2003: 37,059
2004: 39,188
2005: 40,000
2006: 38,939
2007: 38,205
2008: 39,331
2009: 38,229
2010: 38,248 (last year of Edsall - no dropoff)
2011: 36,668 (year 1 of PP)
2012: 34,672
2013: 30,932 (helped by 38,916 for MD and 42,704 for Michigan, then it basically cratered and ended up with 17K for Memphis at the end of the year)
2014: 27,461 (year one of Diaco)
2015: 28,224
2016: 26,796
2017: 20,629 (year one of RE 2.0) - the ECU game was 14,036 which hurts but still.
The only reasons most of the Edsall years weren't 100% sellouts is that we didn't sell out the FCS games. Even year 1 and 2 of PP had pretty good attendance.
Diaco era - 30K for Boise State, 33K for Navy, most other conference games in the mid to upper 20s. Virginia 31K, Cuse 32K.
Opponents matter.
Our Thanksgiving weekend and December attendance is just bad. Partially because it is cold, and partially because we are out of it by then. Even last year with Diaco we were averaging about 30K until Temple (22K) and Tulane (20K).
Distributed v. gate - sure. But I don't think the problem is as dire as people make it out to be. We need to win and be in contention at the end of the season.