Power 5 Schools with Biggest Gains and Losses in 2015 CFB Stadium Attendance
Average attendance at college football games slipped yet again in the 2015 season, but another yearly downturn didn't affect every team across the country.
While other schools' crowds suffered from bad on-field performances or lackluster home schedules, a few teams made sizable gains in their gate numbers. New head coaches reenergized fan bases, including the one that packs the second-largest sports stadium on the entire planet.
Let's take a look at the 10 Power Five schools that had the biggest gains in average attendance from 2014 to 2015 and the 10 that had the biggest moves in the other direction. (Here are last year's 10 biggest gains and 10 biggest losses.)
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The average attendance numbers have been taken directly from the NCAA, and it's worth noting that these numbers are based on reported attendance—not necessarily the exact number of seats that were filled on Saturdays.
Biggest Gains
1. Pittsburgh (+6,835): Pittsburgh had the second-biggest drop in average attendance from 2013 to 2014, but Panthers fans rebounded in a strong way last season. According to Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, average attendance at Heinz Field was boosted by the excitement surrounding Pat Narduzzi's first season as Pitt's head coach and a strong home schedule led by a 68,400-seat sellout game against Notre Dame.
2. Michigan (+5,259): "Harbaugh Mania" brought bigger crowds back to college football's largest stadium as the Wolverines led the nation in attendance with an average of 110,168 per game, passing Ohio State and Texas A&M from 2014's numbers. Jim Harbaugh's arrival and 10-win turnaround season coincided perfectly with a strong home schedule for Michigan, which hosted Northwestern, Michigan State and Ohio State inside the Big House.
3. Minnesota (+4,490): Minnesota received a good-sized bump in attendance at TCF Bank Stadium last fall thanks to some blockbuster home games against teams with strong fan bases. The Golden Gophers opened the season with a Thursday night game against TCU and also hosted Nebraska, Michigan and Wisconsin in Big Ten play. Will the Gophers be able to keep up that momentum under Tracy Claeys?
4. Iowa State (+4,322): While the 2015 season wasn't a good one for Iowa State, Cyclone fans still came to the newly expanded Jack Trice Stadium in record numbers. The Cyclones started the season with a one-two sellout punch against in-state foes Northern Iowa and Iowa, which had 61,500 fans in attendance—an increase of 6,700 from its previous capacity. ISU will be a good candidate to be on this list again next year with the excitement generated from new head coach Matt Campbell.
5. Florida (+4,232): Jim McElwain helped bring some more buzz back to the Swamp last fall as the Gators made their surprising run to an SEC East division title. This 10-win Florida team took full advantage of a strong home schedule, too, as Tennessee, Ole Miss and Florida State all made the trip to Gainesville in 2015. The rivalry game against FSU set a new Ben Hill Griffin Stadium record with 90,916 in attendance.
6. Virginia (+3,964): After dropping to its lowest attendance average in 21 years last season, Virginia got some of those numbers back in 2015 despite a rough 4-8 record. The Cavaliers were helped out by a home game against powerhouse Notre Dame and a season finale against Virginia Tech that was Hokie head coach Frank Beamer's final regular-season game. The numbers could continue to rise in 2016 under new head coach Bronco Mendenhall.
7. Kentucky (+3,723): No one in the SEC—which set an all-time record for largest season attendance for a conference—had a bigger percentage increase than Kentucky. After only having two home games in 2014 with 60,000-plus fans in attendance, the Wildcats had six of those at Commonwealth Stadium in 2015. Although UK didn't reach the postseason, its fans were loyal throughout the campaign.
8. Oklahoma State (+3,281): After dipping in average attendance from 2013 to 2014, Oklahoma State bounced back up last season with perhaps the best possible home schedule in the entire Big 12. The Cowboys hosted TCU, Baylor and rival Oklahoma in Boone Pickens Stadium in the span of four weeks, and they also had a season-high in attendance for a homecoming game against lowly Kansas.
9. Indiana (+2,657): Attendance has been steadily climbing for Indiana football under head coach Kevin Wilson, and the Hoosiers filled Memorial Stadium even more in 2015 with a great home schedule. IU sold out its home game against then-No. 1 Ohio State and also hosted Iowa and Michigan. The Hoosiers play a fun brand of football, and they'll have forward momentum for 2016 after making it to a bowl game for the first time since 2007.
10. NC State (+2,590): NC State saw a modest climb in attendance last season as the Wolfpack went 7-6 under head coach Dave Doeren. Carter-Finley Stadium was sold out for games against Clemson, North Carolina and even FCS program Eastern Kentucky in Week 2. With attendance decreasing elsewhere across its home state, the Wolfpack will be proud it went the other direction last fall.
Biggest Losses
1. UCLA (-9,792): UCLA broke its all-time attendance record at the Rose Bowl in 2014, and the door swung the other way in 2015. The Bruins had nearly 10,000 fewer fans per game in 2015 thanks to a lackluster home schedule that included smaller crowds for Virginia, Cal and Colorado. Things should pick back up at the Rose Bowl this fall, though, as the Bruins host both Stanford and USC.
2. Florida State (-9,082): After excellent 2013 and 2014 seasons for home attendance, a reloading Florida State team dropped off in attendance last year for a number of reasons. As Bud Elliott of Tomahawk Nation noted, Florida State only had two night home games all season, and early kickoffs against underwhelming competition are bad combinations. With North Carolina, Clemson and Florida set to come to Tallahassee this fall, attendance at Doak Campbell Stadium should be right back up again.
3. Syracuse (-8,345): Syracuse had the biggest percentage drop in attendance for any Power Five school last season, with over a fifth of the average crowd from 2014 not coming back for Scott Shafer's last season. The Orange had its smallest crowd in 32 years for a Week 2 win over Wake Forest, and an eight-game losing skid kept the Carrier Dome looking more cavernous than usual for most of 2015.
4. Kansas (-6,795): Attendance bottomed out yet again for Kansas in 2015 as the Jayhawks slumped to an 0-12 record under first-year head coach David Beaty. Five different home games had fewer than 30,000 fans, and a 49-0 loss to West Virginia in late November only drew 21,415 fans. The good news? There shouldn't be anywhere to go but up for Beaty and the Jayhawks at 50,000-seat Memorial Stadium.
5. Oregon State (-6,097): The arrival of new head coach Gary Andersen didn't have the desired effect on Oregon State's attendance, as the Beavers slipped to a 2-10 record last fall. After having more than 40,000 fans at all seven of its home games in 2014, Oregon State didn't have a home crowd larger than 38,074 in 2015. It was a rough season on the eyes for the Beavers both on the field and in the stands.
6. Northwestern (-5,247): A 10-win campaign in 2015 wasn't enough to keep Northwestern's attendance from declining for the second straight season—although a lot of that had to do with a home schedule that included games against Eastern Illinois, Ball State and Purdue. A trio like that will drag down any average attendance figure, especially for a smaller Power Five school such as Northwestern.
7. North Carolina (-5,024): North Carolina came close to crashing the College Football Playoff last season by making it to the ACC title game, but its home game attendance was lacking. Wide receiver Bug Howard sent out a frustrated tweet about attendance in late September, during a low-attended stretch in which the Heels played two FCS schools and Illinois. Numbers picked up as the Heels ran the table in the ACC, but that slow start put UNC more than 5,000 fans below its average in 2014.
8. Miami (-4,957): Considering some of the images that came out of Miami last season—this shot of the Senior Day crowd was especially rough—Miami's average attendance of 47,651 in 2015 seems generous. The 'Canes had announced crowds of over 50,000 for just three home games in the nearly 65,000-seat Sun Life Stadium. Those attendance figures should start to turn around, though, in Miami's first season under new head coach Mark Richt.
9. Arizona State (-4,467): Average attendance dropped by more than 4,000 for the second straight season at Arizona State, which is currently renovating Sun Devil Stadium. Outside of a home game against Oregon and the annual rivalry matchup with Arizona, the Sun Devils had a weak home slate with Cal Poly, New Mexico and Colorado all coming to Tempe. Combine that with a lackluster 6-7 record, and any school is bound to slip.
10. Iowa (-4,370): Iowa's softer regular-season schedule translated into a big 12-0 run for the Hawkeyes last fall, but it didn't help much in terms of attendance. Kinnick Stadium's only sellout came in a game against rival Minnesota, and the Hawkeyes hosted only one other team—Pittsburgh—that made it to a bowl game in 2015. But with Iowa State, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Michigan on the home schedule for 2016, the crowds should grow again in Iowa City.
Justin Ferguson is a National College Football Analyst at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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