Uncorking Champaign: Rose Bowl-Bound Illinois Up 26.3% In Attendance
Michigan once again led all schools in average attendance, drawing 110,264 fans per game at the Big House. Nebraska, despite poor performance on the field, led all schools in percent capacity, packing Memorial Stadium to 104.2%. Among the top 25, Arkansas saw the biggest decline, down 5.5%, while Kentucky saw the biggest increase, up 20.0%. Kansas, which is set to play in its first BCS game, saw average attendance jump 6.0%, while Hawaii saw an 18.9% boost during its undefeated season. Among teams playing in BCS bowls, Illinois saw the biggest regular-season attendance increase, up 26.3%. South Florida's 9-3 record led to a 75.9% jump in attendance, while filling Raymond James Stadium to 81.0% capacity. The following presents the top 25 NCAA football programs in terms of average attendance for the '07 regular-season, with comparisons to last year (NCAA).
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NCAA FOOTBALL: TOP 25 IN AVERAGE ATTENDANCE
|
|
RK
|
SCHOOL
|
GMS
|
TOTAL
|
% CAP.
|
AVG.
|
'06 AVG.
|
% +/-
|
'06 GMS
|
|
1
|
Michigan
|
8
|
882,115
|
102.6%
|
110,264
|
110,026
|
0.2%
|
7
|
|
2
|
Penn State
|
7
|
762,419
|
101.5%
|
108,917
|
107,567
|
1.3%
|
7
|
|
3
|
Ohio State
|
7
|
735,773
|
102.7%
|
105,110
|
105,096
|
0.0%
|
7
|
|
4
|
Tennessee |
7
|
727,426
|
101.8%
|
103,918
|
105,789
|
-1.8%
|
7
|
|
5
|
Georgia |
7
|
649,222
|
100.0%
|
92,746
|
92,746
|
0.0%
|
7
|
|
6
|
LSU |
7
|
648,334
|
101.1%
|
92,619
|
92,212
|
0.4%
|
8
|
|
7
|
Alabama^ |
7
|
644,966
|
100.0%
|
92,138
|
92,138
|
0.0%
|
8
|
|
8
|
Florida |
7
|
632,715
|
102.1%
|
90,388
|
90,409
|
0.0%
|
7
|
|
9
|
USC |
6
|
524,855
|
95.1%
|
87,476
|
91,480
|
-4.4%
|
6
|
|
10
|
Texas^^ |
6
|
510,865
|
100.0%
|
85,144
|
88,505
|
-3.8%
|
7
|
|
11
|
Oklahoma^^ |
7
|
594,005
|
103.3%
|
84,858
|
84,561
|
0.4%
|
6
|
|
12
|
Auburn |
8
|
677,510
|
96.8%
|
84,689
|
85,063
|
-0.4%
|
8
|
|
13
|
Nebraska |
7
|
591,506
|
104.2%
|
84,501
|
85,044
|
-0.6%
|
7
|
|
14
|
Texas A&M |
7
|
575,450
|
99.5%
|
82,207
|
75,985
|
8.2%
|
7
|
|
15
|
Wisconsin |
7
|
572,227
|
101.8%
|
81,747
|
81,368
|
0.5%
|
7
|
|
16
|
Notre Dame |
7
|
565,745
|
100.0%
|
80,821
|
80,795
|
0.0%
|
7
|
|
17
|
Clemson |
7
|
565,215
|
99.1%
|
80,745
|
82,992
|
-2.7%
|
7
|
|
18
|
Florida St.^ |
5
|
402,987
|
100.8%
|
80,597
|
80,532
|
0.1%
|
8
|
|
19
|
South Carolina |
7
|
549,269
|
97.8%
|
78,467
|
75,630
|
3.8%
|
7
|
|
20
|
UCLA |
6
|
458,271
|
80.4%
|
76,379
|
64,955
|
17.6%
|
7
|
|
21
|
Iowa |
6
|
423,510
|
100.0%
|
70,585
|
70,585
|
0.0%
|
7
|
|
22
|
Michigan State |
7
|
493,779
|
97.9%
|
70,540
|
70,819
|
-0.4%
|
7
|
|
23
|
Arkansas^^^ |
6
|
418,239
|
96.8%
|
69,707
|
73,895
|
-5.7%
|
6
|
|
24
|
Kentucky |
8
|
550,588
|
101.8%
|
68,824
|
57,330
|
20.0%
|
7
|
|
25
|
Washington |
7
|
474,124
|
93.4%
|
67,732
|
57,483
|
17.8%
|
6
|
NOTES: Attendance for neutral site games are not included. ^ = The Alabama-Florida State game was played in Jacksonville as a Florida State home game. The game attracted 85,412 fans (110.6% capacity). ^^ = The Oklahoma-Texas game was played in Dallas as a Texas home game. The game attracted 80,000 fans (117.2% capacity). ^^^ = The UT Chattanooga-Arkansas game was played in Little Rock as an Arkansas home game. The game attracted 54,836 fans (102.1% capacity).
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