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The best and worst of college football’s 2022 attendance trends

By John Scimeca

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 26: General view of fans during a college football game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Michigan Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 26: General view of fans during a college football game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Michigan Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images) /
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SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – APRIL 22: A general view of the stadium before the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Spring Football game at Notre Dame Stadium on April 22, 2023 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – APRIL 22: A general view of the stadium before the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Spring Football game at Notre Dame Stadium on April 22, 2023 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame is still a big-time Independent 

Notre Dame stands out on the attendance list for a reason. The Fighting Irish drew 76,193 fans per home game in 2022, good for the 15th-highest mark in the nation. By next fall, the Fighting Irish will be the program with the highest home attendance outside of the SEC and the Big Ten.

Outside of college football’s two biggest and most powerful conferences, that distinction currently belongs to Texas — the Longhorns drew an average of 100,242 fans per home game in 2022, which ranked No. 6 in the nation. Oklahoma drew an average of 83,835 fans per home game, ranking No. 13 in the nation. Both the Sooners and the Longhorns are departing the Big 12 for the SEC after this upcoming season.

Notre Dame’s position in the rankings means that, as of next fall, the Fighting Irish will be a program that draws more home fans per game than any other program that doesn’t compete in the SEC or Big Ten.

Notre Dame is still one of college football’s elite programs, as the Irish have finished with at least nine wins in six of the past seven seasons. They are aiming for a streak of 10 consecutive years of spending time in the AP Top 10, and they’ve recently played in the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl (as part of the College Football Playoff), and the Cotton Bowl.

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