The Univ. of Michigan has "led the nation in football attendance every season but one" since 1974, but that run "is "likely to end this year," according to Snyder & Bultman of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. UM currently sits No. 2 -- behind Ohio State -- in average attendance, "despite having the nation's largest capacity (109,901) entering Saturday's home finale." Ohio Stadium has a "smaller capacity (104,944) but has filled it at a 104.38% capacity rate vs. Michigan's 95.94%." Michigan has "reached its capacity for only one game this season -- 113,085 against Penn State on Oct. 11 -- and is averaging 105,441 fans per game." The last time UM did "not lead the nation in attendance was in 1997 ... when Tennessee had a larger stadium until the Big House expanded." All UM crowds this year have "exceeded 100,000 fans, keeping that streak alive, now at 257 straight games." Meanwhile, five of the seven cheapest game ticket averages since '10 "have come this season -- basically all but the Penn State game, which sold many tickets early, being the lone night game this season" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 11/21).
POWER TO THE PEOPLE: In Detroit, Angelique Chengelis noted UM interim AD Jim Hackett's appointment, along with a $5.8M upgrade for Yost Ice Arena was "approved during Thursday's University of Michigan Regents meeting." Hackett "was not present at Thursday's meeting" (DETROIT NEWS, 11/21). Also in Detroit, David Jesse notes two dozen protesters "shut down" the meeting on Thursday, causing regents and administrators "to flee the building under guard from campus police." The regents then "reconvened their meeting in the nearby administration building under heavy security, with access denied to any member of the public other than the media." UM President Mark Schlissel said that the move was "made because of public safety concerns, but he would not comment on whether locking the public out violated the state's Open Meetings Act" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 11/21).
