Comparing BC's 2011 Home Football Attendance To Rest Of ACC

The results are in. With just 33,712 attending last Saturday's home finale against N.C. State, Spaz and the Eagles posted the worst per-game home attendance average of the last 18 seasons. BC averaged just 35,709 for each of the six home games this season, which is worse than Spaz's first season as head coach in 2009 (35,716) and Tom O'Brien's first year at the helm in 1997 (36,288).

BC also failed to break 40k for a game this season, also a first for Alumni Stadium since the stadium was expanded to its current capacity in 1994.

The Thursday night Florida State game was the Eagles' best attended game of the season, with a listed attendance figure of 38,729, while the UMass game drew just 30,176. So much for that scheduling local theory.

Now before opposing ACC fan bases go trolling, I wanted to compare BC's home attendance results this season to the rest of the conference.

The program currently has the 10th best per-game home attendance figure in the conference, which makes sense when you consider that the Eagles also have the 10th largest stadium in the ACC. When you look at percent capacity though, BC finished 8th best in the ACC with an average of 80.2% capacity. 

Let's take a look at how the rest of the conference has fared for home game attendance in terms of percent capacity.

1. Wake Forest Demon Deacons - 105.2%
Average: 33,127
Capacity: 31,500
Home Schedule: N.C. State, Gardner-Webb, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Maryland, Vanderbilt
Games Remaining: 2

Credit the Demon Deacons for surpassing the 100 percent capacity mark so far this season. The program recently completed renovations on Groves and has benefitted from a strong home schedule that included Florida State, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame's first ever game in Winston-Salem (modest stadium renovations plus strong home schedule ... think about it, Gene). Groves listed capacity is 31,500 but Wake can seat several thousands more behind the endzones. We'll see if this 100%+ capacity figure holds now that Wake has been eliminated from the ACC Championship Game and hosts 2-win Maryland this weekend.

2. Virginia Tech Hokies - 100%
Average: 66,233
Capacity: 66,233
Home Schedule: Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Clemson, Miami, Boston College, North Carolina 
Games Remaining: 1

The Hokies sell out Lane Stadium for every game, even for games against Appalachian State and Arkansas State. Nothing to see here.

3. N.C. State Wolfpack - 97.6%
Average: 56,200
Capacity: 57,583
Home Schedule: Liberty, South Alabama, Georgia Tech, Central Michigan, North Carolina, Clemson, Maryland
Games Remaining: 2

It takes a special breed of college football fan to nearly sell out Carter-Finley for each of the Wolfpack's first five home games that includes Liberty, South Alabama and Central Michigan. Those fans have also had to endure nearly five years of TOB ball, so much respect.

4. Clemson Tigers - 96.2%
Average: 78,736
Capacity: 81,500
Home Schedule: Troy, Wofford, Auburn, Florida State, Boston College, North Carolina, Wake Forest
Games Remaining: 0

The Tigers have completed its home schedule and are off to the program's second ACC Championship Game in three seasons. Filling a 81.5k seat stadium to 96.2 percent capacity is damn impressive, but all but one of the Tigers' reported home attendance figures are in thousands. Round up, much?

 

5. Florida St. Seminoles - 94.7%
Average: 77,953
Capacity: 82,300
Home Schedule: Louisiana-Monroe, Charleston Southern, Oklahoma, Maryland, N.C. State, Miami, Virginia
Games Remaining: 1

The Noles have just one home game remaining this season - this weekend against Virginia - before finishing the season on the road at the Swamp. FSU has averaged nearly 78,000 fans a game this season, which, believe it or not, is a huge improvement over last year's 71,270 average at home.

6. North Carolina Tar Heels - 88.3%
Average: 55,583
Capacity: 62,980
Home Schedule: James Madison, Rutgers, Virginia, Louisville, Miami, Wake Forest, Duke
Games Remaining: 1

Kenan is one of the best stadiums to take in a game in the ACC. The Tar Heels have done reasonably well at the game this season when you consider the cloud that hung over the program in the offseason and the weak home schedule. UNC's best attended home game so far this season has been the Heels' 14-7 win over Miami back on October 15. The worst was the week before, a 14-7 home win over Louisville witnessed by 51,500.

7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets - 85.7%
Average: 47,116
Capacity: 55,000
Home Schedule: Western Carolina, Kansas, North Carolina, Maryland, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Georgia
Games Remaining: 1

Back-to-back home games against top ten opponents Clemson and Virginia Tech have helped the Jackets boost attendance over the second half of the season. Hosting in-state rival Georgia to end the season will also help. Still, there were no shortage of lightly attended games early in the season, including Western Carolina (42,132), Kansas (42,025) and Maryland (45,905).

8. Boston College Eagles - 80.2%
Average: 35,709
Capacity: 44,500
Home Schedule: Northwestern, Duke, UMass, Wake Forest, Florida State, N.C. State
Games Remaining: 0

Considering the fact that BC has won all of three games and are in the midst of their worst season in over a decade, over 80 percent capacity doesn't seem all that bad. Especially considering the suck that was the 2011 schedule. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint), attendance will likely improve next season with a home slate that includes Notre Dame, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Miami and Army.

9. Maryland Terrapins - 78.4%
Average: 42,355
Capacity: 54,000
Home Schedule: Miami, West Virginia, Temple, Towson, Clemson, Boston College, Virginia
Games Remaining: 0

A percent capacity of 78.4% seems awfully generous when Maryland's listed home attendance for the Terps home game against BC was 29,945. Maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of those fans actually showed up. How's that Byrd Stadium renovation working out for the cash-strapped Terps?

10. Duke Blue Devils - 74.6%
Average: 25,334
Capacity: 33,941
Home Schedule: Richmond, Stanford, Tulane, Florida State, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech
Games Remaining: 1

I suppose you just aren't a football school when you have just 24,785 show up for a home game against a top 10 opponent (Stanford), yet manage to bring 32,741 to the home-opener against ... I-AA Richmond. A little over 22k showed up to watch easily the worst intra-divisional permanent rival game in Wake-Duke.

11. Virginia Cavaliers - 74.4%
Average: 45,743
Capacity: 61,500
Home Schedule: William & Mary, Southern Miss., Idaho, Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Duke, Virginia Tech 
Games Remaining: 1

Mike London might have the Cavaliers on the right track, but fans still aren't showing up to Scott Stadium in droves just yet. The ‘Hoos final home game of the year against in-state rival Virginia Tech will help things out as 20k+ Hokies help Virginia sell out for the home finale in two weeks.

12. Miami Hurricanes - 64.6%
Average: 49,437
Capacity: 76,500
Home Schedule: Ohio State, Kansas State, Bethune-Cookman, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Duke, Boston College
Games Remaining: 1

When Eagles fans bemoan the fact that both the upper end zones of Alumni Stadium have been empty this fall, keep things in perspective. We could be playing games at half-filled, cavernous NFL stadiums. Good luck with that, UMass.