Plenty has been written in recent years about declining live attendance around college football. While the numbers aren’t entirely grim, they do paint a picture of a sport that isn’t attracting live spectators quite as well as in recent past. Across the entire ACC, there was an average of 48,110 live spectators per home game in 2017. In 2016, the average was 50,022 fans per game. This marks a decline of approximately 3.9 percent year-over-year.
Of the 14 ACC football schools, all but three – Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Wake Forest – saw drops in attendance year-over-year. Boston College and Virginia Tech both hosted Notre Dame, while Wake Forest enjoyed a resurgent season that resulted in an 8-5 finish and bowl victory.
Most of the reductions around the league were minor. In the cases of Clemson, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Virginia, the difference was less than a thousand fans per game. UNC, however, only hosted 33,000 fans for a home game against Virginia Tech in 2016, which was played in the remnants of a hurricane. The Tar Heels’ continued drop in average home attendance in 2017, despite this 2016 outlier, played a role in the school’s decision to eliminate the ubiquitous aluminum bleachers throughout Kenan Stadium, and to minimize the stadium’s capacity by approximately 12,000.
Although Clemson had at least 80,000 fans at all seven home games in 2017, the Tigers’ average attendance per game trickled down slightly, from 80,970 during the national championship 2016 season, to 80,773 this past season. Clemson’s thrilling night game against Louisville in 2016, which drew out an overflowing crowd of 83,362, mostly made up the difference. Clemson attributed the drop this past season to lower student attendance at home games. Surprisingly, however, the Tigers’ average home game attendance is down by approximately 1,300 fans per game since 2013.
Attendance drops
Syracuse and Duke’s drops were a little more notable, as the Orange and Blue Devils each hosted approximately three thousand fewer fans in the Carrier Dome and Wallace Wade Stadium from 2016 to 2017.
Three other ACC schools saw much more prominent attendance drops. Louisville went from a school record 54,000 fans per game in 2016, to just over 46,000 this past fall. This despite returning the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Lamar Jackson, in 2017.
Florida State’s struggles resulted in an average of nearly 6,000 fewer fans at Doak Campbell Stadium – from nearly 77,000 fans in 2016 to less than 71,000 in 2017. One of the biggest factors in the decline was the abysmal turnout for the Louisiana-Monroe game, following Jimbo Fisher’s departure to Texas A&M.
Attendance dips are nothing new in Tallahassee, as FSU had an 11 percent drop in live spectators in 2015, coming off a national championship in 2013, and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2014. Although the Seminoles had a healthy attendance improvement in 2016, the 2017 attendance totals at FSU lag behind the school’s 2014 average attendance by more than 11,000 per game.
Pittsburgh had the biggest drop, dipping from over 46,000 per game in 2016 to just over 36,000 per game this past season. The big difference in the equation for the Panthers was the fact that they hosted Penn State in Heinz Field in 2016, whereas they traveled to Happy Valley this past season. While the Panthers ranked tenth in the ACC in average home attendance in 2017, they ranked fourth in road attendance, due almost entirely to the 109,000 spectators in Beaver Stadium for the matchup with the Nittany Lions.
Pitt’s road attendance figures are indicative of the entire league. Those ACC schools who played prominent non-conference road games are all among the leaders. Syracuse, who led the ACC with an average road attendance of nearly 63,000 fans per game, traveled to LSU. Clemson, ranking second with just under 61,000 per game, visited in-state nemesis South Carolina in Columbia. Florida State, ranking third at 56,758 per road game, visited arch rival Florida in Gainesville. Wake Forest and NC State, who rank fifth and sixth, respectively, each played at Notre Dame.
The top five ACC schools in terms of average home attendance – Clemson (No. 1), Florida State (No. 2), Virginia Tech (No. 3), Miami (No. 4), and NC State (No. 5) – all remain the same year-over-year. The bottom four also remained the same, although Duke supplanted Wake Forest at the bottom this past fall, and Boston College trickled ahead of Syracuse from 12th in average home attendance in 2016, to 11th in 2017. Virginia slid ahead of Pittsburgh, from tenth in 2016 to ninth in 2017, while Louisville slid from sixth in 2016 to eighth in 2017.
2017/2016 ACC football attendance figures
BOSTON COLLEGE 2017
Wake Forest H 38,082
Notre Dame H 44,500
Central Michigan H 27,036
Virginia Tech H 32,057
Florida State H 40,629
NC State H 33,242
Total Home Attendance: 215,546
Per Game: 35,924
Northern Illinois A 16,421
Clemson A 80,525
Louisville A 44,679
Virginia A 39,216
Syracuse A 30,202
Total Home Attendance: 211,043
Per Game: 42,208
UConn N 20,133
Iowa N 37,667
Total Neutral Attendance: 57,800
Per Game: 28,500
BOSTON COLLEGE 2016
Wagner H 22,728
Buffalo H 24,203
Clemson H 44,500
Syracuse H 34,637
Louisville H 30,644
UConn H 36,220
Total Home Attendance: 192,932
Per Game: 32,155
Virginia Tech A 60,054
NC State A 56,433
Florida State A 73,917
Wake Forest A 24,866
Total Road Attendance: 215,270
Per Game: 53,818
Georgia Tech N 40,562
UMass N 25,112
Maryland N 19,117
Total Neutral Attendance: 84,791
Per Game: 28,264
CLEMSON 2017
Kent State H 80,121
Auburn H 81,799
Boston College H 80,525
Wake Forest H 80,567
Georgia Tech H 80,346
Florida State H 81,436
The Citadel H 80,618
Total Home Attendance: 565,412
Per Game: 80,773
Louisville A 55,588
Virginia Tech A 65,632
Syracuse A 42,475
NC State A 57,600
South Carolina A 82,908
Total Away Attendance: 304,203
Per Game: 60,841
Miami (ACCCG) N 74,372
Alabama (CFP Semi) N 72,360
Total Neutral Attendance: 146,732
Per Game: 73,366
CLEMSON 2016
Troy H 78,532
S.C. State H 79,590
Louisville H 83,362
NC State H 82,104
Syracuse H 80,609
Pittsburgh H 81,048
South Carolina H 81,542
Total Home Attendance: 566,787
Per Game: 80,970
Auburn A 87,451
Georgia Tech A 53,932
Boston College A 44,500
Florida State A 78,025
Wake Forest A 31,512
Total Road Attendance: 295,420
Per Game: 59,084
Virginia Tech (ACCCG) N 50,628
Ohio State (CFP Semi) N 71,279
Alabama (CFP FInal) N 74,512
Total Neutral Attendance: 196,419
Per Game: 65,473
DUKE 2017
N.C. Central H 30,477
Northwestern H 20,241
Baylor H 26,714
Miami H 36,314
Florida State H 31,703
Pittsburgh H 22,621
Georgia Tech H 20,141
Total Home Attendance: 188,211
Average Home Attendance: 26,887
North Carolina A 59,000
Virginia A 36,314
Virginia Tech A 60,914
Army A 38,851
Wake Forest A 27,016
Total Road Attendance: 222,095
Average Road Attendance: 44,419
Northern Illinois N 20,211
Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 20,211
DUKE 2016
N.C. Central H 35,049
Wake Forest H 21,077
Virginia H 25,201
Army H 20,613
Virginia Tech H 38,217
North Carolina H 39,212
Total Home Attendance: 179,369
Average Road Attendance: 29,894
Northwestern A 34,464
Notre Dame A 80,795
Louisville A 55,121
Georgia Tech A 43,886
Pittsburgh A 35,425
Miami A 57,396
Total Road Attendance: 307,087
Average Road Attendance: 51,181
FLORIDA STATE 2017
NC State H 73,541
Miami H 78,169
Louisville H 72,764
Syracuse H 71,805
Delaware State H 70,599
ULM H 58,780
Total Home Attendance: 425,658
Average Home Attendance: 70,943
Wake Forest A 41,588
Duke A 31,073
Boston College A 40,629
Clemson A 81,436
Florida A 89,066
Total Road Attendance: 283,792
Average Road Attendance: 56,758
Alabama N 76,330
Southern Miss N 33,601
Total Neutral Attendance: 109,931
Average Neutral Attendance: 54,966
FLORIDA STATE 2016
Charleston Southern H 75,831
North Carolina H 77,584
Wake Forest H 77,102
Clemson H 78,025
Boston College H 73,917
Florida H 78,342
Total Home Attendance: 460,801
Average Home Attendance: 76,800
Louisville A 55,632
South Florida A 61,665
Miami A 65,685
NC State A 57,789
Syracuse A 32,340
Total Road Attendance: 273,111
Average Road Attendance: 54,622
Ole Miss N 63,042
Michigan (Orange) N 67,432
Total Neutral Attendance: 130,474
Average Neutral Attendance: 65,237
GEORGIA TECH 2017
Jacksonville State H 50,161
Pittsburgh H 40,211
North Carolina H 42,805
Wake Forest H 45,224
Virginia Tech H 47,909
Georgia H 55,000
Total Home Attendance: 281,310
Average Home Attendance: 46,885
Miami A 55,799
Clemson A 80,346
Virginia A 38,448
Duke A 20,141
Total Road Attendance: 194,734
Average Road Attendance: 48,684
Tennessee N 75,107
Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 75,107
GEORGIA TECH 2016
Mercer H 49,992
Vanderbilt H 41,916
Clemson H 53,932
Miami H 53,047
Georgia Southern H 47,609
Duke H 43,886
Virginia H 42,136
Total Home Attendance: 332,518
Total Road Attendance: 47,503
Pittsburgh A 47,425
North Carolina A 58,000
Virginia Tech A 65,632
Georgia A 92,476
Total Road Attendance: 263,533
Average Road Attendance: 65,883
Boston College N 40,562
Kentucky N 43,102
LOUISVILLE 2017
Clemson H 55,588
Kent State H 47,812
Murray State H 47,826
Boston College H 44,679
Virginia H 46,787
Syracuse H 34,265
Total Home Attendance: 276,957
Average Home Attendance: 46,160
Purdue A 42,647
North Carolina A 47,000
NC State A 56,107
Florida State A 72,764
Wake Forest A 29,593
Kentucky A 56,186
Total Road Attendance: 304,297
Average Road Attendance: 50,716
Mississippi State N 41,310
Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 41,310
LOUISVILLE 2016
Charlotte H 53,197
Florida State H 55,642
Duke H 55,121
NC State H 55,218
Wake Forest H 51,218
Kentucky H 54,075
Total Home Attendance: 324,471
Average Home Attendance: 54,079
Syracuse A 32,184
Marshall A 40,592
Clemson A 83,362
Virginia A 34,824
Boston College A 30,644
Houston A 42,822
Total Road Attendance: 264,428
Average Road Attendance: 44,071
LSU N 46,063
Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 46,063
MIAMI 2017
Bethune-Cookman H 50,454
Toledo H 49,361
Georgia Tech H 55,799
Syracuse H 56,158
Virginia Tech H 63,932
Notre Dame H 65,303
Virginia H 63,415
Total Home Attendance: 404,422
Average Home Attendance: 57,775
Duke A 36,314
Florida State A 78,169
North Carolina A 45,000
Pittsburgh A 35,978
Total Road Attendance: 195,461
Average Road Attendance: 48,865
Clemson (ACCCG) N 74,372
Wisconsin (Orange) N 65,032
Total Neutral Attendance: 139,404
Average Neutral Attendance: 69,702
MIAMI 2016
Florida A&M H 60,703
FAU H 57,123
Florida State H 65,685
North Carolina H 58,731
Pittsburgh H 51,796
Duke H 57,396
Total Home Attendance: 351,434
Average Home Attendance: 58,572
Appalachian State A 34,658
Georgia Tech A 53,047
Virginia Tech A 63,507
Notre Dame A 80,795
Virginia A 39,867
NC State A 56,263
Total Road Attendance: 328,137
Average Road Attendance: 54,690
West Virginia N 48,625
Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 48,625
NORTH CAROLINA 2017
California H 49,500
Louisville H 47,000
Duke H 59,000
Notre Dame H 57,000
Virginia H 50,000
Miami H 45,000
Western Carolina H 43,000
Total Home Attendance: 350,500
Average Home Attendance: 50,071
Old Dominion A 20,118
Georgia Tech A 42,805
Virginia Tech A 65,632
Pittsburgh A 34,056
NC State A 57,600
Total Road Attendance: 220,211
Average Road Attendance: 44,042
NORTH CAROLINA 2016
James Madison H 56,000
Pittsburgh H 54,500
Virginia Tech H 33,000
Georgia Tech H 58,000
The Citadel H 41,000
NC State H 59,000
Total Home Attendance: 301,500
Average Home Attendance: 50,250
Illinois A 60,670
Florida State A 77,584
Miami A 58,731
Virginia A 40,882
Duke A 39,212
Total Road Attendance: 277,079
Average Road Attendance: 55,416
Georgia N 75,405
Stanford N 42,166
NC STATE 2017
Marshall H 57,430
Furman H 56,166
Syracuse H 56,197
Louisville H 56,107
Clemson H 57,600
NC State H 57,600
Total Home Attendance 341,100
Average Home Attendance 56,850
Florida State A 73,541
Pittsburgh A 41,124
Notre Dame A 77,622
Boston College A 33,242
Wake Forest A 31,803
Road Attendance 257,332
Average Road Attendance 51,466
South Carolina N 50,367
Arizona State N 39,897
Total Neutral Attendance: 91,264
Average Neutral Attendance: 45,632
NC STATE 2016
William & Mary H 57,774
Old Dominion H 57,810
Wake Forest H 58,200
Notre Dame H 58,200
Boston College H 56,443
Florida State H 57,789
Miami H 56,263
Total Home Attendance 402,479
Average Home Attendance 57,497
East Carolina A 50,719
Clemson A 82,104
Louisville A 55,218
Syracuse A 34,842
North Carolina A 59,000
Total Road Attendance 281,883
Average Road Attendance 56,377
Arizona State N 39,897
Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 39,897
PITTSBURGH 2017
Youngstown State H 40,012
Oklahoma State H 38,952
Rice H 33,051
NC State H 41,124
Virginia H 30,889
North Carolina H 34,056
Miami H 35,978
Total Home Attendance: 254,062
Average Home Attendance: 36,295
Penn State A 109,898
Georgia Tech A 40,211
Syracuse A 33,290
Duke A 22,621
Virginia Tech A 58,948
Total Road Attendance: 264,968
Average Road Attendance: 52,994
PITTSBURGH 2016
Villanova H 50,149
Penn State H 69,983
Marshall H 45,246
Georgia Tech H 47,425
Virginia Tech H 40,254
Duke H 35,425
Syracuse H 34,049
Total Home Attendance: 322,531
Average Home Attendance: 46,076
Oklahoma State A 53,914
North Carolina A 54,500
Virginia A 39,522
Miami A 51,796
Clemson A 81,048
Total Road Attendance: 280,780
Average Road Attendance: 56,156
Northwestern N 37,918
Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 37,918
SYRACUSE 2017
Central Conn. State H 30,273
Middle Tennesseee H 29,721
Central Michigan H 33,004
Pittsburgh H 33,290
Clemson H 42,475
Wake Forest H 38,539
Boston College H 30,202
Total Home Attendance: 237,504
Average Home Attendance: 33,929
LSU A 96,044
NC State A 56,197
Miami A 56,158
Florida State A 71,805
Louisville A 34,265
Total Road Attendance: 314,469
Average Road Attendance: 62,894
SYRACUSE 2016
Colgate H 31,336
Louisville H 32,184
USF H 32,288
Notre Dame H 62,794
Virginia Tech H 33,838
NC State H 34,842
Florida State H 32,340
Total Home Attendance: 259,622
Average Home Attendance: 37,089
Connecticut A 31,899
Wake Forest A 25,162
Boston College A 34,647
Clemson A 80,609
Pittsburgh A 34,049
Total Road Attendance: 206,366
Average Road Attendance: 41,273
VIRGINIA 2017
William & Mary H 38,828
Indiana H 38,993
Connecticut H 33,056
Duke H 38,638
Boston College H 39,216
Georgia Tech H 38,448
Virginia Tech H 48,609
Total Home Attendance: 275,788
Average Home Attendance: 39,398
Boise State A 33,947
North Carolina A 50,000
Pittsburgh A 30,889
Louisville A 46,787
Miami A 63,415
Total Road Attendance: 225,038
Average Road Attendance: 45,008
Navy N 35,921
Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 35,921
VIRGINIA 2016
Richmond H 49,270
Central Michigan H 35,211
Pittsburgh H 39,522
North Carolina H 40,882
Louisville H 34,824
Miami H 39,867
Total Home Attendance: 239,576
Average Home Attendance: 39,929
Oregon A 53,774
Connecticut A 31,036
Duke A 25,201
Wake Forest A 25,334
Georgia Tech A 42,136
Virginia Tech A 63,120
Total Road Attendance: 240,601
Average Road Attendance: 40,100
VIRGINIA TECH 2017
Delaware H 62,526
Old Dominion H 65,632
Clemson H 65,632
North Carolina H 65,632
Duke H 60,914
Pittsburgh H 58,948
Total Home Attendance: 379,284
Average Home Attendance: 63,214
East Carolina A 43,776
Boston College A 32,057
Miami A 63,932
Georgia Tech A 47,909
Virginia A 48,609
Total Road Attendance: 236,283
Average Road Attendance: 47,257
West Virginia N 67,489
Oklahoma State N 39,610
Total Neutral Attendance: 107,099
Average Neutral Attendanec: 53,550
VIRGINIA TECH 2016
Liberty H 62,234
Boston College H 60,054
East Carolina H 63,712
Miami H 63,507
Georgia Tech H 65,632
Virginia H 63,120
Total Home Attendance: 378,259
Average Home Attendance: 63,043
North Carolina A 33,000
Syracuse A 33,838
Pittsburgh A 40,254
Duke A 38,217
Notre Dame A 80,795
Total Road Attendance: 226,104
Average Road Attendance: 45,220
Tennessee N 156,990
Clemson (ACCCG) N 50,628
Arkansas N 46,902
Total Neutral Attendance: 254,520
Average Neutral Attendance: 84,840
WAKE FOREST 2017
Presbyterian H 22,643
Utah State H 27,971
Florida State H 31,588
Louisville H 29,593
NC State H 31,803
Duke H 27,016
Total Home Attendance 170,614
Average Home Attendance 28,436
Boston College A 38,082
Appalachian State A 35,126
Clemson A 81,500
Georgia Tech A 45,224
Notre Dame A 77,622
Syracuse A 38,539
Total Road Attendance 316,093
Average Road Attendance 52,682
Texas A&M N 32,784
Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 32,784
WAKE FOREST 2016
Tulane H 24,398
Delaware H 25,972
Syracuse H 25,162
Army H 27,948
Virginia H 25,334
Clemson H 31,512
Boston College H 24,866
Total Home Attendance: 185,192
Average Home Attendance: 26,456
Duke A 21,077
Indiana A 45,519
NC State A 58,200
Florida State A 77,102
Louisville A 51,218
Total Road Attendance: 253,116
Average Road Attendance: 50,623
Temple N 26,656
Total/Average Neutral Attednance: 26,656