2009 NCAA D1A Football Home Attendance War: Michigan vs Penn State
19 Sep 2009
EMU @ Michigan 107,903
Temple @ PSU 105,514
Season Totals (3 games each)
Michigan 327,200 (109,019, 110,278, 107,903)
Penn State 316,869 (104,968, 106,387, 105,514)
Season Avg
Michigan 109,067
Penn State 105,623
Upcoming home games:
26 Sep
Indiana @ Michigan
Iowa @ Penn State
Remaining home games:
Michigan: Ind, Del St, Penn St, Pur, OSU
Penn State: Iowa, Eastern Illinois, Minn, OSU, Ind
Another good showing by Michigan has put Penn St in a hole. If our Homecoming game vs Ind draws at least 108,000, it will be very diffcult for PSU to catch us, even if our Delaware St game hovers near 100,000.
September 20th, 2009 at 12:21 PM ^
There is no way attendance for Deleware St. will be less than 104k. There's not even a chance.
September 20th, 2009 at 1:26 PM ^
maybe theres no way it will be announced as less than 104k. unless people buy up student section tickets, the student section should be relatively empty. (1-AA opponent + fall break)
September 20th, 2009 at 12:28 PM ^
The only record I want against PSU this year is 1-0.
September 20th, 2009 at 12:31 PM ^
I agree with fatbastard that the Delaware State game will be over 104k. In fact, I would bet that the announced attendance is over 106k.
What's surprising is that it seems like the two seasons when Penn State has the largest stadium in the country they will not beat out Michigan for average attendance. We each have Indiana and OSU. Eastern Illinois (Jimmy Potempa!) for them is comparable to Delaware State. So then it is Penn State and Purdue at home for us versus Iowa and Minnesota. I think it's pretty clear that Michigan is going to win the attendance war yet again.
September 20th, 2009 at 12:46 PM ^
DSU is a double hit as it's also fall break weekend for students. They could be out in FAR less numbers than normal. I wouldn't be surprised to see it a little under 104k. I think that's a pretty good over/under mark, though.
September 20th, 2009 at 1:03 PM ^
and was going to add this ... I am worried about making 100K because the students think it will be an easy win and will just want to get homefor break ... I will be staying but i know many, many kids who arent
September 20th, 2009 at 1:03 PM ^
Ahhh, I forgot about fall break.
That just means the Athletic department will have an extra 2,000 ushers, concession stand workers and other various "event staff" whose job description is "Be inside the stadium to boost attendance."
September 20th, 2009 at 2:41 PM ^
I know several people who can't give their Delaware State tickets away..... and I've seen them sell for as little as 10-20 bucks apiece. If I didn't have a wedding to be in that evening, I would be there in a second. Nothing better than seeing Michigan football in person.
September 20th, 2009 at 6:55 PM ^
It will be a little lower, but not by much. The official attendance is not the turnstile count. It's the paid attendance plus visitors. We've sold enough season tickets that the crowd for that game will officially be about normal.
September 20th, 2009 at 12:41 PM ^
Despite larger capacity this year, Penn State doesn't stand a chance of ending the year with better attendance. Their home schedule is pretty bad this year, and they didn't even beat Michigan last year, when the Wolverines had the bad home schedule.
September 20th, 2009 at 1:05 PM ^
Penn State's home schedule is always pretty bad.
September 20th, 2009 at 1:54 PM ^
I think you stop analyzing this anytime now and save your energy for something else. We are going to draw roughly 4,000 more fans them them each week give or take a few hundred.
September 20th, 2009 at 2:13 PM ^
Either way, Penn state will just continue to accuse of cheating by how we count and by having narrower seat like they always do.
September 20th, 2009 at 2:18 PM ^
one of those 107,903 yesterday! My first game at the big house lol
September 20th, 2009 at 2:30 PM ^
Michigan (and other schools, I believe), count attendance as tickets sold + all other guest passes (including opposing team bands?). They don't count attendance as 'turnstiles turned'. In other words, students not showing won't affect the attendance, because those student tickets have already been sold.
Students not showing would obviously affect the stadium atmosphere, though.
September 20th, 2009 at 7:51 PM ^
We are ahead by more than 10,000 over for the first three games. Penn State will have to beat us by nearly 3,000 per game the rest of the season, despite the fact that we have been ahead each game thus far. Even if the Delaware State game is light, the rest of the games won't be. Indiana is homecoming and two of the remaining games are Penn St and OSU. All three of those games should be 110,000 or higher. It is over.