Boston College vs. Northern Illinois: Guess The Attendance

Last week, BC drew its biggest crowd of the season so far, 39,111, for the Friday night affair against Florida State. This was right around in line with my expectations; Friday nights are challenging, but BC really should be near or above 40K for a marquee matchup.

This week poses a challenge when trying to guess attendance. On the plus side, it's Parents' Weekend, which in the past has usually meant near sell-out crowds even for lower tier opponents. It's also the first Saturday afternoon home game against a real opponent this season, which might bring out people who haven't made it out yet this year. Additionally, Northern Illinois will be a novel sight for BC fans; the Eagles and Huskies haven't met in decades.

On the other hand, despite being a very  good team, Northern Illinois isn't exactly a huge, crowd-drawing name. Additionally, this is BC's fourth straight week with a home game, which can't help attendance. Any hopes of generating single game sale buzz were probably dashed by the fizzling out against FSU.

I would say that with all those factors balanced out, the net result will be a good but not great crowd. Put me down for, say, 38,000.

What say you?