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Maryland football has biggest attendance increase among all Power 5 schools

National attendance is down from last year, but the Terps are up a staggering 25 percent in their first Big Ten season.

By Pete Volk
Patrick Smith

Remember when people talked about the Big Ten attendance boost for Maryland? It is very much here.

The Terrapins' attendance increase from 2013 to 2014 is the biggest among all Power 5 schools, according to a report published by CBS Sports. Through two home games (James Madison and West Virginia), Maryland's attendance is up an incredible 25%, four percentage points ahead of second-place UCLA. The average attendance at Byrd Stadium has been 46,617, ranking eighth in the Big Ten.

Expect that increase to continue to grow this weekend, when Maryland takes on No. 20 Ohio State in an afternoon game on national television -- the Terps' first Big Ten home game.

The report found attendance has been largely down across college football this season, from an average of 45,596 in 2013 to 44,997 in 2014. Besides Maryland and UCLA, the other big increases among Power 5 schools have come for Texas A&M, Syracuse (where the Terps played), Tennessee, LSU, USC and Colorado.

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