Utah states had the biggest negative delta this past season with attendance. They lost their coach in a scandal and just hired a really good one. It is safe to say that they will likely get the same crowds they were getting or better soon.
These numbers show that SDSU has been averaging around 24K and these are 2 of the worst years they have had in a long time. Which brings me to this point outside of Boise, and maybe CSU, all of the other defectors had down years for them, but still had decent attendance.
College football games hosted by Mountain West schools drew their largest average home crowds since 2013, albeit with a caveat. This year's non-Hawaii games dr
nevadasportsnet.com
I see the the new PAC as having 1 team of "fat" currently in Utah State, but averaging 18-20k per year if they return to form is pretty good. Remember last season was a bit of a down year from what they are used to.
I agree that the Hawaii numbers are a bit deceptive. I think they have more fans spread across the islands and a good amount in the Vegas valley considering how many show up to the island show down game here. But they have been a partial partner in the past for a reason. So It's hard to call them fat or big positive.
But SJSU is good, but fans don't care. They have zero penetration in that very good market. Their ceiling is especially low from a media perspective. A perennial bowl team that won the conference in the past 5 years and they near the bottom of the list in attendance every year. SDSU being terrible and averaging nearly 25k? Very strong.
So taking out the majority of the top markets, and and the worst the best bottom team vs taking all of the fat and averaging it out, I still think there is a decent difference there. How much? I don't know if there is a good estimation, but I think our bottom is pretty bad and moves the needle substantially. I think attendance is a decent way to compare, but it is really more about eyeballs on TVs. Some teams have more lurkers or nationwide fans than others. Safe to Say Boise has the best brand and probably leads the way there. I would think actually CSU is up there as well just because is one of 2 large state schools in a pretty big state, a state bigger than every other state in our conference by a large amount (besides California of course).
The up front costs do make a difference, and right now, yes it does seem like it will take a good amount of time for them to break even. But if the poaching fees get thrown out and they pay only a portion of the negotiated exit fees, then it may not take long at all.