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Fansided

The 30 Most Loyal Groups of Fans in College Football

By Zach Bigalke

Sep 10, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles fans cheer prior to the game against Charleston Southern at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Beil-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles fans cheer prior to the game against Charleston Southern at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Beil-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 3, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; A fan holds up a cutout sign of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (not pictured) during the national anthem prior to the game between the Arizona Wildcats and the Brigham Young Cougars at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; A fan holds up a cutout sign of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (not pictured) during the national anthem prior to the game between the Arizona Wildcats and the Brigham Young Cougars at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

22. BYU Cougars

Average Home Attendance 2006-2015: 61,306 (96.2% of capacity)
Average Season Winning Percentage: .715
Seasons Under 90% Capacity: 0
Seasons Over 100% Capacity: 3

The BYU Cougars, much like Notre Dame, enjoy a built-in foundation of fans as the flagship school of a Christian denomination in the United States. Since aspiring to Notre Dame’s lofty status and leaving the Mountain West for independence in 2011, BYU has failed to get back to double digits in the win column. Correspondingly, without many of their familiar Mountain West rivals on their schedule, attendance at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo has flagged.

From 2007 through 2009, BYU enjoyed average attendances eclipsing capacity each season. After 2009, the venue was renovated to improve patron accessibility and capacity was reduced by 600 seats, yet attendance has never climbed back over capacity in any season since that high-water mark. Keeping that in mind, it is instructive to remember that BYU is still effectively a mid-major program with a 63,000-seat stadium that is regularly filled to the brim against all but the Cougars’ most minor opponents.

Now longtime head coach Bronco Mendenhall has left Provo for the reclamation project at Virginia. The task of keeping the Cougars relevant has fallen to Oregon State defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake, a BYU alum who knows exactly what it takes to keep fans happy.

Next: 21. Michigan State

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