Attendance at SEC football games sees Tennessee reclaim their top ranking.

Tennessee still leads the SEC in attendance this season even though it no longer possesses the biggest football stadium in the conference.

Tennessee still leads the SEC in attendance this season even though it no longer possesses the biggest football stadium in the conference.

With an average attendance of 101,915 over the whole season, Tennessee finished first in the SEC and fourth nationwide.

At 100,742, LSU was second, ahead of Alabama (100,077), Texas A&M (100,077), and Georgia (92,746).

If Texas and Oklahoma, two 2024 conference additions, had been included in the 2023 statistics, Tennessee would still have been the SEC’s top team. This season, Texas averaged 101,625 spectators, ranking fourth nationally and second only to Tennessee in the SEC. This season, Oklahoma averaged 83,741, enough for 13th place overall and ninth place in the SEC (including Texas).

Josh Heupel and his staff — and, obviously, his players — reenergized the proud Tennessee football brand in 2022, going 11-2 last season while rising temporarily to the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings before finishing sixth. The 2023 Vols had even larger aspirations but didn’t have the execution or injury to luck to make it happen, going 8-4 in the regular season and holding a No. 21 national ranking heading into bowl season.

In 2023, Tennessee’s play was not as good as it had been previously, and their home schedule was not as favourable. While the Vols travelled to play longstanding rivals Alabama and Florida, they also hosted top-ranked Georgia. However, Tennessee supporters filled historic Neyland Stadium to full for each of the eight home games, increasing the Vols’ run of sold-out games to 13. This season was the first time Tennessee had sold out every game at their historic riverfront stronghold since 2006.

Even if Tennessee supporters kept contributing, the Vols needed assistance to reclaim the top spot on the SEC attendance chart. College Station and a small amount of Baton Rouge provided such assistance. Under recently departed head coach Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M, which boasts the largest stadium in the SEC and has frequently topped the league’s yearly attendance list, experienced yet another dismal season. Although the official capacity of LSU’s Tiger Stadium is higher than that of Neyland, the Tigers trailed the Vols by more than 1,000 spectators each game.

Tim Elko, the head coach of Duke and former defensive coordinator for the Aggies, was recently hired by Texas A&M, and with a revitalised fan base, the Aggies could be back in the top slot next season. However, like the Vols have done for the most of their existence, Tennessee will most likely continue to finish close to the top of the standings.