Where Have the Fans Gone: Has College Football Reached its Peak?

The college football world was sent abuzz. Tuesday morning CBS Sports Dennis Dodd had published an article questioning whether college football, the nation's second most popular sport behind the national football league, had reached its potential.

Retweeted and shared, the story spread rapidly via social media platforms, as the question had been raised: had college football reached its peak?

According to the Birmingham News, the college football season had seen its lowest attendance numbers had dipped to its lowest levels since 2003. suffering a 3 percent decrease since peaking at 47,739 in 2008. Bowl games suffered their lowest attendance in more than 30 years after a third consecutive season of dwindling numbers.

Able to escape challengers from opposing conferences, even the Southeastern Conference hasn't been able to escape the trend in college football. Although the conference led the nation in attendance, 10 schools saw their numbers decrease in 2012.

Without question, college football has grown substantially in recent years, however, Dodd pointed out on The Game Tuesday night, the growth cannot go on forever.

College campuses across the country, just like college football have seen their share of growth. However as Dodd points out, increased enrolments has not always led to increased attendance by students, something he has seen first hand more than once.

The Game airs weeknights from 6-8pm on Tuscaloosa's Sports Authority 99.1 WDGM.  The interview can be heard in its entirity here.