Top college football spring game attendance numbers
There are weighty and consequential offseason topics to examine in college football, and then there is the cotton candy, the lighter side of the sport.
Spring football attendance figures would certainly count as the latter. Some fan bases — the ones at the schools which pack their stadiums for spring ball — will revel in their loyalty and their public displays of support for their team. They will make light of the schools whose fan bases did not show up in the same large numbers. Fans will find just about anything to argue about in the months before August camp. Spring game attendance is one of several topics which can be placed into that bucket.
Let’s look at some of the leaders in spring football game attendance in college football:
(h/t Carter Bahns of 247 Sports)
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES: 75,122
Nov 26, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) throws a pass during the first half of the NCAA football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
Ncaa Football Michigan Wolverines At Ohio State Buckeyes
CJ Stroud is gone, and so is Jaxon Smith-Njigba. However, Marvin Harrison Jr. is a top-3 pick next year, and the Buckeyes should be a College Football Playoff candidate.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS: 68,000
Nov 13, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks on from the sideline during the third quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Beaver Stadium. Michigan defeated Penn State 21-17. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
There’s just something about Big Ten football. Fans consistently make the full emotional investment in their teams.
NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS: 66,045
Nov 28, 2022; Omaha, Nebraska, US; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule at the introductory press conference at the Hawks Championship Center on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Rhule is back in college, and there is excitement once again for Cornhuskers football.
ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE: 58,710
Dec 31, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Dillon Lee (25) intercepts a pass in front of head coach Nick Saban during the fourth quarter against the Michigan State Spartans in the 2015 CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Alabama won 38-0. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
Every year, Alabama is entrenched in the College Football Playoff picture. That invariably builds offseason excitement and interest.
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS: 58,473
Fans storm the field after Tennessee’s 52-49 win over Alabama in Neyland Stadium, on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022
Rocky Top is back, and the Vols should be a tough team once again after their breakthrough in 2022.
OKLAHOMA SOONERS: 54,409
Oklahoma’s Brayden Willis (9) leaps over Oklahoma State’s Mason Cobb (0) and Sean Michael Flanagan (18) during a Bedlam college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022.
Bedlam Football
It was a rough year for the Sooners in the first season without Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams. Year 2 should be better, and fans know it.
GEORGIA BULLDOGS: 54,000
Jan 9, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Broderick Jones (59) and quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) and long snapper Payne Walker (right) celebrate after winning the CFP national championship game against the TCU Horned Frogs at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Bulldogs won the national title again with a drubbing of TCU. Can they three-peat? Fans are certainly interested at a high level.
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS: 51,000
South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back D.Q. Smith (1) is congratulated by defensive back O’Donnell Fortune (25) for Smith’s pick-six score during the first quarter of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl of an NCAA college football game Friday, Dec. 30, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish held off the South Carolina Gamecocks 45-38. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
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South Carolina is serious about football, and 51,000 at the spring game is quite impressive. The late-season wins over Tennessee and Clemson made sure the Gamecocks will be a team to watch in 2023.
CLEMSON TIGERS: 50,000
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney during the second quarter at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia Monday, September 5, 2022.
Ncaa Fb Clemson At Georgia Tech
DJ Uiagalelei went to Oregon State, but the Clemson Tigers are still going to be the favorite in the ACC. Garrett Riley is their offensive coordinator. Fans love that.
COLORADO BUFFALOES: 47,277
Apr 22, 2023; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders hits the field before the start of the spring game at Folsom Filed. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Deion Sanders effect is real, and the Buffs are in business after a 1-11 season. Fans can’t get enough of Coach Prime in Boulder.
USC TROJANS: 33,427
Apr 15, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Malachi Nelson (8) and Caleb Williams (13) and head coach Lincoln Riley watch the game from the sideline during the Spring Game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
The Trojans have loaded up on offense and defense and are determined to get into the College Football Playoff. Additions such as Bear Alexander should help Alex Grinch’s defense improve.
