The 30 Most Loyal Groups of Fans in College Football
By Zach Bigalke
25. Texas Longhorns
Average Home Attendance 2006-2015: 95,805 (99.4% of capacity)
Average Season Winning Percentage: .661
Seasons Under 90% Capacity: 1
Seasons Over 100% Capacity: 7
Before 1999, Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin seated fewer than 80,000 fans for college football game days. Several 21st-century renovation projects have opened the doors for more than 20,000 more Texas Longhorns fans, and they have largely continued to pack the stadium to capacity through three progressive expansions — with talk of further expansion that has since tapered down in the wake of attendance downturns.
In the past three seasons attendance has dropped below 100 percent capacity in Austin, as the end of the Mack Brown era and the slow start of Charlie Strong’s tenure have resulted in what for the Longhorns are subpar records and a consequent drop in the number of fans coming to the stadium for each home game. Between the Thanksgiving day battle against Texas Tech in 2013 and the home opener against Notre Dame in September 2016, Texas went 12 games without a single sellout.
Success on the field has been lacking, and it has dampened the loyalty of Longhorns fans somewhat. But the base that still drapes itself in burnt orange remains among the 25 most loyal groups of fans in college football, at least for now.
Next: 24. Iowa