The 30 Most Loyal Groups of Fans in College Football
By Zach Bigalke
8. Michigan Wolverines
Average Home Attendance 2006-2015: 110,072 (101.5% of capacity)
Average Season Winning Percentage: .593
Seasons Under 90% Capacity: 0
Seasons Over 100% Capacity: 9
Michigan has the biggest football stadium (collegiate or professional) in the United States, and the Wolverines continue to pack it despite inconsistent performances over the past decade. Back in 2006 Michigan was the second-ranked team in the country when they lost to top-ranked Ohio State. The following year, though they became the first top-five team to lose to an FCS program when Appalachian State upset them at the Big House in the 2007 season opener, Michigan fans still sold out every game thereafter.
They kept coming after Lloyd Carr was fired. They came despite the uneven results of the Rich Rodriguez regime and the disappointing returns of Brady Hoke’s time in Ann Arbor. Only in 2014, the last of Hoke’s time at the helm of the Wolverines, did the fans consciously turn their backs on Michigan. That year Michigan Stadium only sold out twice, for games against Penn State and Ohio State, and the fact that so many protested by staying away required fans to show that loyalty requires reciprocity.
The hiring of Jim Harbaugh has rejuvenated a program that has fallen far below its historic averages in terms of expectations. Yet despite the fits and starts that have occurred since losing that historic 1-vs.-2 matchup against Ohio State a decade ago, Michigan fans have remained intensely loyal to the maize and blue.
Next: 7. Alabama