September Home Attendance

[GrayEagle]

The following are average attendance to-date for SBC and C-USA conferences and those that will be C-USA football members in 2013:

Sun Belt Conference:

31,175 ULM (1)

24,920 Arkansas State (3)

23,497 Troy (1)

23,456 Louisiana (2)

22,041 North Texas (2)

19,780 Western Kentucky (2)

18,717 South Alabama

17,459 Middle Tennessee

14,199 FAU

14,002 FIU

Conference USA:

48,420 East Carolina (2)

38,157 UCF (2)

36,535 UTEP (2)

33,095 Memphis (2)

30,675 Houston (2)

29,377 Marshall (2)

28,816 Southern Miss (2)

26,858 SMU (3)

24,345 Tulane (3)

20,904 UAB (2)

20,418 Tulsa (3)

18,655 Rice (2)

Others:

23,228 Louisiana Tech (1)

21,468 Texas State (3)

UTSA has yet to play a home game

These averages are for home games only; no neutral sites are included.

Here are the averages for each current conference:

76,539 Southeastern

69,187 Big Ten

58,260 Big Twelve

52,869 Pac 12

48,021 ACC

41,080 Big East

29,042 Conference USA

26,174 Mountain West

20,522 Sun Belt

17,528 WAC

16,784 MAC

[emmitt01]

SMU attendance is like asking a frat boy how many women he's slept with. Divide by 2.

[Eastwood Eagle]

UTSA has had two home games btw.

[filmerj]

UTSA has had two home games btw.

Could be wrong, but I think he's taking a shot at UTSA because they play at the alamodome.

[untlynchka]

SMU attendance is like asking a frat boy how many women he's slept with. Divide by 2.

Normally true, but in the case of this year it's actually sad because they have home games against tcu and tamu.

[Eastwood Eagle]

Could be wrong, but I think he's taking a shot at UTSA because they play at the alamodome.

Then, lol?

[wardly]

I am susprised by 4&1 Tulsa's low attendance.Granted, home games were against Tulane,Nicholls St.,and Fresno[a 27-26 win], but still.

[Eagle1855]

SMU attendance is like asking a frat boy how many women he's slept with. Divide by 2.

I didn't know promiscuity was cool. Wish I would have known that when I was a frat boy.

I also wish ULL or Ark State was going with us to CUSA in place of FIU.

[Green Jackal]

I am susprised by 4&1 Tulsa's low attendance.Granted, home games were against Tulane,Nicholls St.,and Fresno[a 27-26 win], but still.

Probably partly due to Tulsa having the smallest enrollment of any FBS school in the country.

[foutsrouts]

I didn't know promiscuity was cool. Wish I would have known that when I was a frat boy.

I also wish ULL or Ark State was going with us to CUSA in place of FIU.

I agree. Trying to please East Carolina with those 3 Eastern additions was a little too much. Especially since they want out of USA ASAP.

[GrayEagle]

UTSA has had two home games btw.

I believe that the problem is that the NCAA only recognizes games against Division I opponents for attendance. They may have played five games but only three were against FBS or FCS teams.

[GrayEagle]

I agree. Trying to please East Carolina with those 3 Eastern additions was a little too much. Especially since they want out of USA ASAP.

Well, as I understand it, Old Dominion and Charlotte were added to placate East Carolina. Both are an easy drive and ODU has about 20,000 season ticket holders with a waiting list. Charlotte has never played football but they have good basketball attendance and expects to average over 20K in football. Plus, they are an in-state rival. Like most, ECU would prefer to move up but if they don't they are at least happier with the coming arrangement.

Since CUSA is cashing in on potential with these two, it made it easier to add UTSA rather than another Sun Belt team.

Potential hasn't worked for FIU. In spite of being the largest university in CUSA, in a very large market, with a decently strong team, they are last in the Sun Belt in attendance. Can they afford to complete their eventual 45,000 seat stadium with such small crowds?

[Cerebus]

I also wish ULL or Ark State was going with us to CUSA in place of FIU.

Miami is the 16th DMA. Lafayette is 124th and Jonesboro is 180th. Both of them fell in the rankings in last years market ratings.

Before you roll your eyes at that, remember that our 5th ranked market is one of the reasons we will have different conference patches on the uni's next season.... and will be cashing a TV rights check that is about 11 times bigger than the one we did before.

[LakeTravis]

ULM had their best start, say ever and it was a prime time game on ESPN andddd vs a Big12 Baylor.

Now it will be interesting to see who shows up but remember, hunting season rolls around and that stadium is a ghost town.

[Stan R]

The most intriguing number on there is UCF. To me, they are who we need to be emulating. I kind of wonder what people think of the argument that was made prior to Apogee being constructed that we needed to build to 40K seats. People poo-poo'd the UCF design and said erector set, etc. But look at what they are doing, averaging 38K fans per game now.

Found this gem of an article:

http://today.ucf.edu/ucf-football-taking-attendance/

back in 2001 they averaged 19,000! per game. Sound familiar? The change has been - admitted into CUSA and, new stadium in 2007. Their university is a bit bigger I believe they have 45K students, but still, very similar situation.

The question is this. Did we build a nice, cozy, TOO SMALL stadium? Did the build it and they will come model work brilliantly for UCF? I'm starting to think UCF did it right and we.. well.. I'm not so sure anymore.

[Stan R]

An add-on point for the UCF situation. Averaging 38K fans per game will allow you to very quickly fill in the erector set like beams with concrete pillars and add on additional brick to the exterior. It's almost like getting the capacity high right off the bat is the foot in the door which allows you the ability to finish it off later more easily.

Question - does anybody remember what the quoted approximate cost was to fill in the bowl around the wingzone? I thought someone had that number a while back.

[oldguystudent]

Apogee is a freaking sweet stadium that was built with easy expansion to 50,000 in mind. Did we do it right? Absofreakinglutely.

Plus, probable beer sales next year!

[Stan R]

Apogee is a freaking sweet stadium that was built with easy expansion to 50,000 in mind. Did we do it right? Absofreakinglutely.

Plus, probable beer sales next year!

easy expansion to 50K? I guess if you consider another 100 million "easy".

[Mean Green 93-98]

easy expansion to 50K? I guess if you consider another 100 million "easy".

If we are regularly packing 30k plus in Apogee with demand for more seating, it will happen. Maybe "easy" is not the word, but it will happen.

[oldguystudent]

Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot where I was. UNT sucks to biblical proportions at everything it ever has done and ever will do. I adamantly pontificate on this perpetual truth to anyone who will listen in hopes that it devalues my degree to nothing so I can shot from atop the mountains that I am a victim of my own education. Yeah. That and RV smells funny.

[Stan R]

If we are regularly packing 30k plus in Apogee with demand for more seating, it will happen. Maybe "easy" is not the word, but it will happen.

Let's revisit this conversation after next year. At that point if we are still averaging 22K, we have a problem.

[wardly]

Probably partly due to Tulsa having the smallest enrollment of any FBS school in the country. Agreed, but its the only game in town.

[Green Lantern]

The most intriguing number on there is UCF. To me, they are who we need to be emulating. I kind of wonder what people think of the argument that was made prior to Apogee being constructed that we needed to build to 40K seats. People poo-poo'd the UCF design and said erector set, etc. But look at what they are doing, averaging 38K fans per game now.

Found this gem of an article:

http://today.ucf.edu/ucf-football-taking-attendance/

back in 2001 they averaged 19,000! per game. Sound familiar? The change has been - admitted into CUSA and, new stadium in 2007. Their university is a bit bigger I believe they have 45K students, but still, very similar situation.

The question is this. Did we build a nice, cozy, TOO SMALL stadium? Did the build it and they will come model work brilliantly for UCF? I'm starting to think UCF did it right and we.. well.. I'm not so sure anymore.

Actually UCF has around 60,000 students. Think it's the 2nd largest student population in the country behind Arizona State.

[UNT90]

Let's revisit this conversation after next year. At that point if we are still averaging 22K, we have a problem.

If we WIN, 22k won't be the average.

It's amazing that for how bad this program has sucked a$$ the last 7 years that we have 22k coming to games.

Win. Win games that matter. The rest takes care of itself.

[Harry]

If we WIN, 22k won't be the average.

It's amazing that for how bad this program has sucked a$$ the last 7 years that we have 22k coming to games.

Win. Win games that matter. The rest takes care of itself.

Amen and as you and I bemoaned after TSU what would our program do with ONE victory like the two Monroe has seen (Bama, Arkansas etc) and we've frankly NEVER had.