CARDINALS

Some ACC football teams seeing empty seats

Jeff Greer
@jeffgreer_cj

The University of Virginia took the field at Scott Stadium on a cloudy but temperate Saturday afternoon and stunned 21st-ranked University of Louisville in a back-and-forth 23-21 upset win.

It was Virginia's first win over a ranked opponent since 2011, and the Cavaliers announced an attendance of 34,816. Scott Stadium holds 61,500.

It was the second time in three weeks that Virginia played a top-25 opponent, and it was the second time that Virginia had 27 or more percent of its stadium seats empty against ranked opposition.

It's not necessarily like that across the college football landscape three weeks into the season, though there's been some discussion of decreasing attendances in the college football community, particularly in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

An examination of the attendance figures for the 14 teams in the ACC shows a mixed bag of home attendance numbers through the 24 home games that ACC schools have hosted.

The ACC as a whole is just under 2,000 off its average attendance from last year, and that's before the bulk of the in-conference games begin. The 14 schools average 48,020 at home games so far this season; they averaged 49,982 in 2013.

The league ranked last among the Power Five conferences in average attendance, though in the early stages of this season, the ACC has closed the gap with the Big Ten, which has suffered from lagging attendance through 24 home games among league members.

U of L had the third-highest attendance percentage in the ACC, thanks in large part to the Cardinals' season-opening sellout against Miami, which was U of L's inaugural game in the ACC.

U of L's announced attendances in two games averaged 52,803, or 96 percent of its 55,000-capacity at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

Only Clemson, which exceeded its stadium's listed capacity in the home opener against South Carolina State, and Florida State filled up more of their stadium's seats in their early home contests.

But schools like Miami, Pittsburgh and Virginia have struggled to fill their stadiums in six home games.

Quality of opponent impacts Miami and Pitt's numbers in particular, though both schools playing in NFL stadiums in metropolitan areas where professional sports are king doesn't help.

Miami beat Florida A&M and Arkansas State in the past two weeks in front of a total of 89,773 fans. That averages out to 44,886 per game, or 59.9 percent of the Hurricanes' 74,916-capacity Sun Life Stadium.

Pittsburgh blew out Delaware in its season opener in front of an announced attendance of 40,549. Heinz Stadium, also home to the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, holds 65,050 people.

But Virginia doesn't have the same reasons for low attendance. The Cavaliers have played the two aforementioned top-25 teams and in-state rival Richmond, a program that won the 2008 Football Championship Series title.

"I appreciate the people that show up and come out to support the players and support the team," Virginia coach Mike London told reporters last week. "Obviously, being successful on the field leads to a lot of people wanting to know what's going on. So that is the focus."

An Associated Press story last Friday detailed the measures taken by other ACC programs to increase attendance.

North Carolina's Ryan Switzer, a standout receiver and return man, wrote a letter to fans on Inside Carolina, a fan website. The school also has live music and other "pregame enhancements," the AP story said.

Syracuse had a "Scott Shafer Buyout" deal for its season opener against Villanova. Shafer, the Orange's head coach, offered to buy fans a second ticket with the purchase of another.

Those schools rate somewhere in the middle of the pack in the ACC in terms of filling their stadiums, though they've combined to play just three home games so far.

But the early conclusion — and it's still very early in the 2014 season —is that good opponents and winning can help most programs fill the seats.

"Coach the team, play the games and let everything else take care of itself," London said.

Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).

Percent seats filled in home games

Louisville: 96% (2 games)

Kentucky: 76.1% (2 games)

Indiana: 71.8% (1 game)

Total home attendance by league

ACC: 1,152,478 (24 games, 82.6% full)

Big Ten: 1,289,270 (24 games, 76.7% full)

SEC: 2,031,796 (26 games, 95.1% full)

Average home attendance in 2013 and 2014

ACC: 48,020 (2014); 49,982 (2013)

Big Ten: 53,728 (2014); 70,431 (2013)

SEC: 78,146 (2014); 75,674 (2013)