As the dust settles on college football’s spring games, attendance figures have unveiled a clear picture of the early excitement surrounding the upcoming season.
Coaches will tell you, spring games used to be a whole lot more important and useful than they are now. There was a time not too long ago when coaches put an extreme amount of stock into spring game performances.
While still important, they’re not as valuable in the evaluation process as they used to be.
Having said that, spring games are often times as much about the fans as they are the players.
On campuses across the country, especially at big programs, the pre-game festivities at spring games can often resemble that of an actual regular season game.
In case you’re wondering which programs attracted the largest attendances for their spring games, here is a list of the top 10…
#1. Ohio State: 80,012 – Unsurprisingly, the Ohio State Buckeyes led the country in spring game attendance. As arguably the biggest program in the nation, the 80,012 fans that showed up for Ryan Day’s team is the Buckeyes’ largest spring game crowd since 2017.
#2. Alabama: 72,358 – Even with legendary head coach Nick Saban’s sudden and abrupt retirement, an enormous crowd of 72,358 still filled the stands for the Crimson Tide’s annual A-Day Game. (You’re a long way from Washington, aren’t you Kalen???)
#3. Penn State: 67,000 – One of the most underrated fan bases in the country, Penn State attracted 67,000 to their spring game. Impressive turnout for the Nittany Lions.
#4. Nebraska: 60,452 – Cornhusker fans love their football, and they certainly hope head coach Matt Rhule and star quarterback Dylan Raiola can lead them back to the promised land.
#5. Georgia: 55,101 – After just barely missing out on a chance at a historic three-peat last season, Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs are focused on getting back to the national title game. 55,101 of the Dawgs’ closest friends are just as focused.
#6. Florida: 48,000 – The seat is red-hot for head coach Billy Napier, but 48,000 Gator fans showed up to show their support for the team as they head into the new season. (Or maybe they just showed up to yell at Billy.)
#7. Clemson: 47,000 – Dabo Swinney may be the most polarizing coach in the entire country. You either love him or you hate him. Either way, Clemson fans have his back as he and quarterback Cade Klubnik try to get the Tigers back to the “elite class” of college football. Notably, the spring crowd was the sixth-largest in program history.
#8. Oklahoma: 45,861 – As prominent of a program as they are, Oklahoma still manages to be relatively underrated in the national picture. 45,861 loyal Sooner fans showed up to their spring game as the program heads into the SEC.
#9. Texas: 40,000 – Also headed to the SEC is Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns. Looking to get back to the CFB Playoff and actually finish the job this time, 40,000 filled up the stands to watch quarterback Quinn Ewers (and especially Arch Manning) flash their progress.
#10. Notre Dame: 37,138 – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are a sneaky national title contender as we head into the 2024 season. Quarterback Riley Leonard is still recovering from surgery, but that didn’t stop 37,138 Irish fans from showing up to support Marcus Freeman’s squad. Notably, it was Notre Dame’s largest spring game crowd in 17 years.
Also of note was the enormous dip in attendance that Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes suffered.
After attracting a crowd of over 47,000 to their spring game a year ago, Coach Prime and the Buffs only had 28,424 fans fill this stands this time around.
What are your thoughts on the attendance figures?
Which program are you most impressed and/or disappointed with?
In the bigger picture, what is the largest and strongest program in all of college football???
