College football attendance continues to decline each year, hitting a 14-year low in 2014.
We can only speculate the exact reasons for the decline, which are probably some combination of chronically poor non-conference home scheduling, endless TV coverage and the poor cell reception stopping an entire generation from updating Instagram. Also, traditional powers Texas, Michigan and Florida were each down in 2014, both in winning and attendance.
State reported a 2% increase (54,398). Winning (more) matters.
The full list here: CBSSports.com
Other notes of interest:
ACC: This league again was last among Power Five schools at 50,016, although its average was up 1 percent in the first year Notre Dame played a condensed schedule against the ACC. Fresh off a national championship, Florida State saw its crowds increase by 9 percent. Half of the ACC’s teams had their attendance rise.
Ohio State, which averaged 106,296 fans, ended Michigan’s 16-year run atop the attendance leaders. Michigan dropped to third at 104,909 behind No. 2 Texas A&M (105,123).
The biggest increases among Power Five schools: Texas A&M (21 percent), Maryland (14 percent), LSU (11 percent), Mississippi State (10 percent), Rutgers (9 percent), Florida State (9 percent) and UCLA (nine percent). Texas A&M, LSU and Mississippi State expanded their stadiums this season. Maryland and Rutgers were new Big Ten members.
The biggest decreases in the Power Five: Purdue (28 percent), Pittsburgh (17 percent), Virginia (15 percent), Kansas (10 percent), Arizona State (9 percent) and Oklahoma State (8 percent).
