Do BYU Fans Travel Well?

BYU has a truly unique fan base that does, yes, travel well, but the majority are traveling a much shorter distance to the event than you might think.

Author Jon McBride
Lopa at Utah State with FansLopa at Utah State with Fans

BYU fans lining the field after a BYU win at Georgia Southern in 2021. Cougar Nation turned out in droves for this matchup in rural Georgia, 2,000+ miles from Provo.

You might notice more fans wearing royal blue in a road venue than you’d expect. While surely a percentage of those BYU fans that you’ll see in opponents’ stadiums made the trip from Provo, others will be friends and family of the players and staff, but the majority of BYU fans you’ll see at the game live within an immediate radius of that university. The major reason for this is that BYU’s sponsoring institution being The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This close affiliation builds strong affinity from many Church members, and with the Church’s far-reaching membership brings built-in BYU alumni and fans throughout the United States and the world. This creates a truly unique fan base that does, yes, travel well, but the majority are traveling a much shorter distance to the event than you might think.

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In 2019, according to media reports, between 10,000-15,000 BYU fans watched the Cougars defeat Tennessee 29-26 in historic Neyland Stadium.

“There’s blue everywhere — here, and even driving through the downtown area this morning. It’s just an ocean of blue.” - Owen Hughes, Knoxville resident, speaking about the atmosphere on game day

From the BYU at Arkansas football game in 2023:

 

 

 

The following includes numbers of BYU alumni, Church membership details and related information in the states that comprise Big 12 Conference membership, showing BYU's unique distribution of its fan base throughout Big 12 country.

Local Latter-day Saint congregations: 282

Total Latter-day Saint membership: 164,000+

Total BYU alumni: 4,000+

Closest Latter-day Saint church building to the UCF campus (3 miles)

Orlando Temple

Local Latter-day Saint congregations: 71

Total Latter-day Saint membership: 28,000+

Total BYU alumni: 1,000+

Closest Latter-day Saint church building to the Iowas State campus (1 mile)

Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple

Local Latter-day Saint congregations: 74

Total Latter-day Saint membership: 38,000+

Total BYU alumni: 1,400+

Closest Latter-day Saint church building to the Kansas campus (0.5 mile)

Closest Latter-day Saint church building to the Kansas State campus (0.1 mile)

Kansas City Temple


A large section of BYU fans at the BYU-Kansas football game in 2023 in Lawrence, Kansas.

Total Latter-day Saint congregations: 127

Total Latter-day Saint membership: 63,000+

Total BYU alumni: 2,600+

Closest Latter-day Saint church building to the Cincinnati campus (6 miles)

Columbus Temple

Local Latter-day Saint congregations: 93

Total Latter-day Saint membership: 50,000+

Total BYU alumni: 1,400+

Closest Latter-day Saint church building to the Oklahoma campus (125 feet)

Closest Latter-day Saint church building to the Oklahoma State campus (0.8 mile)

Oklahoma City Temple


BYU men's basketball's Dallan Hall speaks at a Sunday night devotional in Norman, Oklahoma before a basketball contest with the Sooners that week.

Total Latter-day Saint congregations: 737

Total Latter-day Saint membership: 370,000+

Total BYU alumni: 17,000+

Closest Latter-day Saint church building to the Baylor campus (7 miles)

Closest Latter-day Saint church building to the Houston campus (0.5 mile)

Closest Latter-day Saint church building to the TCU campus (1 mile)

Closest Latter-day Saint church building to the Texas campus (1 mile)

Closest Latter-day Saint church building to the Texas Tech campus (4 miles)

Austin Temple (currently being constructed)

Dallas Temple

Fort Worth Temple (currently being constructed)

Houston Temple

Lubbock Temple

San Antonio Temple

Local Latter-day Saint congregations: 34

Total Latter-day Saint membership: 17,000+

Total BYU alumni: 300+

Closest Latter-day Saint church building to the West Virginia campus (0.5 mile)

Pittsburgh Temple (currently being constructed)

* These numbers are as of August 2023 and are available on the Statistics and Church Facts page on churchofjesuschrist.org

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A young girl BYU fan standing with pom poms in the crowd at a BYU at Oklahoma basketball game
BYU Crowd Vegas
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BYU fans packed Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for the 2021 Kickoff Classic against Arizona.