UCLA football having successful season but attendance still lacking
Sitting at 8-2, the UCLA Bruins are having one of their best seasons in a longtime.
Led by quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and runningback Zach Charbonnet, the Bruins have put together exciting performances for their fans to watch almost every week.
The only thing though, most of UCLA's fans have been watching the team's games at home or from a bar.
The school is reportedly on the verge of reporting its lowest attendance record in 40 years: just over 36,000 per game at the iconic Rose Bowl in Pasadena, according to the New York Times.
Saturday night the Bruins hosted Arizona in a conference game. UCLA reported 44,430 were in attendance for Saturday night's thriller that ended in the Bruins losing 34-28.
Some fans blame the fact that it takes almost an hour for students to get from UCLA's campus to the Rose Bowl.
Others blame the program's previous run of disappointing seasons under current head coach Chip Kelly.
"It's not a beast to get over here and spend the day with your friends, so that's what we do," Chris Urner told CBSLA Reporter Laurie Perez. "We get out here five hours before the game, and we eat way too much and we drink and have a good time and then we go in and watch football."
One student told Perez he thinks the stands would be filled if there was a stadium on campus. Only problem is there is no room for a stadium in Westwood.
"I think in general just like the 45 minutes drive is like a deterrent, if we had a stadium closer to campus we'd get better attendance," Will O'Halloran said.
Orange County mom Jennifer Muna, whose son plays for Arizona, said that games on campus in Tucson are a different experience.
"It's a vibe. It's cool, all the students are just walking in from campus. It's pretty cool," Muna said.
UCLA's lease with the Rose Bowl expires in 2044. At the moment, there is no real resolution for the poor home attendance at the Rose Bowl for UCLA.
But donors like Gary Budish said it's not "where" the team plays that should matter.
"Part of me would love to have UCLA at SoFi (Stadium), but you said it, this is an iconic venue, the most famous college football stadium in the country," Budish said.
The attendance woes for UCLA will certainly change in 2026 when the Bruins and their crosstown rival USC move to the Big Ten.
But that conference, like the Pac-12, has a long and storied history in college football and schools like Ohio State, Penn State and the University of Michigan have huge fan bases that travel well.
