Ohio State, Michigan ranked most popular college football teams per study

Updated Aug. 18, 2023 3:03 p.m. ET

Which school tops the list of the most popular college football programs across the United States?

It's a loaded question and certainly a subjective one when posed to college football fans. However, according to a recent article featured on AL.com, Ohio State is No. 1 on the list of the most popular college football teams in the country. The list was created based on polling data from marketing research firm SBRnet and analyzed by AL.com and the Center for Sports Analytics at Samford University. It is based on college football teams with the most fans among people who watched the sport as of January 2023.

According to the list, more than 6 million college football fans claim Ohio State as their favorite team. This data came from polling fans who watched or attended college football games this past season.

Ohio State's rival, Michigan, appears at No. 2 on the list with 4.4 million fans, followed by Penn State coming in at No. 3 (4 million fans). Rounding out the top-five most popular schools are Duke University (3.7M) and Florida State (3.4M).

Here is a look at the top 10 most popular college football programs across the U.S., according to the study.

1. Ohio State: 6.151,180 fans
2. Michigan: 4,446,267 fans
3. Penn State: 4,024,237 fans
4. Duke: 3,701,561 fans
5. Florida State: 3,438,970 fans
6. Alabama: 3,436,886 fans
7. Georgia: 3,103,171 fans
8. UCLA: 2,984,517 fans
9. Notre Dame: 2,649,228 fans
10. Wisconsin: 2,640,546 fans








Ohio State and Michigan have enjoyed plenty of success on the gridiron as of late, both appearing in the College Football Playoff this past season. The Buckeyes have won five Big Ten titles and made six CFP appearances since 2014, while the Wolverines have won the past two conference titles, each concluding with a spot in the CFP.

One of the more noticeable takeaways from the list is Alabama falling outside the top five. Just last year, Alabama ranked No. 2 on the list, trailing only Ohio State as the most popular team among college football fans. 

This year, the Crimson Tide fell to No. 6, losing roughly 700,000 fans, according to the report. However, Alabama remains the most popular college team in the South and moved up two spots within the region since last year, jumping over two-time defending national champion Georgia and soon-to-be SEC foe Texas.

As far as conference representation, the Big Ten leads the way with four teams on the top-10 list, followed by two from both the SEC and ACC. UCLA is the lone Pac-12 team represented on the list, while Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the FBS level.

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