In changing college football landscape, TCU’s attendance challenge a potential problem | Opinion

Despite the pleas from some donors and administrators to go bigger, one of the smarter decisions has TCU made in recent years was to not expand the seating capacity beyond 46,000.

Depending on what figure you believe, Amon G. Carter Stadium is the sixth or seventh smallest football stadium in the Power 5 landscape of college football, and while the venue is one of the best in the country it’s nearly impossible to fill.

Other than slap a roof or awning over the stands, TCU has done every single thing possible to make its game-day atmosphere attractive to fans, families with young children, players and recruits.

Packing at Amon G. Carter Stadium remains as much of a challenge today as ever. As college football goes about restructuring itself, one of the silent concerns for many schools is attendance.

It’s a concern for several schools, and leaves Power 5 members such as Wake Forest, Duke, Boston College, Baylor and TCU increasingly vulnerable in this new landscape.

They don’t want to give the people who run this show any reason not to include them.

TCU opened its 2021 season on Saturday night against Duquesne. Needless to say, it was not a sellout.

Fans have minimal interest, although coaches from Power 5 schools do love a schedule with a Duquesne. (The final score was 45-3, and both head coaches took the rare step of shortening the game by six minutes.)

Texas and Oklahoma are leaving the Big 12 for the SEC not just for ESPN’s money, but the need to load its home schedule with opponents that give them a better chance of bigger crowds.

With so many quality entertainment options now easily available, and the lure of that big hi-def flat screen in the living roomso enticing, fans simply don’t care enough to pay much money to watch anything other than Big vs. Big.

When a Texas plays Texas A&M, no price is too high for a ticket, and no venue can be big enough.

Conversely, a stadium can’t be small enough for Old Dominion at Wake Forest, Utah State at Washington State, or Duquesne at TCU. All three were opening-weekend matchups.

For the smaller schools not named Notre Dame that currently enjoy residence in the Power 5 football conferences, like TCU, Baylor, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Boston College and Duke, the attendance issue only complicates their status.

Each of these schools have poured millions into their athletic departments, and have, at times, fielded successful football programs.

Selling out their stadiums is just difficult.

In the case of TCU, since Amon G. Carter Stadium’s renovation finished for the 2012 season, the announced average attendance for home games is 44,541.

A good number. And the key word is “announced.”

The eyes tell a dramatically different story than the reported figures.

The real average is likely closer to 30,000. Ish.

For instance, when TCU hosted No. 9 Oklahoma and quarterback Kyler Murray on Oct. 20, 2018, finding a seat was not a problem.

Fudging, and or lying, on attendance figures is a staple in all of college athletics, not just TCU. When it comes to announced attendance, every athletic department in the nation relies on fuzzy math.

This is not an indictment on TCU, or its athletic department. It’s this way for most small universities that are in the Power 5.

In 2019, Wake Forest averaged 26,999 at its home football games. Duke’s average was 25,811, and Boston College came in at 34,185.

TCU has an undergrad enrollment of 9,400 students. And as long as you compare TCU against the other small, private schools in the Power 5, it has done well.

The concern for TCU, and every school like it in the Power 5, is when you compare them against the larger universities.

That’s not only a challenge, but in this landscape it could be a major problem.

Texas and Oklahoma going to the SEC is another step in the slow consolidation of revenue in college athletics.

Where the likes of TCU, Wake Forest, Baylor, Duke, Northwestern and the few just like them fit in this evolving scheme of hoarding cash, and this master plan, no one knows.

A bunch of empty seats for a season opener never helps.