FBS Schools See 1% Attendance Drop Through First Five Weeks Of Season

Attendance for FBS games through five weeks of the '14 season is down 1% "compared to this point" last season and down nearly 7% "from three years ago," according to Jon Solomon of CBSSPORTS.com. The average FBS home crowd this season is 44,997, a figure that is down from 45,596 through five weeks in '13, 47,181 in '12 and 48,279 in '11. Crowds are up 3% among the top 25 attendance leaders, "due in part to some expanded stadiums." Seventeen of the top 25 attendance leaders "experienced an increase through five weeks" compared to '13. Only 12 of the top 25 leaders in '13 at this point "had an increase" from '12. Outside of the top 25 attendance leaders, "crowds for the remaining Power 5-conference schools are down" 3% from last season. Through five weeks in '14, Michigan is "one of the biggest losers" with a 7% decrease. The biggest increase "among the Power 5 conferences" is Maryland, up 25% during the school's first season in the Big Ten (CBSSPORTS.com, 10/1).