Sis-boom-blah: More college students blowing off football games

The most enthusiastic fans at college football games are often the students themselves, sporting colorful team apparel, painted faces, and uninhibited school spirit.

At a recent University of Michigan game, though, the student section showed visible gaps. Even though Michigan consistently draws the most football fans of any other college in the nation, it is losing ground with the group that should be its most devoted attendees: its students.

And Michigan is not alone. Around the country, many colleges struggle to fill the student sections of their football stadiums.

While the schools vary considerably, the reasons are strikingly similar. High ticket prices, spotty wireless service, expensive concessions, annoying advertising, disruptive time-outs required for television broadcast, restrictions on tailgating, and schedules that block out meetings with longtime rivals in favor of less familiar opponents are some of the top reasons cited for poor student attendance. Add to those the fact that students can get broadcast coverage on everything from their iPhones to their roommates’ high-definition TV.

Football programs generate revenue for colleges. In 2013, the University of Texas brought in $34.5 million in tickets sales alone. Many programs also have lucrative broadcast media contracts, concessions, parking fees, stadium gear, and a host of other money-makers.

But all those millions start to lose their value when the students don’t show up. Students, after all, are a big part of the college game day experience. And it’s embarrassing to see empty seats on television.

“Nothing can unify a community and alumni base of a university like college football can,” Kirby Hocutt, athletic director at Texas Tech University, told The Wall Street Journal. That unity breeds enthusiasm, and enthusiasm often leads to alumni becoming generous donors.

In an attempt to lure students back into the stadiums, colleges are trying a number of creative plays.

Michigan offered a cut-rate Groupon deal for its season opener against Appalachian State University. Big Ten rival Purdue University went even further: It gave away nearly 8,000 free tickets to its students for its season opener and cut prices in half for the next two games.

The University of Iowa ran a lottery for $8,000 in education-related expenses for students who bought season tickets for the resurgent Hawkeyes.

“It's a national trend. This isn’t just happening at Iowa,” said Hawkeyes athletic director Gary Barta, who has seen student ticket sales dip from 10,000 in 2012 to roughly 6,500 this year despite higher on-field expectations.

Even the University of Alabama, a perennial national title favorite, has seen student interest wane. The Crimson Tide are among many teams that sell their full allotment of student tickets, then watch with frustration as thousands of those students stay home on game day.

But not every school is struggling.

On Sept. 6, 38,800 students attended Texas A&M University's win over Lamar University in the largest student crowd ever recorded at a college football game. The University of Tennessee saw its student ticket sales jump from 5,000 to 7,000 last season and sold all of its nearly 12,000 student tickets for its season-opening romp over Utah State University.

Struggling Iowa State University, the Hawkeyes’ in-state rival, has also had solid student ticket sales.

The Cyclones have sold all of their roughly 8,000 student tickets for the third year in a row. This year, they did it faster than ever despite a 3-9 record in 2013 and scant evidence that things will improve this fall.

According to athletic director Jamie Pollard, increased student enrollment, recent stadium renovations, and a tailgate-friendly parking layout have played a role in the record numbers.

“It's an attitude of ‘I want to be there when it happens,’” Pollard said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.