The University of Florida has become a gold standard of complete athletic department excellence over the years, with a wide variety of sports claiming national and SEC championships. Notre Dame's beautiful campus, rich football history and strong link to its hometown make South Bend a must-see college football town. With fans around the country, Notre Dame football may seem strangely popular for a school that’s rooted in a sleepy Indiana town. Perhaps that’s due to the program’s storied history, it’s cultural significance, or the sheer passion of its hometown fans. The Irish have a massive following, and fans flock to Notre Dame Stadium to be a part of the rich tradition and pageantry of a Saturday in South Bend. Notre Dame's campus is a breathtaking setting for college football's most historic program, which is known for its "golden dome" football helmets and "Touchdown Jesus" outside of Notre Dame Stadium. The famous Catholic institution is a cornerstone in the United States, and Fighting Irish football is its most famous export. South Bend, Indiana, is known around the world for Notre Dame football. This college football town makes for plenty of amazing scenes, including the "Country Roads" tradition at the end of games.
Morgantown is crazy about its football, and it has plenty of activities and culture year-round to keep the Mountaineers satisfied until the fall. No Big 12 team wants to travel to Morgantown to play a big game, not because of any poor facilities, but because of the hostile crowd that can definitely play a role in the outcome of games. Morgantown, W.V., is one of the most unique college towns in the country as the sports fans are pretty avid and the atmosphere is much different from a normal run-of-the-mill college stadium. West Virginia's famous tailgating takes over during those times, with packed lots popping up on campus and around the city of Morgantown itself.
Outdoor activities are aplenty for Mountaineers and those visiting the town for a football weekend. The town itself is beautiful as it sits on the rolling hills of West Virginia and near the Monongahela River. Night games inside Milan Puskar Stadium are an awe-inspiring mix of volume and sheer intimidation, and celebrations have been known to get out of hand in this town. Morgantown, West Virginia, has a reputation for being one of the most passionate sports towns in the country.
So, in the good-natured spirit of college football fandom, feel free to share your own lists and experiences in the comments below. One could fill up an awesome list of 15 college football towns that didn't make the cut here. Of course, this is the opinion of one writer, based on past experiences and reputations from others who have tackled this assignment for other outlets. Instead, this list focuses on the smaller-sized cities and towns that are synonymous with their college football teams. Some large-city campuses, such as Columbus, Ohio (Ohio State) and Austin, Texas (Texas) are such massive metro areas that they aren't eligible for this list. These selections were based on a town's relationship to its college program, passion in terms of fan support, traditions, culture and entertainment options on football weekends. Few sports experiences on the planet can compare.Īs we continue to grind through the offseason and dream of when these locales will be commandeered by a fall Saturday, let's count down the top 15 college football towns in the country.
College football games are usually these cities' biggest events year in and year out, with the entire area shutting down on Saturdays when the home team is in town. The link between a football-crazy campus and the town it's located in runs deep.
Professional sports teams occupy the country's bigger cities, usually vying for attention in a crowded market. There's nothing quite like a college football town.