Here are the estimated attendances from the five Big East spring games this weekend:
Connecticut: 2,500
Louisville: 5,600
Pitt: 6,500
USF: 6,350
Syracuse: 4,750
And now here are some attendance figures from other BCS teams' spring games this year:
Miami: 10,000
Oklahoma: 16,481
South Carolina: 22,000
LSU: 22,710
NC State 25,370
Clemson: 27,000
North Carolina: 29,000
Michigan: 35,000
Tennessee: 35,800
Texas: 44,250
Florida State: 50,000
Alabama: 91,300
I understand that weather plays a big factor in attendance, and that conditions were pretty nasty at Pitt, UConn and Louisville this weekend. I also don't blame anybody for finding something better to do on a spring day than going to a glorified practice.
Still, these figures pretty much sum up the difference between the Big East and some of the BCS big boys. Fan bases are still evolving and growing throughout much of the Big East, but they still have a long way to go to match the fervor at some of the nation's most football-mad programs.