The good folks at D1.ticker have compiled a table with attendance data from the 2023 FBS season, and it's chalk full of good stuff.
Let's start here, with the 10 programs that saw the biggest jumps from 2022 to '23.
1. Houston
2022 avg.: 25,394 | 2023 avg.: 36,020 | Jump: 41.84%
Yeah, this one tracks. No one was more excited to join the Big 12 than Houston, who topped 35,000 for home games against UTSA, TCU and Sam Houston, and came 10 spectators shy of tying the TDECU Stadium record when 42,812 came to see Texas visit the Cougars for perhaps the final time ever. Houston's smallest crowd of 2023 (32,152 for a Thursday night game vs. West Virginia) was larger than its largest crowd of '22.
2. South Florida
2022 avg.: 29,650 | 2023 avg.: 37,944 | Jump: 27.97%
USF would've seen a modest, 10 percent bump if not for the Alabama game, which drew a massive 65,138 to Raymond James Stadium, the largest crowd to see a Bulls home game in more than a decade.
3. Maryland
2022 avg.: 31,934 | 2023 avg.: 40,314 | Jump: 26.24%
Visits from Penn State (51,802) and Michigan (49,546) undoubtedly boosted the average, but even the low-water mark of 32,804 vs. Charlotte bested the 2022 average.
4. Colorado
2022 avg.: 42,847 | 2023 avg.: 53,180 | Jump: 24.12%
The headline here is that 40,000 plus still showed up to see the Buffs go 1-11 in 2022. Even though Colorado ended the season on a 6-game losing skid, 52,788 still came to see the home finale against Arizona.
5. Georgia Southern
2022 avg.: 17,379 | 2023 avg.: 21,480 | Jump: 23.59%
In Clay Helton's first season, Georgia Southern's final five home games topped 20,000, peaking with 26,483 coming to watch the Eagles' upset of Coastal Carolina, a Paulson Stadium record.
6. Louisville
2022 avg.: 41,692 | 2023 avg.: 51,252 | Jump: 22.93%
The fifth of six entries where the fans were treated to either a new coach or a new conference, Louisville fans were immediately in on Jeff Brohm: the home opener against Murray State drew 45,273, well above the 2022 average, and roughly 1,000 off the crowd that watched Scott Satterfield's team face Florida State in '22. Louisville set a stadium record when 59,081 watched the Cardinals knock off then-No. 10 Notre Dame, then broke that record in the season finale against Kentucky.
7. Tulane
2022 avg.: 20,361 | 2023 avg.: 25,021 | Jump: 22.89%
A sellout crowd of 30,000 came to watch the showdown with Ole Miss, but nearly 27,000 showed up the week prior to watch the Wave beat down South Alabama. Another 30,000 showed out for Homecoming against North Texas. AAC semifinal and championship showdowns against UTSA and SMU both also drew 25,000.
8. Hawai'i
2022 avg.: 9,210 | 2023 avg.: 11,251 | Jump: 22.17%
Though Warriors fans are no doubt enthused to have one of their own in Timmy Chang leading the program, the 22% increase here came as a result of expansion to the program's temporary home, Ching Athletic Complex. Capacity increased from 9,300 to 15,000.
9. Texas State
2022 avg.: 17,541 | 2023 avg.: 21,184 | Jump: 20.77%
Texas State's win over Rice in the First Responder Bowl brought 26,453 fans to SMU's Gerald J. Ford Stadium, which was more than attended any Mustangs home game. Back home at Bobcat Stadium, 24,118 showed to watch GJ Kinne's first home game against Jackson State, and the come-from-behind win over ULM was played before 27,537, a top-5 crowd in school history.
10. Wyoming
2022 avg.: 19,707 | 2023 avg.: 23,163 | Avg.: 17.54%
26,450 cheered Wyoming's season-opening, double-overtime upset of Texas Tech, then 27,905 watched the Cowboys' Friday night rivalry win over Colorado State. In a state barely over half a million people, that's the equivalent of 1.89 million people attending a USC game.
Here's a quick run through the top 25:
11. Oregon State: 31,498 -- 36,969 -- 17.4%
12. Florida State: 67,254 -- 78,711 -- 17%
13. Western Michigan: 15,260 -- 17,619 -- 15.5%
14. Illinois: 43,048 -- 49,698 -- 15.5%
15. Bowling Green: 11,663 -- 13,462 -- 15.4%
16. UCLA: 41,593 -- 47,951 -- 15.3%
17. Louisiana: 14,542 -- 16,664 -- 14.6%
18. Charlotte: 10,907 -- 12,471 -- 14.4%
19. Nevada: 14,905 -- 16,998 -- 14%
20. Utah State: 16,954 -- 19,282 -- 13.7%
21. Memphis: 26,196 -- 29,782 -- 13.7%
22. Arizona State: 43,081 -- 48,301 -- 12.1%
23. UConn: 22,095 -- 24,659 -- 11.6%
24. Eastern Michigan: 15,186 -- 16,882 -- 11.2%
25. FIU: 13,789 -- 15,290 -- 10.9%
Obviously, there's a self-fulfilling prophecy at play here. A program can only make a jump in attendance if they have tickets to sell in the first place. Here, in descending order, are schools that reported 100 percent or greater of their stadium's capacity in 2023:
App State; Colorado; Oklahoma; Oregon State; Kansas State; Oregon; TCU; Utah; Michigan; James Madison; Penn State; Nebraska; Texas; Florida; Ohio State; South Carolina; Oklahoma State; Auburn; Notre Dame; NC State; Tennessee; Alabama; Cincinnati; Georgia; and Iowa.
In raw numbers, Michigan (109,971) and Akron (7,237) drew the largest and smallest crowds in college football in 2023. As a percentage of capacity, App State (115.78%) and Temple (19.62%) played in the most- and least-packed stadiums in the nation.
Here are the biggest draws in each conference (2023 alignment):
American
1. South Florida -- 37,944
2. East Carolina -- 35,115
3. Navy -- 30,804
Big 12
1. Texas -- 101,625
2. Oklahoma -- 83,741
3. BYU -- 61,944
Big Ten
1. Michigan -- 109,971
2. Penn State -- 108,409
3. Ohio State -- 103,792
Conference USA
1. Jacksonville State -- 20,033
2. Liberty -- 18,911
3. UTEP -- 18,160
MAC
1. Toledo -- 19,675
2. Ohio -- 19,005
3. Western Michigan -- 17,619
Mountain West
1. Fresno State -- 39,969
2. Boise State -- 35,867
3. Air Force -- 29,616
SEC
1. Tennessee -- 101,915
2. LSU -- 100,742
3. Alabama -- 100,077
Sun Belt
1. Appalachian State -- 34,734
2. Troy -- 27,121
3. James Madison -- 25,372
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.