Saturday Blitz
Fansided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 7
Next
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 25: A general view of the line of scrimmage during the first half of a game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium on November 25, 2022 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 25: A general view of the line of scrimmage during the first half of a game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium on November 25, 2022 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) /

Florida State is the “best of the rest”

All of the 20 biggest-drawing football programs in terms of 2022 home attendance hail from the Big Ten or the eventual 16-team SEC, apart from Notre Dame. To find a team from another conference among the nation’s most attended home games, you’d have to go down the rankings to No. 21 to find Florida State of the ACC.

OU and Texas are both in that Top 20 distinction, although both programs are leaving the Big 12 after this season.

The Seminoles drew an average of 67,254 fans to Doak Campbell Stadium in 2022. Under third-year head coach Mike Norvell, FSU posted its first 10-win season in six years — including a nervy early victory against LSU at the Superdome in New Orleans.

Of course, by virtue of Florida State’s position on this list as an ACC program and considering how quickly the wheels turn on conference realignment, the Seminoles might become the biggest target to be poached by the SEC.

Even the No. 22-ranked program, USC, is heading to the Big Ten after a planned departure from the Pac-12. The Trojans had 64,487 fans per home game in 2022. Interestingly, both FSU and USC saw increases of more than +14% from their 2021 numbers, partially a reflection of the much-improved on-field product.

Home/College Football News