ANN ARBOR, Mich.—A new University of Michigan study supports what college football fans and rabid tailgaters already knew: Nothing can keep diehard fans away from tailgate parties on game day.

Despite plummeting portfolios, fans of college Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams (formerly Division 1-A) have continued to buy tickets to watch their favorite teams. Indeed, college football is doing better than ever in many regards, says Rod Fort PhD, professor of sport management at the U-M School of Kinesiology.

"Fans are crazy about college football," Fort said. "Many individual schools and quite a few colleges have seen record attendance, and record attendance per game was set by quite a few conferences.