10 Most Popular College Football Teams in the United States

These are the ten most popular college football teams in the United States. The data is from the NY Times. College Football is big business in the United States. All of these teams generate millions of dollars in revenue each year for their schools.

As far as conferences go, the Big Ten and the SEC lead the way with three teams each in the tops 10. The Big 12 currently has two teams on the list, though one is trying to switch to the SEC. The ACC has one school on the list, and the last college football team is an independent, who should not be too hard to guess.
10 Most Popular College Football Teams in the United States
1. Ohio State - 3.2 million fans

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The Ohio State Buckeyes are the most popular college football in the United States with 3.2 million fans. Most of those fans are based in Ohio, especially around Columbus. The Buckeyes play in 102,329 seat Ohio Stadium, which is the fourth largest college football stadium in the country. Ohio State has been playing football since 1890, and has been one of the most successful programs in college football history. The Buckeyes have fans all over the country, and play in the Big Ten Conference.
2. Michigan - 2.9 million

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The Michigan Wolverines are the second most popular college football team the the United State. No surprise that the Ohio State vs Michigan game every year is such a big deal. Michigan plays in 109,901 seat Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, about 40 miles outside of Detroit. The Wolverines have fans all over the country, including in NYC.
3. Penn State - 2.6 million
Growing up outside of Philadelphia, Penn State was The Team in college football when I was a kid. The Nittany Lions play in 107,282 seat Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. My cousin went to Penn State, and he said the town shuts down whenever the team plays. Penn State is another college team with a lot of fans in NYC, and plenty of other places.
4. Notre Dame - 2.3 million

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If there is a college team that is America’s team, it’s Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish play in 80,795 seat Notre Dame Stadium on the Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame is a popular team all over the USA. The only reason the Fighting Irish are not number one is because they are based in a small 100,000 population city in Indiana, which is smaller population state compared to Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The Fighting Irish are independent in football, but play all other sports in the Big East. Every conference in the country wants Notre Dame football, by staying independent the Fighting Irish keep all their revenue.
5. Texas - 2.23 million
The Texas Longhorns are the fifth most popular college football team in the United States. The Longhorn’s play in 100,119 seat Darrell K Royal Texas Stadium in Austin, Texas. Texas is so popular the team just started its own its own TV network, called the Longhorn Network on ESPN. The Longhorn’s play in the Big 12 Conference.
6. Texas A&M - 2.0 million
Not too far behind Texas is the Texas A&M Aggies. Texas A&M plays in 83,002 seat Kyle Stadium located in College Station, Texas. Texas A&M is trying to relocate to the SEC Conference.
7. Auburn - 1.9 million

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The Auburn Tigers are ranked this high due to the way the popularity was determined. Google search results were used as part of the equation. Auburn won the championship in the 2010 season, and were in the news a lot because of the Cam Newton scandals. So the Tigers were searched for more than they probably usually would have been.
Auburn plays in 87,451 Jordan-Hare Stadium located in Auburn, Alabama. The Tigers are in the SEC.
8. Alabama - 1.88 million

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Alabama plays in 101,821 seat Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I’d say the Crimson Tide has more fans than Auburn, but are ranked just below due to the reasons given above. The Alabama Crimson Tide was a huge team when I was a kid. I remember they came to New Jersey to play Rutgers and Bear Bryant’s quote before the game was, "What’s a Rutgers?" Alabama, which plays in the SEC, beat Rutgers 17-13 in a fun game to watch.
9. Florida - 1.8 million
The Florida Gators have some 1.8 million fans in the United States. The Gators play in 88,548 seat Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. The Gators are in the SEC Conference.
10. Clemson - 1.76 million
Clemson is the only school in the top 10 that plays in the ACC Conference. The Tigers play in 80,301 seat Memorial Stadium located on the Clemson University campus in Clemson, South Carolina. I’m not from the area, but have always felt Clemson belonged in the SEC, and South Carolina in the ACC.


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