Another season of college football is underway, following a record-breaking year where viewers consumed more than 179 billion minutes across Nielsen-rated networks—a 9% increase year-over-year. Building on the inaugural NFL Fandom Index, Nielsen is expanding the franchise to the gridiron’s other powerhouse: the Nielsen Scarborough Local College Football Fandom Index, which identifies where the sport’s pulse beats strongest across America’s local markets.
The top of the Index is dominated by mid-size markets near flagship programs, where few competing professional sports franchises exist to split local attention.
The top five DMAs are Birmingham, Des Moines/Ames, Columbus, Omaha, and Knoxville.
Like its NFL counterpart, the College Football Fandom Index moves beyond simple viewership counts. It draws on eight distinct metrics to capture the full spectrum of fan engagement: apparel purchases, general interest levels, live-event attendance, betting intent, social media engagement, radio listenership, streaming habits, and linear TV viewership.
Birmingham’s #1 finish (score: 230) underscores the intensity of fandom within the SEC. The Alabama/Auburn market leads in interest and event attendance, while ranking in the top four for apparel, social media, radio, streaming, and TV viewing.
Des Moines/Ames (#2, 212) presents a more specialized profile. While the Iowa State/Iowa market leads outright in apparel purchases, social media following, and radio listening, it ranks last in betting intent. This suggests a fan base whose passion is deeply rooted in traditional local channels rather than the broader national trend toward sports wagering.
Columbus (#3, 205) leads in streaming and places in the top four for apparel, interest, social media, radio, and TV viewership – a “shows up everywhere” pattern similar to Philadelphia and Cincinnati in the NFL rankings. Chattanooga (#7, 174) mirrors this breadth on a smaller scale; while it doesn’t lead any single category, it consistently ranks in the top five for interest, betting, and streaming to secure a top-10 spot.
Omaha and Knoxville round out a top five built on consistency. Omaha leads in TV viewership and ranks second in radio and third in apparel, yet fails to crack the top 15 in betting—highlighting a broadcast-first, wagering-averse Nebraska fan base. Knoxville maintains the most balanced profile outside the top three, ranking in the top 10 for seven of the eight metrics, with social media (13th) being the only outlier.
Betting intent often disrupts the leaderboard. Memphis, ranked 10th overall, posts the single highest college football betting index in the country—surpassing Birmingham and Columbus. New Orleans (#8 overall) follows closely, ranking second in betting. Neither market leads in apparel or traditional media, suggesting that wagering intent tracks along a different axis than the attendance-based loyalty that defines the top of the Index.
Perhaps the clearest theme is the absence of major coastal metros in the top 20. Atlanta (#9, 161) is the only large multi-sport market in the top 10, propelled by regional proximity to SEC (and ACC) schools, and a top-five betting index rather than merchandise or attendance dominance. Ultimately, the Nielsen Scarborough College Football Fandom Index reinforces a pattern: America’s most intense sports fandom is not concentrated in its largest media hubs, but in college towns and legacy markets built around teams the entire community can rally behind.
