The NCAA News - News and Features

January 5, 1998

College football sets attendance record with 36.9 million fans

BY RICHARD M. CAMPBELL
NCAA STATISTICS COORDINATOR

NCAA college football attendance set an all-time record in 1997, mostly due to the continuing growth of Division I-A football fans.

This season also marked the first time in 24 years that a team other than Michigan captured the national team attendance title. Tennessee, benefiting from a new stadium expansion and the magnetism of heralded quarterback Peyton Manning, became the new No. 1 in college football home attendance.

Home-game attendance totals for 1997 were 36,857,849 for Divisions I-A, I-AA, II and III -- a jump of nearly 775,000 fans from 1996. Division I-A totaled a record 27,565,959 home fans, an average of 42,085 per game, and a jump of nearly one million in total attendance from the previous mark.

The 581 NCAA teams experienced a jump of 774,796 from last season in overall attendance and surpassed the previous record total of 36,459,896, set in 1994. It was only the third time in history over the 36 million mark.

Home-game attendance in Division I-A accounted for almost 75 percent of the 1997 national totals.

The NCAA Statistics Service began compiling national football attendance in 1948. Since 1978, only NCAA teams have been included in attendance figures.

There are several possible reasons for the continuing climb in I-A attendance. Two prominent programs expanded their stadiums--Tennessee (to 102,544) and Notre Dame (to 80,000)--to account for some of the increase. Notre Dame's per-game increase of 21,150 was the nation's largest.

Also, more attention was focused on marketing college football in 1997. Besides efforts undertaken on individual campuses, this year a national program -- NCAA Football --focused on marketing the game on a national basis.

Divisions I-A and III showed increases from 1996. Division I-A was up 945,017 in total attendance and 748 per game for its 112 teams. Division III at 1,730,400 was up 37,563 in total for its 209 football-playing members.

Division I-AA total attendance dropped 42,985 (down one percent) and Division II fell 164,799 (down 6.5 percent).

Tennessee takes over

Tennessee combined several positive factors to take over the home attendance title from perennial champion Michigan. The Volunteers averaged 106,538 per game for their six home games to nip the Wolverines' 106,448 for seven home dates.

Michigan's home total of 745,139 also was a record, eclipsing its own mark of 739,620, set in 1993.

Tennessee had been a formidable challenger for the attendance title, having been second or third for the past 20 seasons. It is only the second time in history that two teams averaged more than 100,000 per game (Michigan and Tennessee also did it in 1996). Penn State finished third for the sixth time in the past seven years, averaging 97,086 per outing.

The Big Ten and Southeastern Conferences had eight of the top 10 teams in home attendance as the two leagues fought it out once again for conference attendance champion.

The Big Ten won for the fifth straight year, averaging 67,774 to a record 65,857 for the Southeastern Conference. The Southeastern Conference drew an all-time record 5,005,126 fans.

Total attendance records were set in Division I-A by the Big Ten Conference, Southeastern Conference, Big 12 Conference, Western Athletic Conference, Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference.

Jackson State in I-AA

Jackson State averaged a record 38,873 per game to capture its second Division I-AA attendance crown in the last three years. The Tigers broke their own record of 34,849, set in 1995.

South Florida, playing its first season of varsity football and using Houlihan Stadium in Tampa, finished second at 33,039 per game. Southern University was third at 23,927.

The Southwestern Athletic Conference won its 20th consecutive I-AA attendance title, averaging 15,776. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference was next with 10,186.

Divisions II and III

North Dakota State won its first Division II attendance title since 1989, averaging 12,512. Tuskegee was second at 11,296.

In Division III, Emory & Henry won its first attendance crown since tabulations began in 1974, averaging 5,853 and edging the 5,308 average at St. John's (Minnesota), winner for the last two years.

Top Teams

School -- Avg. PG -- Change

1. Tennessee -- 106,538 -- +1,120

2. Michigan -- 106,448 -- +516

3. Penn St. -- 97,086 -- +919

4. Ohio St. -- 91,486 -- -2,542

5. Florida -- 85,463 -- +59

6. Auburn -- 83,545 -- +1,077

7. Georgia -- 82,396 -- +3,214

8. Notre Dame -- 80,145 -- +21,150

9. LSU -- 80,145 -- +626

10. South Caro. -- 80,007 -- +472

Top Conferences

Conference -- Avg. PG -- Change

1. Big Ten -- 67,774 -- +254

2. Southeastern -- 65,857* -- +952

3. Big 12 -- 51,277 -- -165

4. Pacific-10 -- 48,192 -- +588

5. Atlantic Coast -- 44,880 -- +803

6. Big East -- 36,023 -- -2,825

7. Western Ath. -- 29,987 -- +1,248

8. I-A indpts.# -- 29,614 -- +3,689

9. Conf. USA# -- 25,348 -- -237

10. Big West -- 18,251* -- +1,937

*Record high for this conference.

#Different makeup than 1996.

Leading teams in 1997 home attendance

Rank -- Team -- G -- Attend. -- Avg. -- Change in Average

1 -- Tennessee -- 6 -- 639,227 -- 106,538 -- Up -- 1,120

2 -- Michigan -- 7 -- 745,139 -- 106,448 -- Up -- 516

3 -- Penn St. -- 6 -- 582,517 -- 97,086 -- Up -- 919

4 -- Ohio St. -- 8 -- 731,884 -- 91,486 -- Dn -- 2,542

5 -- Florida -- 6 -- 512,775 -- 85,463 -- Up -- 59

6 -- Auburn -- 6 -- 501,267 -- 83,545 -- Up -- 1,077

7 -- Georgia -- 6 -- 494,375 -- 82,396 -- Up -- 3,124

8 -- Notre Dame -- 6 -- 481,350 -- 80,225 -- Up -- 21,150

9 -- LSU -- 7 -- 561,016 -- 80,145 -- Up -- 626

10 -- South Caro. -- 6 -- 480,041 -- 80,007 -- Up -- 472

11 -- Wisconsin -- 6 -- 467,281 -- 77,880 -- Dn -- 69

12 -- Nebraska -- 6 -- 453,610 -- 75,602 -- Up -- 164

13 -- Michigan St. -- 6 -- 447,903 -- 74,651 -- Up -- 4,928

14 -- Florida St. -- 5 -- 372,001 -- 74,400 -- Dn -- 3,118

15 -- Texas -- 5 -- 370,200 -- 74,040 -- Dn -- 705

16 -- Washington -- 6 -- 441,534 -- 73,589 -- Up -- 2,320

17 -- Alabama -- 7 -- 492,883 -- 70,412 -- Dn -- 5,034

18 -- Oklahoma -- 6 -- 417,697 -- 69,616 -- Up -- 2,715

19 -- Clemson -- 6 -- 409,918 -- 68,320 -- Up -- 1,088

20 -- Iowa -- 6 -- 405,788 -- 67,631 -- Dn -- 1,773

21 -- Brigham Young -- 6 -- 388,115 -- 64,686 -- Up -- 1,933

22 -- Southern Cal -- 6 -- 376,732 -- 62,789 -- Up -- 2,588

23 -- Arizona St. -- 6 -- 374,749 -- 62,458 -- Dn -- 1,902

24 -- Texas A&M -- 6 -- 371,512 -- 61,919 -- Dn -- 1,353

25 -- Kentucky -- 6 -- 354,662 -- 59,110 -- Up -- 18,463

26 -- North Caro. -- 6 -- 345,900 -- 57,650 -- Up -- 10,150

27 -- Stanford -- 6 -- 341,624 -- 56,937 -- Up -- 21,154

28 -- UCLA -- 6 -- 327,531 -- 54,589 -- Dn -- 2,943

29 -- West Va. -- 6 -- 317,126 -- 52,854 -- Dn -- 2,842

30 -- Missouri -- 6 -- 314,904 -- 52,484 -- Up -- 13,314

31 -- Purdue -- 6 -- 310,141 -- 51,690 -- Up -- 6,334

32 -- Colorado -- 6 -- 303,218 -- 50,536 -- Dn -- 1,562

33 -- Arkansas -- 6 -- 280,724 -- 46,787 -- Up -- 2,235

34 -- North Caro. St. -- 6 -- 275,636 -- 45,939 -- Up -- 4,611

35 -- Syracuse -- 6 -- 275,188 -- 45,865 -- Dn -- 2,312

36 -- Minnesota -- 6 -- 269,385 -- 44,898 -- Up -- 1,379

37 -- Air Force -- 7 -- 304,494 -- 43,499 -- Dn -- 3,909

38 -- Georgia Tech -- 5 -- 216,607 -- 43,321 -- Dn -- 1,534

39 -- Illinois -- 6 -- 259,577 -- 43,263 -- Dn -- 7,892

40 -- Virginia Tech -- 6 -- 259,057 -- 43,176 -- Dn -- 2,541

41 -- Kansas St. -- 6 -- 255,422 -- 42,570 -- Dn -- 911

42 -- Texas Tech -- 6 -- 251,433 -- 41,906 -- Dn -- 3,411

43 -- Oregon -- 5 -- 209,242 -- 41,848 -- Dn -- 114

44 -- Virginia -- 7 -- 290,600 -- 41,514 -- Up -- 264

45 -- Northwestern -- 7 -- 288,016 -- 41,145 -- Dn -- 817

46 -- Oklahoma St. -- 6 -- 237,100 -- 39,517 -- Up -- 1,093

47 -- Indiana -- 6 -- 236,580 -- 39,430 -- Up -- 1,015

48 -- Arizona -- 6 -- 234,168 -- 39,028 -- Dn -- 8,423

49 -- Pittsburgh -- 6 -- 233,350 -- 38,892 -- Up -- 8,096

50 -- Baylor -- 6 -- 224,463 -- 37,411 -- Up -- 5,517

51 -- California -- 5 -- 185,946 -- 37,189 -- Dn -- 3,906

52 -- Iowa St. -- 5 -- 184,433 -- 36,887 -- Dn -- 6,484

53 -- Kansas -- 7 -- 256,700 -- 36,671 -- Dn -- 5,429

54 -- Army -- 6 -- 216,687 -- 36,115 -- Dn -- 1,192

55 -- Rice -- 5 -- 177,547 -- 35,509 -- Up -- 15,339

56 -- Vanderbilt -- 6 -- 211,792 -- 35,299 -- Dn -- 2,971

57 -- Mississippi -- 6 -- 208,795 -- 34,799 -- Dn -- 1,733

58 -- Boston College -- 6 -- 206,937 -- 34,490 -- Dn -- 9,671

59 -- Fresno St. -- 6 -- 205,606 -- 34,268 -- Dn -- 3,105

60 -- Mississippi St. -- 8 -- 267,569 -- 33,446 -- Dn -- 1,114

Division I-AA

Rank -- Team -- G -- Attend. -- Avg. -- Change in Average

1 -- Jackson St. -- 5 -- 194,366 -- 38,873 -- Up -- 17,896

2 -- South Fla. -- 7 -- 231,271 -- 33,039 -- -- No change

3 -- Southern U. -- 5 -- 119,637 -- 23,927 -- Up -- 3,763

4 -- Montana -- 6 -- 107,926 -- 17,988 -- Up -- 171

5 -- North Caro. A&T -- 4 -- 70,794 -- 17,699 -- Dn -- 3,189

6 -- Delaware -- 5 -- 86,587 -- 17,317 -- Up -- 900

7 -- Florida A&M -- 6 -- 101,387 -- 16,898 -- Dn -- 3,699

8 -- Yale -- 6 -- 90,558 -- 15,093 -- Dn -- 5,700

9 -- Youngstown St. -- 8 -- 119,442 -- 14,930 -- Up -- 4,378

10 -- Texas Southern -- 6 -- 78,900 -- 13,150 -- Up -- 2,184

11 -- Southwest Mo. St. -- 6 -- 77,698 -- 12,950 -- Dn -- 231

12 -- Ga. Southern -- 6 -- 75,397 -- 12,566 -- Up -- 434

13 -- Appalachian St. -- 6 -- 73,582 -- 12,264 -- Dn -- 2,025

14 -- South Caro. St. -- 5 -- 61,191 -- 12,238 -- Up -- 2,180

15 -- Citadel -- 6 -- 73,036 -- 12,173 -- Dn -- 637

16 -- McNeese St. -- 6 -- 69,509 -- 11,585 -- Up -- 2,817

17 -- Northern Iowa -- 5 -- 55,591 -- 11,118 -- Dn -- 2,318

18 -- Northern Ariz. -- 6 -- 66,531 -- 11,089 -- Up -- 785

19 -- Howard -- 3 -- 31,754 -- 10,585 -- Dn -- 1,554

20 -- Western Ky. -- 5 -- 52,600 -- 10,520 -- Up -- 860

21 -- Norfolk St. -- 6 -- 62,343 -- 10,391 -- Dn -- 5,285

22 -- Pennsylvania -- 5 -- 51,930 -- 10,386 -- Dn -- 2,301

23 -- Eastern Ky. -- 5 -- 51,800 -- 10,360 -- Dn -- 423

24 -- Chattanooga -- 7 -- 72,082 -- 10,297 -- Up -- 4,615

25 -- Alcorn St. -- 5 -- 50,535 -- 10,107 -- Dn -- 11,429

26 -- James Madison -- 6 -- 60,300 -- 10,050 -- Dn -- 1,117

27 -- Southwest Tex. St. -- 6 -- 60,246 -- 10,041 -- Up -- 4,069

28 -- Tennessee St. -- 4 -- 40,090 -- 10,023 -- Dn -- 4,555

29 -- Alabama St. -- 4 -- 38,758 -- 9,690 -- Up -- 132

30 -- Lehigh -- 5 -- 47,898 -- 9,580 -- Up -- 1,676

31 -- Western Caro. -- 5 -- 47,486 -- 9,497 -- Up -- 645

32 -- Western Ill. -- 6 -- 56,409 -- 9,402 -- Up -- 1,574

33 -- Mississippi Val. -- 4 -- 37,369 -- 9,342 -- Up -- 2,193

34 -- William & Mary -- 5 -- 45,863 -- 9,173 -- Up -- 361

35 -- Hampton -- 4 -- 36,512 -- 9,128 -- Up -- 1,089

36 -- Northwestern St. -- 6 -- 54,670 -- 9,112 -- Dn -- 1,672

37 -- Richmond -- 5 -- 45,398 -- 9,080 -- Dn -- 2,249

38 -- Sam Houston St. -- 6 -- 53,569 -- 8,928 -- Dn -- 2,948

39 -- Troy St. -- 5 -- 44,500 -- 8,900 -- Dn -- 2,985

40 -- Furman -- 5 -- 43,343 -- 8,669 -- Dn -- 2,362

41 -- Montana St. -- 6 -- 51,902 -- 8,650 -- Up -- 1,863

42 -- Illinois St. -- 5 -- 43,035 -- 8,607 -- Up -- 515

43 -- Stephen F. Austin -- 8 -- 67,876 -- 8,485 -- Dn -- 1,268

44 -- Villanova -- 7 -- 58,690 -- 8,384 -- Dn -- 221

45 -- Weber St. -- 6 -- 50,194 -- 8,366 -- Dn -- 620

46 -- Connecticut -- 6 -- 49,377 -- 8,230 -- Dn -- 849

47 -- Liberty -- 5 -- 40,307 -- 8,061 -- Up -- 2,133

48 -- Massachusetts -- 7 -- 55,424 -- 7,918 -- Dn -- 2,021

49 -- Harvard -- 5 -- 38,062 -- 7,612 -- Dn -- 4,561

50 -- Buffalo -- 7 -- 53,187 -- 7,598 -- Up -- 1,757

51 -- Grambling -- 3 -- 22,374 -- 7,458 -- Dn -- 2,724

52 -- Wofford -- 5 -- 36,581 -- 7,316 -- Up -- 1,037

53 -- Dayton -- 5 -- 35,557 -- 7,111 -- Up -- 368

54 -- Bucknell -- 4 -- 28,090 -- 7,023 -- Up -- 1,651

55 -- Cal Poly SLO -- 6 -- 39,718 -- 6,620 -- Up -- 1,314

56 -- Murray St. -- 6 -- 39,504 -- 6,584 -- Dn -- 2,209

57 -- Prairie View -- 4 -- 25,990 -- 6,498 -- Dn -- 11,152

58 -- East Tenn. St. -- 7 -- 42,570 -- 6,081 -- Dn -- 1,806

59 -- Eastern Ill. -- 5 -- 30,200 -- 6,040 -- Dn -- 1,222

60 -- Dartmouth -- 5 -- 29,814 -- 5,963 -- Dn -- 1,232

Division II

Rank -- Team -- G -- Attend. -- Avg. -- Change in Average

1 -- North Dak. St. -- 6 -- 75,069 -- 12,512 -- Dn -- 2,250

2 -- Tuskegee -- 4 -- 45,184 -- 11,296 -- Dn -- 1,977

3 -- Alabama A&M -- 5 -- 47,460 -- 9,492 -- Up -- 2,935

4 -- Tex. A&M-Kingsville -- 4 -- 36,800 -- 9,200 -- Up -- 117

5 -- Angelo St. -- 5 -- 44,700 -- 8,940 -- Up -- 540

6 -- North Dak. -- 5 -- 44,049 -- 8,810 -- Up -- 2,726

7 -- Portland St. -- 5 -- 42,159 -- 8,432 -- Dn -- 864

8 -- North Ala. -- 5 -- 41,420 -- 8,284 -- Dn -- 847

9 -- Albany St. (Ga.) -- 4 -- 29,708 -- 7,427 -- -- No Change

10 -- Morehouse -- 6 -- 42,168 -- 7,028 -- -- No Change

11 -- Pittsburg St. -- 5 -- 34,150 -- 6,830 -- Dn -- 620

12 -- South Dak. -- 6 -- 40,404 -- 6,734 -- -- No Change

13 -- Fort Valley St. -- 5 -- 32,588 -- 6,518 -- Up -- 1,045

14 -- Northwest Mo. St. -- 5 -- 32,425 -- 6,485 -- Up -- 1,002

15 -- Winston-Salem -- 6 -- 38,033 -- 6,339 -- Up -- 823

16 -- Miles -- 5 -- 30,901 -- 6,180 -- -- No Change

17 -- Neb.-Omaha -- 5 -- 30,800 -- 6,160 -- Up -- 346

18 -- Morris Brown -- 5 -- 30,116 -- 6,023 -- Up -- 1,050

19 -- UC Davis -- 6 -- 35,845 -- 5,974 -- Dn -- 743

20 -- Elon -- 5 -- 29,768 -- 5,954 -- Up -- 1,926

21 -- Mo. Southern St. -- 5 -- 27,939 -- 5,588 -- Up -- 1,542

22 -- N. C. Central -- 4 -- 21,604 -- 5,401 -- Dn -- 979

23 -- Clark Atlanta -- 4 -- 20,800 -- 5,200 -- Dn -- 3.145

24 -- Arkansas Tech -- 5 -- 25,623 -- 5,125 -- -- No Change

25 -- Harding -- 5 -- 25,524 -- 5,105 -- -- No Change

Division III

Rank -- Team -- G -- Attend. -- Avg. -- Change in Average

1 -- Emory & Henry -- 5 -- 29,267 -- 5,853 -- Up -- 454

2 -- St. John's (Minn.) -- 4 -- 21,231 -- 5,308 -- Dn -- 1,526

3 -- Mississippi Col. -- 6 -- 29,287 -- 4,881 -- Dn -- 31

4 -- Baldwin-Wallace -- 5 -- 23,050 -- 4,610 -- Up -- 1,610

5 -- Williams -- 4 -- 17,344 -- 4,336 -- -- No Change

6 -- Trinity (Conn.) -- 4 -- 17,211 -- 4,303 -- Dn -- 281

7 -- Wis.-Whitewater -- 5 -- 21,173 -- 4,235 -- Dn -- 747

8 -- Hope -- 5 -- 20,742 -- 4,148 -- Up -- 1,104

9 -- Amherst -- 4 -- 16,572 -- 4,143 -- Dn -- 486

10 -- Wis.-La Crosse -- 4 -- 15,394 -- 3,849 -- Up -- 521

11 -- Ithaca -- 5 -- 18,228 -- 3,646 -- Up -- 551

12 -- Grove City -- 5 -- 17,200 -- 3,440 -- Up -- 1,809

13 -- Bethel (Minn.) -- 5 -- 16,700 -- 3,340 -- Up -- 915

14 -- Randolph-Macon -- 5 -- 16,650 -- 3,330 -- Up -- 1,090

15 -- Wartburg -- 5 -- 16,300 -- 3,260 -- Dn -- 190

16 -- Hampden-Sydney -- 5 -- 16,171 -- 3,234 -- Dn -- 1,571

17 -- Simpson -- 5 -- 15,941 -- 3,188 -- Up -- 314

18 -- Catholic -- 5 -- 15,755 -- 3,151 -- Up -- 582

19 -- Millsaps -- 4 -- 12,500 -- 3,125 -- Up -- 2,042

20 -- Adrian -- 4 -- 12,338 -- 3,085 -- Up -- 245

21 -- Wittenberg -- 6 -- 18,164 -- 3,027 -- Up -- 409

22 -- Gust. Adolphus -- 5 -- 14,850 -- 2,970 -- Dn -- 64

23 -- St. Thomas (Minn.) -- 5 -- 14,200 -- 2,840 -- Up -- 740

24 -- Wis.-Eau Claire -- 4 -- 11,000 -- 2,750 -- Up -- 890

25 -- Wooster -- 5 -- 13,586 -- 2,717 -- Up -- 420

Conferences and independent groups below Division I-AA

Total Teams -- Games -- 1997 Attend. -- Avg. PG -- Changes + in Avg. -- Changes + in total

1 -- Southern Intercoll. (II) -- 10 -- 48 -- 314,975 -- 6,562 -- Dn -- 188 -- Up -- 4,484

2 -- North Central (II) -- 10 -- 53 -- 277,861 -- 5,243 -- Dn -- 392 -- Dn -- 20,791

3 -- Lone Star (II)# -- 11 -- 54 -- 243,518 -- 4,510 -- Dn -- 35 -- Dn -- 20,064

4 -- Gulf South (II)# -- 10 -- 47 -- 197,334 -- 4,199 -- Dn -- 729 -- Dn -- 44,147

5 -- Mid-America Intercoll. (II) -- 10 -- 53 -- 196,315 -- 3,849 -- Dn -- 16 -- Dn -- 8,518

6 -- Central Intercoll. (II)# -- 9 -- 44 -- 162,792 -- 3,700 -- Dn -- 943 -- Dn -- 22,920

7 -- Old Dominion (III) -- 6 -- 30 -- 92,810 -- 3,094 -- Dn -- 19 -- Up -- 2,533

8 -- Pennsylvania (II) -- 14 -- 69 -- 209,399 -- 3,035 -- Up -- 189 -- Up -- 13,010

9 -- Midwest Intercoll. (II) -- 11 -- 58 -- 166,609 -- 2,873 -- Up -- 401 -- Up -- 25,703

10 -- Div. II Indep.# -- 13 -- 59 -- 158,110 -- 2,680 -- Dn -- 177 -- Dn -- 7,578

11 -- Amer. Southwest (III)@ -- 6 -- 30 -- 79,174 -- 2,639 -- Up -- 156 -- Up -- 9,641

12 -- New Eng. Small Coll. (III) -- 10 -- 40 -- 103,762 -- 2,594 -- Dn -- 265 -- Dn -- 10,605

13 -- South Atlantic (II)# -- 8 -- 45 -- 116,629 -- 2,592 -- Dn -- 336 -- Dn -- 6,356

14 -- Wisconsin (III) -- 8 -- 36 -- 92,069 -- 2,557 -- Up -- 259 -- Up -- 4,740

15 -- Minnesota Intercoll. (III) -- 10 -- 47 -- 112,261 -- 2,389 -- Dn -- 151 -- Up -- 480

16 -- Michigan Intercoll. (III) -- 6 -- 27 -- 62,152 -- 2,302 -- Up -- 235 -- Up -- 6,345

17 -- Ohio Athletic (III) -- 10 -- 51 -- 116,382 -- 2,282 -- Up -- 233 -- Up -- 15,970

18 -- Iowa Intercoll. (III) -- 9 -- 46 -- 92,528 -- 2,011 -- Up -- 53 -- Up -- 8,351

19 -- Indiana Collegiate (III) -- 7 -- 35 -- 66,616 -- 1,903 -- Dn -- 352 -- Dn -- 12,292

20 -- Presidents' Athletic (III)# -- 6 -- 28 -- 52,940 -- 1,891 -- Up -- 85 -- Dn -- 1,230

21 -- New Jersey (III) -- 6 -- 25 -- 46,567 -- 1,863 -- Up -- 659 -- Up -- 14,051

22 -- Rocky Mountain (II) -- 9 -- 50 -- 92,139 -- 1,843 -- Dn -- 249 -- Dn -- 1,992

23 -- Middle Atlantic (III) -- 11 -- 55 -- 99,123 -- 1,802 -- Dn -- 180 -- Dn -- 11,857

24 -- Upstate Colleg. (III) -- 5 -- 25 -- 44,898 -- 1,796 -- Dn -- 180 -- Up -- 1,436

25 -- Southern Collegiate (III) -- 5 -- 22 -- 38,017 -- 1,728 -- Up -- 394 -- Up -- 6,003

26 -- Freedom FB (III) -- 7 -- 34 -- 58,371 -- 1,717 -- Dn -- 26 -- Dn -- 2,640

27 -- Northern Sun (II) -- 7 -- 36 -- 59,021 -- 1,639 -- Up -- 20 -- Up -- 5,608

28 -- University Ath. (III) -- 5 -- 24 -- 38,028 -- 1,585 -- Dn -- 224 -- Dn -- 5,381

29 -- West Va. Intercoll. (II)# -- 8 -- 37 -- 57,889 -- 1,565 -- Dn -- 77 -- Dn -- 6,150

30 -- North Coast (III) -- 9 -- 47 -- 73,280 -- 1,559 -- Dn -- 32 -- Up -- 4,885

31 -- Illinois & Wisconsin (III) -- 8 -- 36 -- 55,325 -- 1,537 -- Dn -- 65 -- Dn -- 3,935

32 -- Centennial FB (III) -- 8 -- 39 -- 57,290 -- 1,469 -- Dn -- 223 -- Dn -- 10,386

33 -- Div. III Indep.# -- 34 -- 155 -- 220,224 -- 1,421 -- Up -- 48 -- Dn -- 4,900

34 -- Eastern FB (II)# -- 12 -- 59 -- 76,851 -- 1,303 -- Dn -- 15 -- Dn -- 4,892

35 -- Midwest (III)# -- 10 -- 47 -- 48,563 -- 1,033 -- Dn -- 190 -- Dn -- 7,717

36 -- Southern Calif. (III) -- 6 -- 30 -- 30,303 -- 1,010 -- Dn -- 150 -- Up -- 132

37 -- St. Louis (III)# -- 5 -- 24 -- 18,837 -- 785 -- Dn -- 67 -- Dn -- 757

38 -- New England FB (III)# -- 14 -- 67 -- 47,538 -- 710 -- Dn -- 100 -- Dn -- 7,529

@ New conference. # Did not have the same lineup in 1997 as in 1996.

$Rochester is a member of both the University Athletic Association and the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Conference. Case Reserve is a member of both the University Athletic Association and the North Coast Athletic Conference. Their attendance figures are included in each conference figure but counted only once for division totals.

+ The figures used for comparison reflect changes in conference and division lineups to provide parallel, valid comparison.

Division I-A and I-AA conferences and independent groups

Total Teams -- Games -- 1997 Attend. -- Avg. PG -- Changes + in Avg. -- Changes + in total

1 -- Big Ten (I-A) -- 11 -- 70 -- *4,744,211 -- 67,774 -- Up -- 254 -- Up -- 422,935

2 -- Southeastern (I-A) -- 12 -- 76 -- *5,005,126 -- *65,857 -- Up -- 952 -- Up -- 72,324

3 -- Big 12 (I-A) -- 12 -- 71 -- *3,640,692 -- 51,277 -- Dn -- 165 -- Up -- 91,218

4 -- Pacific-10 (I-A) -- 10 -- 60 -- 2,891,522 -- 48,192 -- Up -- 588 -- Up -- 130,516

5 -- Atlantic Coast (I-A) -- 9 -- 52 -- 2,333,784 -- 44,880 -- Up -- 803 -- Up -- 129,935

6 -- Big East (I-A) -- 8 -- 46 -- 1,657,056 -- 36,023 -- Dn -- 2,825 -- Dn -- 168,814

7 -- Western Athletic (I-A) -- 16 -- 92 -- *2,758,817 -- 29,987 -- Up -- 1,248 -- Up -- 143,598

8 -- I-A Independents# -- 9 -- 47 -- 1,391,842 -- 29,614 -- Up -- 3,689 -- Up -- 147,389

9 -- Conference USA (I-A)# -- 7 -- 38 -- *963,239 -- *25,348 -- Dn -- 237 -- Dn -- 8,984

10 -- Big West (I-A) -- 6 -- 32 -- 584,020 -- *18,251 -- Up -- 1,937 -- Up -- 29,336

11 -- Mid-American (I-A)# -- 12 -- 63 -- *1,130,939 -- 17,951 -- Up -- 2,115 -- Up -- 149,085

12 -- Southwestern (I-AA) -- 8 -- 36 -- 567,929 -- 15,776 -- Up -- 371 -- Dn -- 32,869

13 -- Mid-Eastern (I-AA)# -- 9 -- 42 -- 427,794 -- 10,186 -- Dn -- 1,111 -- Dn -- 80,582

14 -- Gateway (I-AA)# -- 7 -- 41 -- *399,221 -- *9,737 -- Up -- 557 -- Up -- 41,183

15 -- Southern (I-AA)# -- 9 -- 52 -- 491,680 -- 9,455 -- Dn -- 163 -- Up -- 30,020

16 -- Southland (I-AA) -- 8 -- 46 -- 388,593 -- 8,448 -- Dn -- 495 -- Dn -- 22,764

17 -- Big Sky (I-AA)#^ -- 8 -- 47 -- 385,728 -- 8,207 -- Up -- 23 -- Up -- 25,421

18 -- I-AA Independents# -- 14 -- 76 -- 594,992 -- 7,829 -- Up -- 3,693 -- Up -- 322,007

19 -- Atlantic 10 (I-AA) -- 12 -- 65 -- 486,798 -- 7,489 -- Dn -- 737 -- Dn -- 39,644

20 -- Ivy (I-AA) -- 8 -- 39 -- 284,650 -- 7,299 -- Dn -- 3,029 -- Dn -- 128,462

21 -- Ohio Valley (I-AA)# -- 8 -- 42 -- 265,345 -- 6,318 -- Dn -- 1,782 -- Dn -- 91,040

22 -- Patriot (I-AA)# -- 7 -- 38 -- 175,992 -- 4,631 -- Dn -- 807 -- Dn -- 25,211

23 -- Pioneer (I-AA) -- 6 -- 30 -- 109,234 -- 3,641 -- Dn -- 146 -- Dn -- 8,172

24 -- Northeast (I-AA)@ -- 5 -- 24 -- 37,014 -- *1,542 -- Up -- 31 -- Dn -- 3,786

25 -- Metro Atlantic (I-AA) -- 9 -- 46 -- *69,249 -- *1,505 -- Up -- 97 -- Up -- 11,507

I-A Neutral Sites -- -- 8 -- 464,711 -- 58,089 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

I-AA Neutral Sites -- -- 18 -- 527,829 -- 29,324 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

DIVISION I-A# -- 112 -- 655 -- 27,565,959 -- 42,085 -- Up -- 748 -- Up -- 945,017

DIVISION I-AA# -- 118 -- 642 -- 5,212,048 -- 8,118 -- Dn -- 237 -- Dn -- 42,985

I-A & I-AA Combined -- 230 -- 1,297 -- 32,778,007 -- 25,272 -- Up -- 232 -- Up -- 902,032

DIVISION II# -- 142 -- 710 -- 2,349,442 -- 3,309 -- Dn -- 278 -- Dn -- 164,799

DIVISION III# -- 209 -- 991 -- 1,730,400 -- 1,746 -- Dn -- 34 -- Up -- 37,563 --

ALL NCAA TEAMS -- 581 -- 2,998 -- 36,857,849 -- 12,294 -- Dn -- 42 -- Up -- 774,796

By Percentage of Capacity: Div. I-A: 77.6 percent -- Southeastern 91.1, Big Ten 89.8, Atlantic Coast 86.6, Big 12 85.1, Mid-American 73.1, Pacific-10 71.3, I-A Independents 63.1, Western Athletic 62.7, Big West 62.1, Big East 60.8, Conference USA 50.9.

Div. I-AA: 47.3 percent --- Metro Atlantic 60.0, Southern 60.0, Big Sky 59.1, Gateway 57.9, Southland 53.6, Atlantic 10 52.7, I-AA Independents 50.5, Ohio Valley 37.6, Mid-Eastern 36.9, Patriot 36.3, Northeast 36.1, Southwestern Athletic 32.6, Pioneer 29.8, Ivy 20.9.

# Did not have same lineup in 1997 as in 1996. @ New conference.

* Record high for this conference.

+ The 1997 figures used for comparison reflect changes in conference and division lineups to provide parallel, valid comparisons.

^ Does not include Division II member Portland State.