FBS Attendance

An institution classified in Football Bowl Subdivision shall meet all the Division I membership requirements set forth in NCAA Division I Bylaws 20.9.1 through 20.9.5 and in addition, shall:

1. Sponsor a minimum of 16 varsity intercollegiate sports, including football, based on the

minimum sports sponsorship and scheduling requirements set forth in Bylaw 20.

Sponsorship shall include a minimum six sports involving all male teams or mixed teams

(males and females), and a minimum of eight varsity intercollegiate teams involving all

female teams. Institutions may use up to two emerging sports to satisfy the required eight

varsity intercollegiate sports involving all female teams. [Bylaw 20.9.7.1]

2. Schedule and play at least 60 percent of its football contests against members of Football

Bowl Subdivision. Institutions shall schedule and play at least five regular season home

contests against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents. [Bylaw 20.9.7.2]

3. Average at least 15,000 in actual or paid attendance for all home football contests over a

rolling two-year period. [Bylaw 20.9.7.3]

4. Provide an average of at least 90 percent of the permissible maximum number of overall

football grants-in-aid per year over a rolling two-year period. [Bylaw 20.9.7.4-(a)]

5. Annually offer a minimum of 200 athletics grants-in-aid or expend at least four million dollars on grants-in-aid to student-athletes in athletics programs. [Bylaw 20.9.7.4-(b)] 

This means that the home game attendance at any given FBS school from any two consecutive years should average at least 15,000 fans. Lets take a look at which teams have not averaged at least 15,000 people per home game over the past two seasons.

School		2008	2009	Average
Bowling Green		15701	14044	14873
Idaho		15340	12546	13943
Miami (OH)		15435	11810	13623
Florida International		13852	10204	12028
Eastern Michigan		18951	5016	11984
Kent State		10639	15512	13076

Technically all six of these schools could have their FBS status taken away from them. The NCAA chooses not to enforce this bylaw. It is hypocritical that the NCAA is making a big deal out of agents talking with college players, yet they refuse to enforce their own rules on the books. As the recession continues, I expect to see more teams that cannot maintain an average home attendence above 15,000 people. Overall FBS attendence figures declined between 2008 and 2009. I expect attendence figures to continue to decrease in the 2010 football season. Ticket prices are rising, gasoline prices are high, and many people are out of work.

Reference