The 2025 Penn State football season is arguably the most anticipated season for the Nittany Lions since 1999. With national championship aspirations, the buzz around campus was easy to see before the season started.

With that said, the hype is virtually gone now. Yes, the 2025 season started with out-of-conference games against two Group of Five teams and one FCS opponent, but the team is still the same as it was preseason, and the possibility to make history is still just as big.

Despite this, over the last two games, the attendance rate for the games has been poor. I know the attendance for the Nevada game in the season opener was over 106,000, but that was maybe for a total of five minutes before people, especially students, started to head out.

We need to be better as a fan base, mainly students, and support the football team even when the game is already a blowout or expected to be one.

How can you be mad at a team for not handing FIU like Ohio State did to Grambling State, but then not attend the game? Penn State’s greatest advantage is the home-field advantage that comes with Beaver Stadium.

Imagine FIU walked into a filled stadium with 107 thousand people in attendance, yelling and supporting Penn State. Most likely, they would have sh*t the bed and wilted in the first half. A big win against any team is a huge confidence booster for the players and changes the national media’s agenda drastically.

It’s not just Penn State, though; teams around the country are dealing with a lack of attendance during games with high spreads. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was even asked about incentivizing students to attend the games.

“I don’t know that you incentivize the turnout. I don’t really believe in incentivizing things. I think it has to be a core DNA trait, a belief,” Smart said. “You know, when we sell things as ‘I will do this if you do this’ and incentivize, I don’t think that’s great motivation. I think it’s intrinsic in who you are. I think people should love to attend a Georgia home game because there are only so many of them. There are limited opportunities.”

He is completely right, especially from the student perspective. If everything goes right for all four years of one’s college experience, there might be 28 home games, might be. That means by the time you’re a junior, you probably have less than 14 left, and by the time you are in your final year, only seven.

If you miss or leave after the first quarter in three games a season, that means every student is missing over 42% of the home football games you have access to as a student.

Then, for everyone, including non-students, there is always the possibility that the blowouts stop. What if, in five years, Penn State hits a decline like Wisconsin or Florida. What if Beaver Stadium has to go through years of losing to unranked opponents or battling for bowl games?

Look, I get it, blowouts can be boring. You would rather be sitting somewhere in the parking lot drinking with your friends. But be careful not to miss too many games. Blowouts shouldn’t be taken for granted, and your limited number of opportunities to experience the magic of Beaver Stadium shouldn’t be either.

Go to games, whether they are supposed to be competitive or not.