This article appears in Friday's News-Gazette edition, in a special six-page section called “Meeting Minutes and More,” reported and written by Editor Jeff D'Alessio and curated by News Editor Joel Reiser. did. Click here to read the electronic version of this week's section. Click here to subscribe to the News-Gazette.
The number of fans who purchased tickets to see Bret Bielema's Illinois football Game 3 games increased significantly last fall, increasing from 43,048 per game in 2022 to 49,698 in 2023.
The next challenge for the program is to get ticketed fans to show up on game day.
Although an improvement from last fall's 28,692 to 29,882, Illinois' total “scanned attendance,” or the number of fans actually in attendance on game day, remains “unannounced.” This is far behind the current figures. Attendance, numbers heard over the PA system.
36,933 people attended the home loss to Wisconsin in October, the largest attendance at Memorial since 2016, when 47,877 attended Lovie Smith's first-ever Illinois team's loss to North Carolina. It was the largest attendance for a home game at the stadium.
The season-ending loss to Northwestern in November was watched in person by 15,161 spectators, the fewest since the final game against Northwestern in 2021, when 10,510 attended. It became a number.
But convincing ticketed fans to show up on game day isn't just a challenge for Illinois. Editor Jeff D'Alessio The study found the 2023 home attendance figures for 12 Big Ten universities that were the subject of a public records request from the News-Gazette organization, with the exception of Northwestern and Penn State.
Schools are ranked by average stadium capacity.
Performance location: Ohio Stadium (capacity 102,780)
Average stadium capacity: 86.6 (88,961 fans per home game)
Worth noting: Ryan Day's Buckeyes struggled in the most important games in Columbus, but the 2023 stadium was fuller than Michigan's. The Big Ten claims Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State to be the top three in college football in terms of paid attendance.
September 9th: youngstown statenumber of publications 102,897, results 85,961
September 16th: western kentuckynumber of publications: 100,217, results: 84,278
October 7th: marylandnumber of publications 104,974, results 90,296
October 21st: pennsylvania state universitynumber of publications 105,506, results 95,293
Nov. 11: michigannumber of publications: 105,137, results: 92,917
November 18th: minnesotanumber of publications: 104,019, results: 85,022
Performance location: Michigan Stadium (capacity 107,601)
Average stadium capacity: 83.1 (89,392 fans per home game)
Worth noting: The college stadium with the most seats once again led the nation in home attendance (announced), but during Michigan's first national championship season since 1997, technically 100,000 of the tickets scanned It never broke through people.
September 2nd: east carolina, 109,482 cases were announced. Achievements: 90,183
September 9th: UNLV, 109,482Â announced. Achievements: 85,442
September 16th: bowling green, 109,955 were announced. Achievements: 91,872
September 23rd: rutgers, 109,756 were announced. Achievements: 88,245
October 14th: Indiana, 110,264 results were published. Achievements: 75,570
November 4th: Purdue, 110,245 cases were announced. Achievements: 94,909
November 25: Ohio, 110,615 cases were announced. Achievements: 99,523
Performance location: Memorial Stadium (capacity 85,458 people)
Average stadium capacity: 77.9 (65,888 fans per home game)
Worth noting: The Cornhuskers' record for consecutive sold-out home games dates back to 1962. But ticket sales don't always translate into ticket use, especially when the home team ends up losing 13-10 at home to Maryland and Iowa State.
September 16th: northern illinois, 86,876 cases were published. Actual 73,339
September 23rd: Louisiana Tech University, 87,115 were published. Achievements: 66,287
September 30: michigan, 87,134 cases were published. Actual 70,064
October 21st: northwest, 86,769 cases were published. Achievements: 69,940
October 28th: Purdue, 86,709 cases were published. Actual 54,866
Nov. 11: maryland, 86,830 cases were announced. Achievements: 64,352
November 24th: iowa, 86,183 cases were published. Achievements: 62,366
Performance location: Spartan Stadium (74,866 capacity)
Average stadium capacity: 76.5 (57,296 fans per home game)
Worth noting: A six-game home schedule, including a date with both contestants in January's national title game (total score: Michigan vs. Washington 90, Spartan 7), kept fans coming through the nightmarish season.
September 1st: central michigan, 73,216 cases were announced. Achievements: 59,387
September 9th: richmond, 70,049 cases were announced. Actual 49,046
September 16th: Washington, 70,528 cases were published. Actual 54,183
September 23rd: maryland, 70,131 cases were published. Achievements: 48,256
October 21st: michigan, 74,206 were announced. Actual 55,729
November 4th: nebraska, 63,134 cases were published. Actual 36,821
Performance location: Huntington Bank Stadium (50,805 capacity)
Average stadium capacity: 75.4 (38,321 fans per home game)
Worth noting: In a seven-game schedule with lightweights Eastern Minnesota and Louisiana, Illinois had the fewest ties for the Gophers, with over 30,000 fans in attendance to witness John Paddock's timeless comeback. Ta.
August 31st: nebraska, 53,629 cases were announced. Actual result 45,871
September 9th: eastern michigan, 48,101 were published. Actual 39,604
September 30: louisiana, 46,843 cases were announced. Actual 37,347
October 7th: michigan, 52,179 cases were published. Actual result 41,512
October 28th: michigan, 47,392 cases were published. Actual 33,900
November 4th: illinois, 42,906 were announced. Actual 30,157
November 25: wisconsin, 48,119 cases were published. Actual 39,858
Performance location: Camp Randall Stadium (capacity 80,321)
Average stadium capacity: 71.6 (57,537 fans per home game)
Worth noting: There was no empty seat in the house when Bret Bielema's Rose Bowl Badgers took the field. But that was 12 years ago and three coaches ago. Luke Fickell's first team dropped back-to-back games to Indiana University and Northwestern University.
September 2nd: buffalo, 76,224 cases were announced. Actual result: 57,970
September 16th: southern georgia, 75,610 cases were announced. Achievements: 56,386
October 7th: rutgers, 74,885 were published. Actual 58,703
October 14th: iowa, 76,205 were announced. Achievements: 61,817
October 28th: Ohio, 76,453 cases were announced. Achievements: 63,489
Nov. 11: northwest, 76,124Â was announced. Actual 54,656
November 18th: nebraska, 72,237 cases were announced. Actual 49,742
Performance location: Kinnick Stadium (69,250 capacity)
Average stadium capacity: 67.7 (46,888 fans per home game)
Worth noting: Like Hawkeyes women's basketball during the Caitlin Clark era, every home game was a sellout. Unlike women's hoops, there were thousands of no-shows every weekend when teams blessed with Kirk Ferentz's offensive prowess took the field.
September 2nd: Utah, 69,250 were announced. Actual 44,866
September 16th: western michigan, 69,250 were announced. Actual result: 42,002
September 30: michigan, 69,250 were announced. Actual 51,143
October 7th: Purdue, 69,250 were announced. Actual 46,806
October 21st: minnesota, 69,250 were announced. Actual 48,906
Nov. 11: rutgers, 69,250 were announced. Actual 45,239
November 18th: illinois, 69,250 were announced. Actual result 49,253
Performance location: Ross-Ade Stadium (capacity 61,441)
Average stadium capacity: 66.2 (40,704 fans per home game)
Not worth anything: A home loss to Fresno State in Ryan Walters' head coaching debut, followed by a loss to Syracuse two weeks later, did little to energize the fan base. Nights like the one on Sept. 30 against Walters' former team don't come often.
September 2nd: fresno state, 54,898 cases were published. Actual 39,618
September 16th: syracuse, 61,441 cases were announced. Actual 46,156
September 22nd: wisconsin, 55,529 cases were published. Actual 38,960
September 30: illinois, 59,510 cases were announced. Achievements: 44,282
October 14th: Ohio, 57,319 cases were announced. Actual 40,996
Nov. 11: minnesota, 59,049 cases were announced. Actual 37,640
November 25: Indiana, 59,993 cases were published. Actual 37,279
Performance location: SHI Stadium (capacity 52,454 people)
Average stadium capacity: 55.0 (28,869 fans per home game)
Worth noting: The Scarlet Knights are sandwiched between Illinois and Minnesota and rank 44th in the nation in average paid attendance. But look at the difference between announcement and reality. A homecoming win against Michigan State would mean more than 30,000 people would be absent.
September 3rd: northwest, 53,026 cases were announced. Actual 32,822
September 9th: temple, 45,317 cases were announced. Actual 28,138
September 16th: Virginia Tech, 52,657 cases were announced. Actual 33,707
September 30: wagner, 40,165 were published. Achievements: 18,081
October 14th: michigan, 52,879 cases were published. Actual 22,865
November 4th: Ohio, 53,703 cases were announced. Actual 38,688
November 25: maryland, 47,012 cases were announced. Actual 27,779
Performance location: SECU Stadium (capacity 51,802 people)
Average stadium capacity: 54.6 (28,272 fans per home game)
Worth noting: Mike Locksley's 8-5 Terps are the answer to your trivia questions. Which programs on this list drew less than 20,000 fans to not one but two home games? One won against Charlotte and the other lost to Illinois.
September 2nd: towson, 37,241 cases were announced. Actual 25,669
September 9th: charlotte, 32,804Â was announced. 16,030 results
September 15th: Virginia, 37,041 cases were announced. Actual 27,962
September 30: Indiana, 38,181 cases were published. Actual 27,080
October 14th: illinois, 35,580 cases were announced. Achievements: 18,888
November 4th: pennsylvania state university, 51,802 cases were announced. Actual 41,015
November 18th: michigan, 49,546 cases were published. Actual 41,262
Performance location: Memorial Stadium (capacity 60,670 people)
Average stadium capacity: 49.3 (29,882 fans per home game)
Worth noting: A biennial tradition after Thanksgiving: hosting Northwestern in front of a small crowd at Memorial Stadium. Last year's actual attendance (15,161) exceeded the Wildcats' previous two attendances (10,510 in 2021 and 11,800 in 2019).
September 2nd: toledo, 48,898 were published. Actual 33,554
September 16th: pennsylvania state university, 49,099 cases were announced. Actual 34,480
September 23rd: florida atlantic, 53,512 cases were announced. Actual result: 26,920
October 6th: nebraska, 46,703 were announced. Actual 28,125
October 21st: wisconsin, 54,205 were announced. Actual 36,933
Nov. 11: Indiana, 53,157 cases were announced. Actual 34,004
November 25: northwest, 42,310 cases were announced. Achievements: 15,161
