Joey Kaufman,Joe Harrington|The Columbus Dispatch
The Ohio State football team plays its first ranked team since Week 2 of the college football season this weekend, and OSU expects Ohio Stadium to be packed at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday’s game against Penn State could bring the first sellout of the season for Ohio State.
The school is expecting a crowd of about 102,000 at Ohio Stadium and only a small number of tickets remain four days ahead of the primetime matchup. The official capacity is now 102,780.
The Buckeyes have averaged 92,869 fans through their first four games. The largest crowd was for the home opener against Oregon that brought 100,482 to the Horseshoe.
Attendance at Ohio Stadium in 2021 has been mixed
Ohio State failed to cross the 100,000 mark for the Akron and Tulsa games earlier this season, but saw a slight uptick in attendance for the 2021 homecoming game against Maryland with 99,277 fans.
The Tulsa game drew the smallest crowd since 1971 when only 76,540 fans showed up. They missed a historic game by TreVeyon Henderson, who broke Archie Griffin's single-game freshman rushing record.
The previous low for the Horseshoe was when the Buckeyes drew 75,596 for its season opener against Iowa in 1971. The span does not include the three games held last season when tickets were not sold to the general public due to capacity restrictions in place amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Why has Ohio State football seen smaller crowds in 2021?
Fears related to the on-going pandemic likely play a role, as do increases in ticket prices. But the the Penn State game will also be just the second matchup at Ohio Stadium against a ranked opponent and one that hails from a Power 5 conference.
Since the expansion of Ohio Stadium in 2001, the Buckeyes have routinely seen crowds of at least 100,000, among the largest across college football. Only twice over the past two decades have they not surpassed that threshold: Rutgers in 2018 (93,057) and Kent State in 2002 (98,689).
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Where to park for the Ohio State vs. Penn State game
Here's some things to know about parking on game day.
Game day parking rate for CampusParc is $20. No cash is being accepted.
Here are some other things to know:
- Cashless Parking: All day-of-game lots and garages will be cashless beginning this season. Only credit cards will be accepted. The day-of-game parking rate is $20 and is payable upon arrival on game days.
- Take a shuttle: Park on West Campus (including parking lots west of Route 315) and hop on a free shuttle that picks up in Carmack Lot 1 and drops off at the John Herrick Drive Transit Hub, which is just a short walk away from Ohio Stadium.
- Touchless permits: All athletics permit holders will display their parking passes via their phones. Please have your digital pass ready to display to traffic officers and parking attendants on game days.
- Scan your QR code: CampusParc annual permit holders must scan their access keycard or QR code upon arrival to all day-of-game lots and garages.
More game day parking information:
- Re-entry is not permitted.
- Any purchased, current annual CampusParc parking permit will be honored in day-of-game lots at no charge with the presentation of a valid access keycard or QR code. Beginning at 5 a.m. on game days, keycards or QR codes must be scanned by an attendant for entry to both surface lots and garages.
- Day-of-game parking tickets may be required for exiting the garage. Failure to present the ticket at exit may result in additional fees.
- Day-of-game customers should exit parking facilities no later than 10 a.m. on the Sunday following a game day.
Which Ohio State parking lots require OSU athletic permits?
Starting at 5 a.m. on game days, these Ohio State parking lots are reserved for Ohio State athletics and you must purchase these permits through the Ohio State ticket office.
- Buckeye Lots
- Chiller Lot
- East Tuttle Lot
- East Stadium Lot
- Gray Lots
- Mid-Tower Lot
- North Field House Lot
- Lawrence Tower Lot
- North Riverbank Lot
- Northwest Garage
- Northwest Stadium Lot
- Scarlet Lots
- Sisson Lot (portion near footbridge)
- South Field House Lot
- South Lincoln Lot
- South Riverbank Lot
- St. John Arena Lot
- Tuttle Garage
- West Lane Avenue Garage
- West Stadium Lot
How to tailgate for Ohio State football
Here are the tailgating rules according to CampusParc:
- All parking facilities, regardless of designation, become available at 5 a.m. the day of the game on a first come, first served basis. Any placement of tailgating equipment is prohibited prior to 5 a.m.
- Guests without an athletics parking permit who are interested in setting up a tailgate should plan to set up those tailgates in any game day parking lot (see map).
- Vehicles and tailgates must fit within the 8.5’ x 15’ space provided.Parking spaces are intended for parking one motor vehicle in one space. Additional spaces maynotbe purchased, reserved, or otherwise used for tailgating. Saving spaces is not permitted.
- Trailers, storage units, and tailgating activities may not take up vacant parking spaces or interfere with traffic flow within a parking facility.
- Drive lanes in parking facilities must be maintained at all times.
- Parking permit/ticket holders are responsible for the functions they host in their parking spaces. Any vehicles larger than the aforementioned space size should be parked in the RV parking lot or at the Ohio State Fair.
- Please observe and obey the parking attendants when parking your vehicle.
