2012 Conference Championship Games Attendance; ACC Looking Up

[gfspencer]

Stadium capacities and %-filled in parentheses. After three years, it looks like the ACC made the right move in shifting the championship game to Charlotte -- the closer school was a 240-mile drive and the game still drew 88% capacity.

SEC: 75,624 (71,250; 106%)
ACC: 64,778 (73,298; 88%)
B1G: 41,260 (70,000; 59%)
PAC-12: 31,622 (50,000; 63%)*
MAC: 18,132 (65,000; 28%)
Conference USA: 17,635 (30,000; 59%)*

* Played in the home stadium of one of the participating schools

The game drew 64,778 because they were selling the tickets for $3.00 each.

 

[deacz]

That Big 20 number is shocking. Nebraska and Wisconsin have huge fanbases and it drew 40,000?

Same with Stanford. You get a conference championship game at home and you don't sell out a 50,000 stadium?

 

[JDawg]

No idea about Stanford, but I bet a lot of Nebraska people were under the mindset that they'd save money and go to the Rose Bowl instead when they win

(whoops!)

 

[Deacfreak07]

That Big 20 number is shocking. Nebraska and Wisconsin have huge fanbases and it drew 40,000?

Same with Stanford. You get a conference championship game at home and you don't sell out a 50,000 stadium?

Such is the first bubble in expansion to burst. These conferences are too spread out, and the fanbases are, with a few exceptions, not large enough to absorb the ticket volume. The SEC is, and will continue to be, the only truly viable title game from a ticketing perspective.

 

[JDawg]

Such is the first bubble in expansion to burst. These conferences are too spread out, and the fanbases are, with a few exceptions, not large enough to absorb the ticket volume. The SEC is, and will continue to be, the only truly viable title game from a ticketing perspective.

There never really was a bubble for it, was there? I thought it was mostly for TV.

You're also quoting games in which the real division winners ended up ineligible because of sanctions.

Big Ten
2011 - #15 Wisconsin vs #13 Michigan State, Indianapolis - 64,152
2012 - Wisconsin vs #12 Nebraska, Indianapolis - 41,260

ACC
2005 - #22 Florida St vs #5 Virginia Tech, Jacksonville - 74,749
2006 - #16 Wake Forest vs #22 Georgia Tech, Jacksonville - 62,850
2007 - #12 Boston College vs #5 Virginia Tech, Jacksonville - 53,212
2008 - #20 Boston College vs Virginia Tech, Tampa - 27,360
2009 - Clemson vs #10 Georgia Tech, Tampa - 44,897
2010 - #20 Florida St vs #11 Virginia Tech, Charlotte - 72,379
2011 - #21 Clemson vs #3 Virginia Tech, Charlotte - 73,675
2012 - #12 Florida St vs Georgia Tech, Charlotte - 64,778

PAC-12
2011 - UCLA vs #9 Oregon, Eugene - 59,376
2012 - #16 UCLA vs #8 Stanford, Stanford - 31,622

 

[Brendan207]

There's no way there were 65K people at that game.

lollllllll seriously.

 

[RollWave35]

Same with Stanford. You get a conference championship game at home and you don't sell out a 50,000 stadium?

I agree with this, although they had just played UCLA the week before in a not-very-competitive game and it was pouring down rain. I can see why some people would bail on it.

 

[Bubble Boy]

Such is the first bubble in expansion to burst. These conferences are too spread out, and the fanbases are, with a few exceptions, not large enough to absorb the ticket volume. The SEC is, and will continue to be, the only truly viable title game from a ticketing perspective.

A lot of time you don't even find out until the week before that your team is going to be in the championship game, making long distance travel even more difficult. One advantage that the SEC has, is that ATL is probably less than a 10 hour drive for most all of their schools (sans the new ones). If somehow A&M plays Mizzu in that game, it will be intersting to see what kind of crowd they get.

 

[Deacfreak07]

A lot of time you don't even find out until the week before that your team is going to be in the championship game, making long distance travel even more difficult. One advantage that the SEC has, is that ATL is probably less than a 10 hour drive for most all of their schools (sans the new ones). If somehow A&M plays Mizzu in that game, it will be intersting to see what kind of crowd they get.

ATL will come out for it.

 

[RollWave35]

If the ACC could luck into a State-UNC championship game in Charlotte, it would be pretty damn big. There's just not that many intriguing ACC matchups out there, or that many hardcore football fanbases in the conference. I think Louisville - if they can get into the title game once they're here - will help attendance.