There is some bad news for college athletic programs, especially those with larger stadiums. CBSSports's Dennis Dodd recently wrote an article about declining attendance numbers at football games between the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.

For the 129 FBS teams, average attendance per game in 2017 was 3.23 percent less than in 2016. The numbers may not seem significant, but that 3.2 percent is the second largest drop off from one season to the next since the NCAA began keeping attendance records in 1948.

Of the Power Five conferences, the SEC had the sharpest decline at 3.14 percent, followed by the ACC at 2.59 percent, the Big 12 at 1.12 percent, The Pac-12 at 0.09 percent, and the Big 10 actually saw a small increase at 0.01 percent.

The disparity in the Power 5 got us wondering about Big 12 fan bases. Did numbers drop off across the conference, or are there a few schools whose numbers skewed the rest? After sifting through game recaps and box scores from all the official sites across the conference, we have some answers to share.

Because Dodd's article does not link to a data source, the numbers used here may not match up exactly with his findings. The attendance numbers used in this article were gathered from each school's official athletics page. The data does not include non-conference away games or games played on a neutral field (so the Red River Rivalry doesn't count).

By basing the numbers on home games only, we came up with slightly different numbers than did Dodd.

Big 12 Average Attendance Changes

(Dodd's numbers in parentheses)

2016 57,571 (57,531) 2017 57,088 (56,852) Difference -483 (-679) Change 0.82% (1.12%)

The rankings that follow are meant to show what Big 12 fanbases are contributing the most to the national trend of decline. To greatly oversimplify the data - the list begins with programs that showed the most growth in fanbase interest between 2016 and 2017. Schools are ranked from 10 to 1 by the percentage decline in average attendance per home game from the 2016-17 to the 2017-18 seasons. Simply put, this is a ranking you do not want to win.

10) Iowa State

2016 52,557 2017 57,931 Difference +5,374 Change 10.23%

The Cyclones bucked the national trend by increasing average attendance at games by a whopping 10%. Wins over two-top five teams and a vibrant coach at the start of his career surely helped bring fans to Jack Trice Stadium in larger numbers. In 2016 the Cyclones cracked 90% capacity just once, against FCS opponent and in-state-rival Northern Iowa (98.59%), and they never filled up the stadium. In 2017 they reached or exceeded max capacity in 3/6 home games, and only dipped below 90% capacity once - against Texas on a Thursday night (83.3%). At the bottom of this article are two top-10 lists that compare the least attended games across all conference teams for 2016 and 2017. Iowa State's entire schedule (sans the game with Northern Iowa) appears on the 2016 list, but in 2017 they only appear once.

9) Oklahoma State

2016 53,814 2017 56,790 Difference +2,976 Change 5.53%

The Pokes had an impressive jump in numbers as well. They were the only Big 12 school to fill up* the stadium for every game in 2017. It should be noted, however, that these sellouts came after reducing the overall capacity at Boone-Pickens Stadium not by removing seating areas, but by widening the amount of space each fan has for their butt. According to a report in the Tulsa World, widening the seats to 20 inches across did not require any major structural changes beyond re-numbering the bleachers. The change resulted in 3,418 fewer seats inside Boone-Pickens Stadium, but a lot of extra cheek space for even the chubbiest of fans. After all, according to a 2017 report by U.S. News and World Report, Oklahoma is the 9th most obese state in the nation.

Perhaps officials in Morgantown and Austin will take note, as West Virginia and Texas came in at Nos. 1 and 8, respectively, in the same report. A top-tier offense and conference title aspirations probably didn't hurt attendance numbers either. In 2016 the Cowboys never filled up the stadium, but came close once, (99.1%) in the last game of the year. The lowest attended game came in 2016 against FCS opponent Southeast Louisiana (83.29%).

*To "fill up" the stadium is to reach or exceed its official capacity. Kansas State and Oklahoma each had games with over 99% capacity, but exceeded capacity for all other games.

8) Kansas

2016 25,828 2017 26,641 Difference +813 Change 3.15%

Yep, you read this right. The Jayhawks saw a slight increase in fan attendance in 2017. It should be noted that Memorial Stadium averaged just over half-full across both seasons, whereas all other Big 12 teams never* fell below the 80%, with many never falling below 90%. When you hit the bottom there is nowhere to go but up. In 2016 Jayhawks fans topped 50% capacity in 4/6 home games, with the largest crowd showing up for the non-conference game against MAC-school Ohio (56.85%), and the smallest crowd showing up for the Iowa State game (47.45%).

The smallest crowd across both seasons came late in 2017 against Baylor (43.53%), when the Bears got their only win of the season. In 2017 4/7 games had under 50% capacity, but to balance that out there were two games that exceeded 60%: FCS opponent Southeast Missouri State (64.18%) and the Sunflower Showdown against Kansas State (72.34%). The annual rivalry game with Kansas State can be credited with most of the increase, but not all of it. Perhaps this is the good news they needed ahead of the 2018 season and that planned multi-million dollar stadium expansion.

* Texas Tech had one game in 2017 with a sub-80% capacity crowd. The Kansas Jayhawks notwithstanding, this was the only sub-80% turnout across the conference for both seasons. More on that below.

7) Oklahoma

2016 86,857 2017 86,520 Difference -337 Change 0.39%



It is a bit shocking that Sooner fans showed up in fewer numbers in 2017, but the change is so minuscule that it is not cause for concern. For every game in 2016 and 2017, Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium was either 100% or 99.9% full. In 2016 only the Kansas State game did not reach max capacity (99.9%), while in 2017 there were two that did not: UTEP (99.99%) and Iowa State (99.99%). As opposed to the small increase at Kansas, the Sooners simply cannot fit any more people inside the stadium. Perhaps those missing 300-or-so people tailgated a bit too hard and passed out by the Duck Pond.

6) Kansas State

2016 51,934 2017 51,301 Difference -633 Change 1.22%



Officially Bill Snyder Family Stadium has a capacity of 50,000, and across both seasons all but one game was attended by more than 50,000 people. The one game that didn't sell out had the stadium filled to 99.12% capacity. It is worth noting, however, that it was the final home game of 2017, against Iowa State. Is this non-sellout a sign of gloom on the horizon, or just a slightly skewed data point ahead of a typically stable 2018 season in Manhattan? With all the coaching changes happening, it is certainly worth noting.

5) TCU

2016 45,168 2017 44,080 Difference -1,088 Change 2.41%



TCU has the smallest stadium in the conference with a capacity of 45,000. Across both seasons attendance at Amon G. Carter Stadium never dropped below 94%, and in 5/13 games either reached or exceeded max capacity. It should be noted, however, that 4 of those sellouts came in 2016 and only one came in 2017. In that sense TCU's data aligns with national trends that show a slight decline. The lowest attended game in 2016 was the last game of the season against Kansas State (94.99%), while in 2017 the lowest attended game was the opener against FCS opponent Jackson State (94.91%). Oddly enough, in 2016 there were fewer wins and larger crowds. The 2016 squad went 2-5 at home, while in 2017 they went 6-0.

4) West Virginia

2016 57,583 2017 55,946 Difference -1,637 Change 2.84%



Similar to TCU but with a larger stadium, the Mountaineers saw a slight decline from 2016 to 2017. In 2016 3/7 games at Milan Puskar Stadium were at or above max capacity, while in 2017 that only happened once. Moreover, in 2017 there were two games with less than 90% capacity, which only happened once in 2016. The least-attended game in 2016 was the final game of the season against Baylor (82.05%). In 2017 the fewest people showed up to watch the Mountaineers beat down FCS opponent Delaware State (85.8%), while the other game under 90% capacity came against Texas (88.56%). With the best returning offense in the Big 12, Mountaineer fans should have plenty of reasons to show up in 2018.

3) Baylor

2016 45,838 2017 43,830 Difference -2,008 Change 4.38%



Beating out TCU by a mere 140 seats, McLane Stadium is the second smallest in the Big 12. In 2016 the Bears played 4/6 home games in front of capacity crowds. The least attended game in 2016 was the season finale against Kansas State (96.55%). Perhaps a symptom of the sexual assault controversy that plagued the Bears program throughout the offseason, only 3/6 home games reached or exceeded capacity in 2017. The least attended game was the finale against Iowa State (90.34%). The dropoff in Waco is real and well above national averages, but it should be noted that Baylor is one of four Big 12 schools to never see single-game attendance drop below 90% capacity in either 2016 or 2017 (the others being Kansas State, Oklahoma, and TCU). Although they held on to that stat by a single claw.

2) Texas

2016 97,881 2017 92,778 Difference -5,103 Change 5.21%



What caused the Longhorn fanbase to send 5,000+ fewer people to games in 2017? Unlike Oklahoma's missing 300, you can't chalk that up to bit of overly hard tailgating. Of the three schools with significant declines, Texas is the hardest to understand. No. 3 Baylor's sexual assault scandal and subsequent coaching and administrative changes threw the program into somewhat deserved chaos. And as you will see with No. 1 Texas Tech, the numbers dropped off the map after the Red Raiders started hot and finished ice-cold. But with Texas the decline began before the season even started. In 2016 the Longhorns opened against Notre Dame with a capacity crowd (102,315), who enjoyed a thrilling overtime win.

After that they never again filled up the stadium, although attendance remained steadily high. The lowest attended game in 2016 was against C-USA basement dweller UTEP (92.75%), but average capacity at Big 12 games was 97.91%. In the final home game of 2016 a near-capacity crowd (98.95%) watched the Longhorns get beat down by TCU, 31-9. This is arguably when the decline began. It is also the moment that head coach Charlie Strong was fired and replaced by Tom Herman. Yet the coaching change did not boost attendance in 2017, but rather did the opposite.

In the 2017 home opener against Maryland the stadium was filled to 88.29% capacity, and all who attended watched the Longhorns lose a stunner to a middling Big Ten team. The second game was slightly worse. Against MWC punching bag San Jose State the stadium was filled to 88.01% capacity. These two games were the lowest attended games across both seasons. In Big 12 play the numbers recovered, each game having more attendees than the last. The first Big 12 home game against Kansas State brought the Longhorns back above 90% (90.35%), and they closed out the season with a loss to Texas Tech in front of a capacity crowd. Across both seasons there were two games at or above max capacity - the 2016 opener against Notre Dame and the 2017 finale against the Red Raiders.

If you add up all the fans who skipped out on the six Texas home games at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in 2017 (30,618), you would have more people than came out to watch the Jayhawks lose to Central Michigan in week 2 (28,531), or about 85% of the crowd that watched the 2017 Sunflower Showdown (36,223).

1) Texas Tech

2016 58,250 2017 55,065 Difference -3,185 Change 5.47%



Much like the Longhorns, the Red Raiders saw a significant decline from 2016 to 2017. In 2016 fans filled Jones AT&T Stadium to capacity twice - the last two games of the season against Oklahoma (60,478) and Texas (60,803). They nearly did it a third time in the opener against FCS opponent Stephen F. Austin (99.41%). The three home games in-between the opener and Texas-Oklahoma games saw steady declines in fan attendance: against C-USA opponent Louisiana Tech (95.14%), and in conference play against Kansas (93.45%), and West Virginia (89.51%), with the West Virginia game being the lowest attended game in 2016.

Tech lost to both Texas and Oklahoma to finish 2016, but the games were close and the fans had hope as the 2017 season began. The season opener against FCS opponent Eastern Washington brought in a 90.96% capacity crowd, and the second home game against Pac-12 opponent Arizona State got it up to 96.85%. Following a signature win on the road against Houston, the Red Raiders opened conference play against Oklahoma State with sky-high expectations. The max capacity crowd (60,901) watched as they lost a close game to the Cowboys.

Following a road win at Kansas and a close road-loss to West Virginia, the Red Raiders came back home to play Iowa State. A decisive loss, this game was the last to be viewed by a near-capacity crowd (94.36%). Reeling from three straight losses, the next home game against Kansas State was the lowest attended game across both seasons (78.72%). This sub 80% turnout ominously puts the Red Raiders alongside the best-attended game in 2017 for the Kansas Jayhawks, which oddly enough was also against Kansas State (72.34%).

Texas, Texas Tech, and Baylor all saw notable declines in fan attendance at home games. Oklahoma and K-State are holding steady, while TCU and West Virginia saw a slight dropoff. At least fans from Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Kansas were there to pad the numbers. What does all this mean for changing fanbase interest in the Big 12? It certainly suggests that, at least in the cases of Texas-Texas Tech and Iowa State-Kansas, the world has turned upside down.

Top 10 Lowest attended Big 12 home games in 2016 (based on percentage of stadium capacity)

The Kansas Jayhawks: 51.58% avg. for all home games - lowest was v. Iowa State (47.45%) and highest was v. Ohio (56.85%) West Virginia v. Baylor: 82.05% Iowa State v. Oklahoma: 82.38% Iowa State v. Texas Tech: 82.58% Iowa State v. Baylor: 82.67% Iowa State v. San Jose State: 82.68% Oklahoma State v. Southeast Louisiana: 83.29% Iowa State v. West Virginia: 83.52% Iowa State v. Kansas State: 85.79% Oklahoma State v. Central Michigan: 87.35%

Top 10 Lowest attended Big 12 home games in 2017 (based on percentage of stadium capacity)