<
>

Autzen, Rice-Eccles stadiums a tight squeeze

Cozy in here, ain’t it?

That’s probably what Oregon fans are saying to each other as they herd into Autzen Stadium, shoulder to should, duckbill to duckbill.

According to Athlon Sports, Autzen is the most "crowded" stadium in college football in terms of percentage filled of capacity, holding a slight edge over Kansas State’s Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Now, we all know there is a huge difference between “announced” attendance and "actual" attendance/tickets purchased. Schools have been known to fudge numbers from time to time. Athlon is talking numbers that would make the local fire marshal reach for the Tums.

That seems to be the case in Eugene, where, per Athlon’s calculations, the stadium is 106.3 percent full on average. Same goes for Salt Lake City, where Rice-Eccles is also beyond its 100 percent capacity on an average basis.

Those are the only two stadiums in the Pac-12 that rank in the top 10 nationally. Here’s how each Pac-12 team stacks up when looking at all of the Power 5 programs:

  • 1. Oregon (Autzen Stadium), 106.3% average capacity

  • 9. Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium), 101.3%

  • 31. Stanford (Stanford Stadium), 94.9%

  • 35. Washington State (Martin Stadium), 93.5%

  • 38. Oregon State (Reser Stadium), 92.3%

  • 39. Washington (Husky Stadium), 91.9%

  • 43. Arizona (Arizona Stadium), 90.5%

  • 46. Arizona State (Sun Devil Stadium), 86.8%

  • 51. UCLA (Rose Bowl), 82.8%

  • 57. USC (L.A. Memorial Coliseum), 78.3%

  • 59. California (Memorial Stadium), 76.3%

  • 60. Colorado (Folsom Field), 70.5%

Keep in mind, Athlon is using reported numbers and that total attendance numbers differ from capacity percentage. And while Oregon’s attendance continues to be impressive, I’m guessing the numbers for the South Dakota game were slightly less than the Michigan State game in 2014. Still it’s a fun exercise and probably a good estimate for how jam-packed (or not) things get on game day.