices (if there is a charge). In any case, here are the top 10 spring game attendance numbers from the past month or so.
The only remaining team that could crack the top 10 is Oregon, if it gets about 43,000 people for its spring game, which is Saturday, May 2.
No. 10 Oklahoma
1 of 10
Attendance: 42,807
Despite returning from a disappointing 8-5 season, there's some buzz generating about Oklahoma. The Sooners have a new offensive coordinator, Lincoln Riley, who is moving the offense back to more of an Air Raid base. Riley is going to have some weapons to work with, too. The quarterback battle is up for grabs, but the running back and wide receiver positions have tons of playmakers.
As noted by Ryan Gerbosi of the Dallas Morning News, "OU fans came out despite the potential for rain with announced attendance of 42,807. That’s less than a thousand fewer than last season, which was seen as a large crowd due to a Sugar Bowl win the previous January."
Despite the lower expectations, the Sooners' faithful are interested in seeing how this team can rebound. The offense isn't fully there yet, but the ceiling is high.
No. 9 Georgia
2 of 10
Attendance: 46,815
Sophomore running back Nick Chubb, who rushed for more than 1,500 yards a season ago when he took over for Todd Gurley, was going to be the star for Georgia's spring game. Instead, he played sparingly, rushing three times for 34 yards and a touchdown.
That's not a bad thing, though. Chubb is a preseason Heisman contender and doesn't need to prove anything. Shelving him early was the right move. Fans got to see a quality and competitive quarterback battle with Faton Bauta, Brice Ramsey and Jacob Park. That battle should continue into preseason camp.
Like Oklahoma, Georgia is breaking in a new offensive coordinator: Brian Schottenheimer. It was a polarizing hire, to say the least. Former offensive coordinator Mike Bobo wasn't always the most popular person in Athens, Georgia, so it'll be interesting to see how Schottenheimer does (and is received) in 2015.
No. 8 Michigan State
3 of 10
Attendance: 48,000
Ohio State may be the runaway preseason favorite to win the Big Ten East...and the Big Ten...and perhaps another national championship...but Michigan State is flying high, too. The Spartans have won at least 11 games in four of the past five years.
Little about a 9-3 spring game score induces excitement, but fans were treated to some awesomely hilarious football. We'd be remiss not to mention that the only touchdown was scored by star center Jack Allen. Additionally, guard Donavon Clark picked up 13 yards on a lateral from quarterback Connor Cook.
Without a doubt, Michigan State reached peak Big Ten in its spring game.
"I thought it was a great crowd, and we just keep trying to climb the ladder as we move forward, and it was an excitable crowd," head coach Mark Dantonio via Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press. "So, just very appreciative of people taking their day and coming out and doing this. I just want to send that message out to all of our Spartans. I thought it was a great crowd, it was impressive."
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 7 Michigan
4 of 10
Attendance: 60,000
Putting 60,000 butts in the seats—or so says Michigan—is the work of one man: head coach Jim Harbaugh. He's the attraction, hands down. As noted by Jeremy Allen of MLive.com, this was Michigan's highest spring game attendance in at least two decades:
"It was the most well-attended spring game in at least the last two decades. Former coach Lloyd Carr usually ended the spring training period with "open practices" that only drew about 5,000 fans, while Rich Rodriguez held more traditional spring games, with attendance topping out at 50,000 in 2009.
During Brady Hoke's tenure, the April game never drew more than 25,000 fans, as his style of a spring game was a mix of practice and scrimmage, usually with Hoke on the field coaching between plays.
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Rebuilding the Wolverines' program remains a work in progress and the offense is still going through growing pains. Though Shane Morris is the No. 1 guy for now, the quarterback competition will continue into preseason camp.
No. 6 Auburn
5 of 10
Auburn: 62,143
Though Auburn is coming off of an 8-5 effort in 2014, there's reason to believe the Tigers could be the SEC West champs this season. A reported crowd of more than 62,000 was in attendance earlier this month to get a glimpse of how this team will look.
While new starters on offense, like quarterback Jeremy Johnson, are always worth a follow, it's the Tigers' defense that should've garnered most of the attention. First-year defensive coordinator Will Muschamp is no stranger to the program and inherits some talented players like defensive end Carl Lawson.
The 62,000-plus number isn't as high as Auburn has had in recent years. Malzahn's first season in 2013 saw 83,401 fans show up for the spring game, as noted by the school's athletic website. Still, it's a sizable crowd.
No. 5 Tennessee
6 of 10
Attendance: 63,016
You should believe that the hype train around Tennessee football is operating at full speed. In front of an announced crowd of more than 63,000, the Vols went out to prove that they're worthy of preseason SEC East title consideration.
Though Tennessee was hit hard by injuries, plenty of big plays were on display. Starting quarterback Joshua Dobbs looked the part of a legitimate dual threat, going 5-of-8 passing for 94 yards and a touchdown. Running back Jalen Hurd, though limited, still showed on just a few carries that he's one of the better running backs in the conference.
Once the Vols get healthy, especially along the defensive line, there's going to be even more buzz. Still, head coach Butch Jones did a good job of maintaining a fun, competitive atmosphere with a mix of scrimmages and drills.
No. 4 Alabama
7 of 10
Attendance: 65,175
Nationally, Alabama's spring game attendance was still one of the best in college football. As far as program numbers go, however, the 65,000-plus fans in the stands were a relatively small throng. Drew Champlin of AL.com reported that the crowd of 65,175 fans in attendance was the "smallest [number] since Nick Saban took over as head coach before the spring of 2007."
There can be a couple of reasons for that, most notably weather conditions. Champlin notes there was a forecast for rain that day.
Alabama is also breaking in some new star power on offense for 2015. The quarterback battle, highlighted by Florida State transfer Jake Coker, will continue into the summer. The Tide also have to replace star wide receiver Amari Cooper. The defense, however, should again be one of the SEC's best. The defensive line projects to be as good as any in the country.
No. 3 Penn State
8 of 10
Attendance: 68,000
The Big Ten set the benchmark for spring game attendance in 2015 with an estimated 410,943 fans, according to McGuire at CFT. Penn State was one of four programs in the conference to host more than 60,000 fans and sits as the first of three consecutive Big Ten schools atop the overall attendance record.
What Nittany Lions fans saw this month was a team still trying to find its identity. Penn State experienced some growing pains on offense during James Franklin's first year in 2014. By most accounts, the offense is still developing in Year 2. However, quarterback Christian Hackenberg, when not taking a sack or running for his life, can throw some of the nicest passes in college football.
With loads of recruits looking on as well, Penn State put up an excellent showing in regard to the game-day atmosphere.
No. 2 Nebraska
9 of 10
Attendance: 76,881
Nebraska has always had a good reputation for fan support and the Huskers' 2015 spring game attendance only validated that.
Husker fans everywhere wanted to catch a glimpse of what they could expect under first-year coach Mike Riley. A crowd of nearly 77,000 turned out to watch several storylines develop: How did quarterback Tommy Armstrong look? Was the offense progressing? Who was going to replace Randy Gregory as the pass rusher?
At the time, Nebraska had the highest spring game attendance for 2015 until Ohio State took the field for its end-of-spring scrimmage. Speaking of which...
No. 1 Ohio State
10 of 10
Attendance: 99,391
Ohio State didn't just lead the country in spring game attendance. It broke its own record. The Horseshoe was nearly 100 percent full as the Buckeyes, coming off of a national championship run for the ages, took the field for the final time this spring.
According to Mike Herndon of AL.com, the more than 99,000 fans in attendance broke the school's previous record of 95,722 fans in 2009. According to George Schroeder of USA Today, tickets generally went for $5 a pop, so the school netted roughly an extra half-million dollars.
With most of last year's national title team returning, you can bet that every one of those fans believes another championship is on the way.
"The crowd today was unbelievable," defensive tackle Tommy Schutt told Austin Ward of ESPN.com "Just, wow. Having that many people at a spring game is really special."
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
