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. Six MAC programs, two WAC programs, and two Sun Belt programs have failed to meet the home attendance requirement over the past two seasons.

School	2009	2010	Average
San Jose State	14,474	15,344	14,909
Buffalo	12,981	15,960	14,471
Western Kentucky	14,577	14,103	14,340
Akron	10,185	17,382	13,784
Bowling Green	13,306	14,044	13,675
Miami (OH)	15,519	11,810	13,665
Florida International	16,545	10,204	13,375
Idaho	12,730	12,546	12,638
Eastern Michigan	15,885	5,016	10,451
Ball State	8,947	10,888	9,918

Over the 2009-2010 rolling period, ten teams failed to meet the attendance requirement. Over the 2008-2009 rolling period, six teams failed to meet the attendance requirement. The economy is definitely not getting better. Interestingly, five schools--Bowling Green, Miami (OH), Florida International, Idaho, and Eastern Michigan--have failed to meet NCAA bylaw 20.9.7.3 over the 2008-2009 rolling period and the 2009-2010 rolling period. Miami (OH) and Florida International both won bowl games this past season and should draw a bit better next year.

Should more FCS teams be allowed to move up into the Football Bowl Subdivision when 1/12 of the existing teams in the FBS cannot even meet the FBS attendance requirement? It appears the NCAA does not enforce this rule, which makes some sense: demoting schools would cause even more conference chaos and it is demoralizing for an FBS program to be demoted to the Football Championship Division. But still, rules are rules, and it's seen as favoritism when some rules are strictly enforced by NCAA and others are ignored.

Reference

Underclassmen Declaring For The 2011 NFL Draft

School	Player	Position
Alabama	Marcell Dareus	DE
Alabama	Mark Ingram	RB
Alabama	Julio Jones	WR
Arizona State	Lawrence Guy	DT
Arkansas	Ryan Mallet	QB
Auburn	Darvin Adams	WR
Auburn	Nick Fairley	DT
Auburn	Cam Newton	QB
California	Shane Vareen	RB
Clemson	Da'Quan Bowers	DE
Clemson	Jamie Harper	RB
Connecticut	Jordan Todman	RB
Florida	Will Hill	S
Fresno State	Jamel Hamler	WR
Georgia	A.J. Green	WR
Georgia	Justin Houston	LB
Georgia Tech	Nick Claytor	OT
Georgia Tech	Jerrard Tarrant	S
Illinois	Mikel Leshoure	RB
Illinois	Corey Liuget	DT
Illinois	Martez Wilson	LB
Indiana	Tandon Doss	WR
Iowa	Tyler Sash	S
Kentucky	Randall Cobb	WR
LSU	Patrick Peterson	CB
LSU	Stevan Ridley	RB
Maryland	Torrey Smith	WR
Miami	Brandon Harris	CB
Missouri	Blaine Gabbert	QB
Missouri	Aldon Smith	DE
North Carolina	Marvin Austin	DT
North Carolina	Greg Little	WR
North Carolina	Robert Quinn	DE
Notre Dame	Kyle Rudolph	TE
Oregon	Javes Lewis	S
Oregon State	Jacquizz Rogers	RB
Pittsburgh	Jonathan Baldwin	WR
Pittsburgh	Henry Hynoski	FB
Pittsburgh	Dion Lewis	RB
South Carolina	Tori Gurley	WR
Southern Miss	DeAndre Brown	WR
Stanford	Thomas Keiser	LB
Temple	Muhammad Wilkerson	DT
Texas	Aaron Williams	CB
UCLA	Akim Ayers	LB
UCLA	Rahim Moore	S
USC	Jurell Casey	DT
USC	Tyron Smith	OT
Utah	Brandon Burton	CB
Utah	Sealver Siligi	DT
Virginia	Zane Parr	DE
Virginia Tech	Darren Evans	RB
Virginia Tech	Ryan Williams	RB
West Virginia	Robert Sands	S
Wisconsin	John Clay	RB
Wisconsin	J.J. Watt	DE

2010-2011 Bowl Attendance Figures

Date	Bowl	Attendance	Capacity	Percentage	Score
18-Dec-10	New Mexico Bowl	32,424	39,224	82.66%	BYU 52, UTEP 24
18-Dec-10	uDrove Humanitarian Bowl	25,449	33,500	75.97%	Northern Illinois 40, Fresno State 17
18-Dec-10	R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl	29,159	69,703	41.83%	Troy 48, Ohio 21
21-Dec-10	Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg	20,017	28,453	70.35%	Louisville 31, Southern Miss 28
22-Dec-10	Maaco Bowl Las Vegas	41,923	36,800	113.92%	Boise State 26, Utah 3
23-Dec-10	San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl	48,049	70,561	68.10%	San Diego State 35, Navy 14
24-Dec-10	Sheraton Hawaii Bowl	43,673	50,000	87.35%	Tulsa 62, Hawaii 35
26-Dec-10	Little Caesars Pizza Bowl	32,431	65,000	49.89%	Florida International 34, Toledo 32
27-Dec-10	AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl	39,362	53,000	74.27%	Air Force 14, Georgia Tech 7
28-Dec-10	Champs Sports Bowl	48,962	65,438	74.82%	NC State 23, West Virginia 7
28-Dec-10	Insight Bowl	53,453	71,706	74.54%	Iowa 27, Missouri 24
29-Dec-10	Military Bowl	38,062	45,423	83.79%	Maryland 51, East Carolina 20
29-Dec-10	Texas Bowl	68,211	71,054	96.00%	Illinois 38, Baylor 14
29-Dec-10	Valero Alamo Bowl	57,593	65,000	88.60%	Oklahoma State 36, Arizona 10
30-Dec-10	Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl	36,742	32,000	114.82%	Army 16, SMU 14
30-Dec-10	New Era Pinstripe Bowl	38,274	52,328	73.14%	Syracuse 36, Kansas State 34
30-Dec-10	Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl	69,143	69,143	100.00%	North Carolina 30, Tennessee 27 (2OT)
30-Dec-10	Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl	57,921	70,561	82.09%	Washington 19, Nebraska 7
31-Dec-10	Meineke Car Care Bowl	41,122	73,778	55.74%	South Florida 31, Clemson 26
31-Dec-10	Hyundai Sun Bowl	54,021	51,500	104.90%	Notre Dame 33, Miami 17
31-Dec-10	AutoZone Liberty Bowl	51,231	61,008	83.97%	Central Florida 10, Georgia 6
31-Dec-10	Chick-fil-A Bowl	72,217	71,228	101.39%	Florida State 26, South Carolina 17
01-Jan-11	TicketCity Bowl	40,121	92,100	43.56%	Texas Tech 45, Northwestern 38
01-Jan-11	Capital One Bowl	61,519	65,438	94.01%	Alabama 49, Michigan State 7
01-Jan-11	Outback Bowl	60,574	65,908	91.91%	Florida 37, Penn State 24
01-Jan-11	Progressive Gator Bowl	77,497	77,510	99.98%	Mississippi State 52, Michigan 14
01-Jan-11	Rose Bowl	94,118	91,136	103.27%	TCU 21, Wisconsin 19
01-Jan-11	Tostitos Fiesta Bowl	67,232	63,400	106.04%	Oklahoma 48, Connecticut 20
03-Jan-11	Discover Orange Bowl	65,453	75,540	86.65%	Stanford 40, Virginia Tech 12
04-Jan-11	Allstate Sugar Bowl	73,879	69,703	105.99%	Ohio State 31, Arkansas 26
06-Jan-11	GoDaddy.com Bowl	38,168	40,646	93.90%	Miami (OH) 35, Middle Tennessee 21
07-Jan-11	AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic	83,514	80,000	104.39%	LSU 41, Texas A&M 24
08-Jan-11	BBVA Compass Bowl	41,207	71,594	57.56%	Pittsburgh 27, Kentucky 10
09-Jan-11	Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl	41,063	40,184	102.19%	Nevada 20, Boston College 13
10-Jan-11	BCS National Championship Game	78,603	63,400	123.98%	Auburn 22, Oregon 19

More:
2011-2012 Bowl Attendance Figures
2012-1013 Bowl Attendance Figures

2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Preview

January 10, 2011 8:30 PM ET

Stadium: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Payout: $17,000,000

Played: 2007-present

Once known as: N/A

Broadcasters: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit

Sideline Reporter: Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi

Storyline: Oregon and Auburn will face off for the BCS National Championship on Monday night. These two run-heavy teams have owned the #1 and #2 spots in the BCS rankings since late October. Oregon has never won a national title, while Auburn has won one national title in 1957. The Ducks boast a 12-0 record, Pac-10 title, and the 2^nd best offense in the nation, averaging 537.2 yards per game. The Ducks’ only scare came on November 13^th when they beat California by only 2 points. The Tigers went 13-0, won the SEC title, and have the 7^th best offense in the nation, averaging 497.7 yards per game. The Tigers had to come-back in eight of their games, four of which they were down by double digits. Oregon has had the better defense, allowing 18.4 points game (14^th), while Auburn has allowed 24.5 points per game (54^th). However, Auburn has played a tougher schedule, playing five teams ranked 18^th, while Oregon has only beaten one team ranked 18^th or higher. Auburn looks to get the SEC its fifth consecutive national title, while Oregon looks to become the first Pac-10 team other than USC to win a national championship in the BCS era.

All-time Series: 0-0

Line: Auburn by 2.5

	Oregon			Auburn
Overall Record	12-0		Overall Record	13-0
Conference Record	9-0		Conference Record	8-0
Bowl Record	9-14		Bowl Record	20-13-2
Last Bowl Win	2008 Holiday		Last Bowl Win	2010 Outback

2010-2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Preview

January 9, 2011 9:00 PM ET

Stadium: AT&T Park, San Francisco, California

Payout: $750,000-$825,000

Played: 2002-present

Once known as: San Francisco Bowl (2002-2003), Emerald Bowl (2004-2009)

Broadcasters: Mark Jones, Bob Davie, Rod Gilmore

Sideline Reporter: Quint Kessenich

Storyline: Nevada had its best regular-season as a FBS program, going 11-1. The Wolfpack almost had a perfect season. Their only loss came against Hawaii on October 16^th. The Wolfpack garnered national respect when they ended Boise State’s dream of a national title on November 26^th. The Nevada pistol offense ranks 3^rd in the nation, averaging 535.5 yards gained per game. Nevada is also 3^rd in rushing yards per game, averaging 305.9. The Wolfpack are looking to send off seniors Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua off with a win over an ACC program. Boston College will be appearing in its 12^th consecutive bowl, and the Eagles will be playing in AT&T Park for the second straight postseason. Boston College finished the season with a 5 game winning streak after a 5 game losing streak. The Eagles have the best rush defense in the nation, only allowing 80.2 rushing yards per game. Boston College is looking to get national respect by shutting down one of the most explosive offenses in the FBS. Clearly the matchup in this game will be Nevada’s offense against Boston College’s defense. Whichever of these 11-man squads dominates the other will decide the outcome of the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

All-time Series: 0-0

Line: Nevada by 7.5

	Nevada			Boston College
Overall Record	12-1		Overall Record	7-5
Conference Record	7-1		Conference Record	4-4
Bowl Record	3-7		Bowl Record	13-8
Last Bowl Win	2005 Hawaii		Last Bowl Win	2007 Champs Sports

Miami RedHawks' Pre-GoDaddy.com Bowl Speech

Miami (OH) wears a hybrid helmet in the GoDaddy.com Bowl, and interim head coach Lance Guidry hypes up the RedHawks. After the 35-21 win, I think this Cajun deserves a head coach or defensive coordinator job somewhere. Perhaps incoming head coach Don Treadwell can keep him in Oxford, Ohio.

2011 BBVA Compass Bowl Preview

January 8, 2011 12:00 PM ET

Stadium: Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama

Payout: $900,000 (SEC), $600,000 (Big East)

Played: 2006-present

Once known as: PapaJohns.com Bowl (2006-2010)

Broadcasters: Mike Gleason, John Congemi

Sideline Reporter: Cara Capuano

Storyline: Pittsburgh is headed to Birmingham with a 7-5 record and defensive coordinator Phil Bennett will serve as interim head coach. Dave Wannstedt was fired after failing to get Pitt to a BCS bowl game and only winning a share of the Big East title once in his six years coaching the Panthers. After hiring and firing Mike Haywood, the Panthers are still looking for a leader. Wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin leads Pitt with 810 receiving yards, and running back Dion Lewis leads Pitt with 956 rushing yards. Expect Pittsburgh to get the ball in the hands of these two players as the Panthers try to cap the season with a win for their ousted head coach. Joker Phillips concludes his first season as headman at Kentucky with a 6-6 record and the Wildcats’ fifth consecutive bowl appearance. Critics say Kentucky doesn’t deserve a spot in the postseason after going 2-6 in SEC play; also keep in mind that Kentucky plays in the weaker half of the conference: the SEC East. Kentucky’s claim to the bowl bid is that they lost close games to Auburn and Mississippi State, and the Wildcats also beat SEC East champ South Carolina. Kentucky will be without quarterback Mike Hartline due to suspension. Morgan Newton will be under center for the Wildcats. Kentucky’s best weapon is slot receiver Randall Cobb who has 15 touchdowns this year, including three passing touchdowns. Kentucky needs to make a statement in this game in order to tell critics that it does deserve to be in the postseason with a 2-6 conference record.

All-time Series: 0-0

Line: Pittsburgh by 3.5

	Pittsburgh			Kentucky
Overall Record	7-5		Overall Record	6-6
Conference Record	5-2		Conference Record	2-6
Bowl Record	11-15		Bowl Record	8-6
Last Bowl Win	2009 Meineke Car Care		Last Bowl Win	2008 Liberty