Impressive numbers by this Big Ten university: This is your NCAA leader for beer sales in 2025
Here’s who tops the list for big beer drinkers across the different campuses of the NCAA.
When you think of sales explosions on college game days, you might picture ticket surges or memorabilia, but it is in fact alcohol at the stadiums that is the real surprise. According to data collected by the newsletter Extra Points, one institution leads the pack in beer and alcohol sales for the early 2025 football schedule.
That university is University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska). For their home games played in August and September, they sold 168,293 units of alcohol and generated about US $2,074,806 in revenue, putting them ahead of every other responding public school in this dataset. For context, that means roughly one alcoholic drink was sold for every 1.5 fans entering Memorial Stadium this autumn - sensational drinking.
Schools partnering with local brewing companies to create team branded beers has become a welcomed & popular addition for tailgaters. Here’s 4 I’ve had in the last 12 months:
— College Football Campus Tour (@cfbcampustour) February 20, 2023
*Ears Up @GoJacksFB
*USM Gold Rush @SouthernMissFB
*Yellow Jacket @BHSUFB
*Golden Bobcat @MSUBobcats_FB pic.twitter.com/cLWnRymRMN
The Cornhuskers drew just over 260,000 fans across their home matchups, averaging 65,000–70,000 attendees per game, according to the figures published. Fans averaged around $8 per attendee, an impressive rate considering that many stadiums restrict alcohol to certain sections or close sales before the fourth quarter.
In comparison, the University of Tennessee came second in total alcohol revenue, selling 107,473 drinks for $1.62 million, while Oklahoma State ranked among the top five with $885,000 in receipts. Other Big Ten institutions like Wisconsin and Iowa were competitive but fell short of Nebraska’s volume, largely due to smaller sample sizes or fewer reported games.
That said, a few caveats are worth noting. This dataset only covers about 21 responding institutions from the initial wave of FOIA requests. Additionally, comparing between schools is tricky: large stadium versus smaller venue, different pricing, alcohol service policies, local regulations and attendance all complicate the picture.
Cue up the Spirit of Troy. We're proud to announce Stone Fight On! Pale Ale - the official beer of @USC_Athletics!
— Stone Brewing (@StoneBrewing) August 8, 2023
Available throughout SoCal - including all Stone locations - starting next week and at Trojans games this fall!https://t.co/zUKJWKrONE pic.twitter.com/jTtQ995ar0
Related stories
Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.
Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.
Complete your personal details to comment