STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Across the nation as teams struggle to fill college football stadiums, Penn State has been able to buck the troubling trend.

While attendance for college football is down, per figures released this winter by the NCAA, the attendance at Beaver Stadium is up. With an average home attendance of 106,707, good enough for third in the nation, Penn State last season trailed only Michigan (111,589/six games) and Ohio State (107,495/seven games). Beaver Stadium saw an uptick in attendance last season, boosting the Nittany Lions' season average that was 100,257 the year before.

"I think it’s two things," athletic director Sandy Barbour said last week during the Coaches Caravan. "As everything at Penn State, it starts with our community and how connected they are to each other. I think that’s the reason that I believe Penn State will always buck that trend, and certainly success and what James [Franklin] and his staff are doing — and the student-athletes and how amazing they are — our community wants to come out and see them and come out and support them. So I think all those things are very Penn State-centric and are reasons why we’re not surprised we’re bucking the trend.”

TOP ATTENDANCE AVERAGES LAST SEASON

  1. Michigan (111,589)
  2. Ohio State (107,495)
  3. Penn State (106,707)
  4. Alabama (101,722)
  5. Texas A&M (98,802)
  6. LSU (98,506)
  7. Tennessee (95,779)
  8. Texas (92,778)
  9. Georgia (92,746)
  10. Nebraska (89,798)

The in-home viewing experience has been challenging programs across the country, as some fans would prefer the television view and the luxuries that come with watching a game in the comforts of their home. Getting in and out of Central Pa. isn't the easiest trip for people to make, especially with limited airport options, but with a 22-5 record the past two seasons, coupled with everything else that fans love about the game-day experience at Beaver Stadium, Penn State continues to be unaffected.

Penn State announced May 1 that season tickets for the upcoming season were nearly exhausted and likely would be within the coming weeks. With more than 6,100 new season tickets in the fold — and this of course doesn't account for the student season tickets which go on sale in June — Penn State announced last fall that season ticket prices would increase from $385 to $420 this season. Student season ticket prices will also rise from $218 to $232 this season — the first price increase since 2009.

With 31 varsity athletic programs and needs to be met for each team, it was only a matter of time until football would have to have modest price increases to help sustain the rest of the athletic department's robust budget.

"It had been a good stretch without an increase," Barbour said. "I think the next thing you look at is where our competition is. Now, that's not a perfect parallel because there's different locales, etc., but then going back to the other question, we need to have the ability to fund our entire program and fund our student athletes to be successful. Our community is very proud of the academic, the athletic, and the community service objectives and achievements of our student athletes, and there certainly is a price to that."

At some point in the coming years, and it's still very much down the road at this point, Beaver Stadium will undergo renovations as part of Penn State's ongoing facilities masterplan. That eventually will include a dip in capacity, as Penn State works to enhance the in-game experience rather than cramming more people into the already packed stadium bleachers.

The upkeep of Beaver Stadium, specifically winterizing the massive structure at the conclusion of football season and then getting it ready again in the summer, is one of the many reasons for desired renovation. Barbour said the renovations aren't necessary to keep the stadium structurally viable.

"That will be part of the decision-making process. Where does that line cross between the money we put into it, from major maintenance and an ongoing maintenance standpoint, and when that's no longer financially viable to do that?" Barbour said. "Obviously, we could continue to do that to keep the structural integrity."

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