If they don't want to come to the game, they don't have to come. Me personally, I think it ought to be first-come, first-serve.

I don't think they're entitled to anything, either. 'I can honestly say I was a little disappointed there weren't more students at the last game. 'I think what makes this a special experience here is when we have great support from everybody in the program, everybody that supports the program, all of our fans, all of our students,' Saban said. A few weeks later, Nick Saban actually commented on the student section's lack of enthusiasm after a win over Louisiana-Lafayette. The Crimson Tide's least-attended home game was the home opener vs. Several elite-level programs just missed this year's Top 10 including Oklahoma, Florida, Notre Dame and Clemson:Īccording to 'announced crowds' this season in Tuscaloosa, Alabama reached Bryant-Denny's capacity four times, including the Iron Bowl finale vs. Here's a look at college football's home attendance leaders during the 2018 season. And on the other hand, there are exceptions to the rule when support has never been higher. No program is immune from fan interest decline due to exorbitant ticket fees, travel hindrances and a variety of other reasons. That marked the fourth consecutive season attendance has declined nationally and if the major programs - many with storied cathedrals as home venues - suffered in 2018, that's often a telling sign for the rest of college football. FBS games - including neutral-site and bowl games - averaged 42,203 fans in 2017, a noticeable drop from the 2016 campaign. In the social media and streaming age in which almost every game can be viewed with the best angles and insight from your couch or on the go, struggling attendance remains a major talking point for the powers that be in college football.īased on our own research for college football's highest per-game home averages in 2018 among the elites, you can expect the downward attendance trend to continue nationally when the NCAA's official numbers are released in early 2019.

Nebraska home football games 2018