College Football Is King, Even In The Spring

Only 14 weeks removed from the 2014 National Championship game, college football is back.

Well, sort of.

Last weekend a majority of major college football programs wrapped up their spring practices by holding annual spring games. In fact, as of today there are only 22 teams in the country who have yet to hold their annual game. Most of the teams will complete games this weekend, with only Hawaii and Oregon not holding spring games until May 2nd. Sadly before you know it, football will be gone again, at least until late July.

The fans of college football have certainly taken notice and are making the most of the short window they have to get their football fix in. Fans have filled stadiums in record numbers this spring. Ohio State set the all time attendance record Saturday, when 99,391 members of the Buckeye nation showed up to watch the defending champs play their annual spring game. The Big Ten as a whole has had an impressive showing this spring. According to a list compiled by College Football Talk, the conference boasts the top three attended spring games of 2015. Along with Ohio State’s crowd of nearly 100,000, a crowd of 77,881 took in Mike Riley’s first spring game at Nebraska while 68,000 packed Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley to watch James Franklin’s Penn State squad. Another 60,000 fans were on hand in the Big House to watch Jim Harbaugh’s first spring game.



Don’t fret SEC fans, Iron Bowl rivals Alabama and Auburn rounded out the top five. Both the Crimson Tide and Tigers had over 65,000 fans show up to watch on Saturday. Georgia and Missouri were the other two SEC teams to make the top ten list.

TOP 10

Spring Attendance as of 4/20/2015 via College Football Talk

 

Extra Practice, Extra Income

The spring is loved by some many because of what it represents. A new beginning, as the winter ice melts and fresh flowers bloom. The same can be said for college football. Coaches get their first look at their new teams, with just 15 practices to get a feel for what the upcoming season may have in store. While coaches look forward to extra practice time (which they can never get enough of), athletic directors at some universities look forward to the spring game for a different reason.

Athletic Directors are always looking for ways to bring in extra income into the department, and some ADs have turned to spring games as an extra source of income. Between ticket and concession sales, spring games have become an easy way to add a few extra bucks to the bottom line. Tickets to Nebraska’s annual Red-White game were $10 while it cost each of 99,391 Buckeye fans $5 to watch the game. Ticket sales alone netted Ohio State nearly $500,000. While the Cornhuskers tallied over $768,000 in ticket sales. Combined with concession sales, programs with substantial followings can turn a pretty profit even after cost such as security and event staff is taken out.

With more and more football fans looking to fill their football jones year round, college football programs should expect to see record setting crowds coming out to watch the annual spring game. If your school’s athletic department hasn’t charged for attendance yet, don’t be surprised if they do in the near future. It’s a fundraising opportunity they can’t afford to pass up.

 

Feature image via J. Sabau/Getty Images