In five decades of Pac-12 sports, Arizona had one stock identity: It was a basketball school in a basketball town. It wasn’t seen as “cool,†never got to the Rose Bowl, didn’t draw a sniff of interest when the Big Ten poached Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA.
But in 2023 and 2024 — the two years I researched total attendance of all 12 schools — Arizona was the undisputed leader in community popularity, an unabashed college town that drew more fans than anyone in the Pac-12.
A year ago, Arizona drew a league-high 823,232 fans in the seven sports that regularly charge admission — football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball.
It buried Washington (740,374) and Oregon (733,208), its closest pursuers.
Ah, but the Big 12 is about as different from the old Pac-12 as possible. It’s a series of truck-stop college towns — Ames, Stillwater, Morgantown, Provo, Waco — who love and support their (pick one) Cyclones, Red Raiders, Cowboys, Mountaineers, Cougars and Bears.
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Linebacker Jabari Mann leads the team through a gauntlet of fans to the field and the Wildcats’ final practice session at Arizona football’s Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 19, 2025, at Arizona Stadium.
Arizona did not lead the Big 12 in total attendance this year. Nor did it lead the league in men’s basketball attendance, as it did in the final 39 years of the Pac-12. In fact, the Wildcats were fourth. Here are Big 12’s total numbers, 2024-25, in the seven sports that regularly charge admission:
– Iowa State: 892,578
– Arizona: 851,311
– BYU: 838,678
– Texas Tech: 834,451
Arizona, Texas Tech and BYU will add a small portion to their numbers with home baseball games this weekend and next, but it won’t be enough to alter the standings.
How about Arizona State? The Sun Devils have drawn 688,180 fans with two home baseball games remaining. Much to its credit, ASU easily led the Big 12 in baseball attendance, 129,059 with two games remaining, far in front of runner-up Arizona, 87,801, with games remaining Saturday and Sunday.
In my research of Big 12 attendance, I found three variables that deserve attention:
One, Iowa State led the league in women’s basketball attendance in a landslide, 169,974 to runner-up Arizona’s 113,866. Also, because the Cyclones don’t sponsor baseball, I substituted wrestling, in which it drew a modest 34,166 fans.
Two, BYU led the Big 12 in men’s basketball attendance (289,921), far superior to Arizona’s 224,495 at McKale Center. That’s humbling. Moreover, BYU drew 81,837 fans to men’s volleyball, which does not factor into my Big 12 totals because the Big 12 does not sponsor men’s volleyball; BYU plays men’s volleyball in a consortium of West Coast schools.
Three, the leading factor in challenging for the Big 12’s total attendance lead is having seven home football games. This year’s leaders — Arizona, Texas Tech and Iowa State — all played seven home football games. BYU only played six games at LaVell Edwards Stadium and yet finished No. 3 overall (377,091), behind Texas Tech (410,361) and Iowa State (405,185) in football numbers.
Texas Tech led the Big 12 in football attendance. Hard to believe. That’s so unlike the Pac-12, which was almost annually led by the big city Washington Huskies.
Arizona led the league in just one attendance category, softball. The Wildcats drew 62,239.
Next year? Expect Arizona to contend for the No. 1 overall spot again because the Wildcats have seven home football games and BYU and Iowa State only have six.