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Attendance around the SEC was surprisingly low in Week 13, especially for six teams playing in their final home games of the 2014 season. Only two teams hosted sellout crowds over the weekend — Auburn and Georgia — although the other six home teams from around the conference all reached at least 89 percent capacity in their home stadiums.
Auburn and Georgia have both sold out every one of their home games this season, and they’re the only two teams in the conference able to boast that fact. The Tigers played their final home game of the year in Saturday’s win over Samford, while Georgia has one home game remaining next week in its season finale against in-state rival Georgia Tech.
Alabama had the highest attendance of any SEC team in Week 13, attracting more than 101,000 fans for its win over Western Carolina on Saturday. The Tide came within 500 fans of a sellout, reaching better than 99 percent capacity inside Bryant-Denny Stadium for its game against the Catamounts.
Mississippi State and South Carolina each cleared 95 percent capacity in their home stadiums, as Mississippi State drew more than 60,000 fans for its home finale against Vanderbilt and South Carolina drew more than 78,000 fans for its home finale against South Alabama.
Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium barely reached 94 percent capacity for the Gators’ Senior Day showdown with Eastern Kentucky, which also marked coach Will Muschamp’s final home game with the program. The 83,000 fans in attendance fell short of Florida’s season average for home attendance this season, and that could be due to a lackluster season and an underwhelming opponent in the home finale.
What’s more surprising is Tennessee’s mediocre attendance for its showdown with East division leader Missouri. The Vols attracted 95,000 fans to Neyland Stadium, which marks the second-largest crowd of the weekend but also equates to just 93.5 percent of the stadium’s capacity.
The Vols celebrated Senior Night prior to the game and had a chance to clinch bowl eligibility and spoil Mizzou’s run to an East title with a victory, yet for whatever reason UT fans were not inspired to take in the festivities in person on Saturday night.
Arkansas was the only team unable to reach 90 percent capacity in Week 13, drawing just 64,510 fans to Razorback Stadium for their thrilling Senior Night win over then-No. 8 Ole Miss. In fairness to Hogs fans, the weather was cold and rainy in Fayetteville during the game, which likely dissuaded more than a few ticket-holding fans from braving the elements at the game, but it is unfortunate the Razorback fan base didn’t turn out in greater numbers for their team’s only SEC home win of the season.
Here are the complete attendance figures from Week 12 in the SEC:
| Teams | Home Stadium | Attendance | Capacity | Capacity % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Carolina at Alabama | Bryant-Denny Stadium | 101,325 | 101,821 | 99.5% |
| Ole Miss at Arkansas | D.W.R Razorback Stadium | 64,510 | 72,000 | 89.6% |
| Samford at Auburn | Jordan-Hare Stadium | 87,451 | 87,451 | 100.0% |
| Eastern Kentucky at Florida | Ben Hill Griffin Stadium | 83,339 | 88,548 | 94.1% |
| Charleston Southern at Georgia | Sanford Stadium | 92,746 | 92,746 | 100.0% |
| Vanderbilt at Mississippi State | Davis Wade Stadium | 60,493 | 61,337 | 98.6% |
| South Alabama at South Carolina | Williams Brice Stadium | 78,201 | 80,250 | 97.4% |
| Missouri at Tennessee | Neyland Stadium | 95,821 | 102,455 | 93.5% |
Here’s a rundown of every team’s total attendance figures for the season through 12 weeks:
| Team | Home Stadium | # Home Games | Total Attendance | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Bryant-Denny Stadium | 6 | 608,915 | 101,821 |
| Arkansas | D.W.R. Razorback Stadium | 7 | 399,124 | 72,000 |
| Auburn | Jordan-Hare Stadium | 7 | 612,157 | 87,451 |
| Florida | Ben Hill Griffin Stadium | 6 | 582,941 | 88,548 |
| Georgia | Sanford Stadium | 6 | 556,746 | 92,746 |
| Kentucky | Commonwealth Stadium | 7 | 403,002 | 67,606 |
| LSU | Tiger Stadium | 7 | 712,063 | 102,321 |
| Mississippi State | Davis Wade Stadium | 7 | 427,892 | 61,337 |
| Missouri | Memorial Stadium | 6 | 385,828 | 71,168 |
| Ole Miss | Vaught-Hemingway Stadium | 6 | 368,771 | 60,580 |
| South Carolina | Williams Brice Stadium | 7 | 569,664 | 80,250 |
| Tennessee | Neyland Stadium | 7 | 698,276 | 102,455 |
| Texas A&M | Kyle Field | 5 | 524,906 | 106,511 |
| Vanderbilt | Vanderbilt Stadium | 7 | 233,713 | 40,550 |
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
