Ohio State Buckeyes

Report: Michigan beats out Ohio State for attendance crown

Published Dec. 18, 2015 6:18 p.m. ET

foxsports

According to a CBS Sports analysis of college football attendance figures, Michigan returned to the top spot nationally in average attendance in 2015, jumping ahead of archrival Ohio State a year after its 16-year run at the top came to an end.

Michigan, which finished 9-3 in its first season under Jim Harbaugh, averaged 110,168 fans per home game, while Ohio State averaged 107,244. The Wolverines saw an increase of about 5 percent from the previous year, when they went 5-7 before firing Brady Hoke as coach and hiring Harbaugh.

Overall, attendance nationally declined less than 1 percent a year after dropping by 4 percent. The national average was 43,288 fans per game, down from 43,483 in 2014. The 2015 figure was the lowest since 2012, when average FBS attendance was 42,631.

In terms of conferences, the SEC remained the national leader with a record average of 78,720 fans. Tennessee's figure increased to over 100,000 (a 12 percent increase) for the first time since Phil Fulmer was coach in 2008, while Florida saw a 5 percent increase (up to 90,065) in a 9-3 season under first-year coach Jim McElwain. The ACC remained at the bottom of the Power 5 conference rankings with an average attendance of 48,577.

The biggest gainers nationally were Pitt (up 17 percent) and Virginia (up 10 percent), while the biggest losers were Syracuse (down 21 percent) and Kansas State (down 20 percent). Texas, meanwhile, dropped to 90,035 fans and has seen its attendance drop 12 percent since its 2009 BCS championship game run, and Iowa saw a 6 percent drop despite going 12-0 in the regular season and playing in the Big Ten championship game.

CBS Sports added the following disclaimer: "Figures represent the announced crowd totals schools reported to the NCAA and not necessarily actual attendance. Many athletic departments count attendance differently."