College Football 2011 Press Release

See attachment for detailed figures.

College Football Maintains Impressive
Ratings and Attendance Figures

College Football sets a record of 49.7 million fans attending games in 2011.

DALLAS, March 8, 2012- The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) showcased today several impressive facts from the 2011 college football season, including top-notch television ratings and impressive attendance figures, that emphasize the strong interest in the sport by millions of fans across the country.

"In every instance, whether it's the regular or the bowl season, the numbers for college football show strong interest in college football," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "College football fans have an unmatched passion for their sport, and the options for them to connect with their teams have never been greater. We are grateful to the conferences, bowl games and the broadcast industry for their creativity and commitment in delivering a first-class product that allows fans to experience the game in every imaginable way."

For the fifth time in six years, college football set a record for the number of people attending games at the 638 NCAA football schools with 49,699,419 fans turning out to watch a contest this past season. The total figure represents an increase of 28,524 fans over the previous record set last year and an increase of more than 32 percent, or more than 12.2 million fans, since 1998.

The 35 bowl games this season attracted 1,765,224 spectators to the stands (50,435 per contest), slightly less than the record mark set last year of 1,813,215. College football bowl games across all networks remained robust, attracting 127 million viewers to television screens to watch the 35 games and complimenting the more than 213 million people who tuned into the regular season.

The game has benefited enormously from the commitment of every major media sports outlet, including the Big Ten Network, BYUtv, CBS Sports, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN on ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, ESPN3.com, ESPN3D, Fox College Sports, Fox Sports, Fox Sports Net, FX, the Longhorn Network, the Mtn., NBC Sports, Versus (now the NBC Sports Network), and multiple regional and local outlets. Throughout the regular and bowl seasons these outlets continue to capitalize on college football's ever increasing popularity to produce an increasingly dynamic product that engages fans on new levels.

Ranked among the top most popular sports in the United States along with the National Football League and Major League Baseball, NCAA Football counts 103 million adults as fans* or 44 percent of all US adults. Among adult college football fans, 61 percent are male and 39 percent female. Twelve percent are between the ages 18-24, 18 percent are 25-34, 19 percent are 35-44, 20 percent are 45-54, 16 percent are 55-64 and 16 percent are age 65 or over. Sixty-one percent have an annual household income of $50,000 or more, with 42 percent at $75,000 or more, and 25 percent at $100,000 or more. Thirty-two percent are college graduates and 61 percent are married, according to Scarborough Sports Marketing.

A Harris Poll also placed NCAA Football near the top of the favorite sports in America, tying Major League Baseball for second place with 13 percent of fans making the sport their first choice behind only the NFL, which leads all sports with 36 percent interest. The Harris Poll also found that college football had its strongest following in the Midwest and among college graduates with higher household incomes.

An estimated $1.6 billion was netted from travel and tourism during the 35 bowl games with another $282 million paid out by the bowls to conferences and schools. Coaches and student-athletes took time out from their bowl practice schedules to participate in a many community service such as children and veteran hospital visits, youth football clinics, Boys & Girls Clubs activities, serving meals to the disadvantaged, and visiting military bases, hospitals and memorials.