I wonder if we ran this question through Grok or Claude whether we'd get the same results? 
Top 50 CFB Fanbases per ChatGTP
- Thread starter LaQuintaHawk
- Start date
Grok
Create a list of top 50 fanbases in college football.
**Here's a ranked list of the top 50 college football fanbases**, based on a composite of factors like average home attendance (key metric for passion and turnout), stadium fill rates, historical/national popularity estimates, loyalty through ups and downs, TV viewership draw, traveling support, and overall cultural impact.
This is inherently subjective—fanbases are passionate by nature—but it's grounded in available data from recent seasons (especially 2024-2025 attendance and rankings). Big programs with massive stadiums and national brands dominate the top, while strong regional or loyal underdogs fill out the rest.
### Top 25 (Elite Tier)
1. **Michigan Wolverines** — Largest stadium in the world, consistently tops attendance (~110k+), massive national brand and recent success.
2. **Ohio State Buckeyes** — Huge alumni/fan estimates (often cited as the largest), legendary atmosphere in the Horseshoe.
3. **Texas Longhorns** — Massive market, huge national following, strong attendance and loyalty rankings.
4. **Alabama Crimson Tide** — Legendary passion, elite traveling support, tops many loyalty and popularity lists.
5. **Penn State Nittany Lions** — White Out games are iconic; massive stadium and dedicated fans.
6. **Texas A&M Aggies** — 12th Man tradition, Kyle Field sells out routinely with electric energy.
7. **Notre Dame Fighting Irish** — National fanbase transcends conferences; incredibly loyal regardless of record.
8. **LSU Tigers** — Death Valley at night is unmatched; raucous, passionate crowds.
9. **Georgia Bulldogs** — Recent dominance boosted an already strong, loyal base.
10. **Tennessee Volunteers** — Neyland Stadium rocks with "Rocky Top"; huge following and energy.
11. **Florida Gators** — The Swamp is intimidating; dedicated even in down years.
12. **Auburn Tigers** — Jordan-Hare roars on big nights; deep SEC passion.
13. **Nebraska Cornhuskers** — Sellout streak for decades; famously loyal in good times and bad.
14. **Oklahoma Sooners** — Strong attendance and national brand.
15. **Clemson Tigers** — Loyal through cycles; strong home atmosphere.
16. **Wisconsin Badgers** — Camp Randall is a fortress; consistent support.
17. **Iowa Hawkeyes** — Kinnick Stadium waves and loyalty shine through.
18. **Florida State Seminoles** — Doak Campbell passion runs deep.
19. **Oregon Ducks** — Energetic, growing national appeal with flashy style.
20. **South Carolina Gamecocks** — Williams-Brice gets loud; dedicated fans.
21. **Arkansas Razorbacks** — "Woo Pig Sooie" loyalty in tough SEC.
22. **Ole Miss Rebels** — Hotty Toddy energy and strong recent support.
23. **BYU Cougars** — Strong attendance and dedicated fan culture.
24. **Michigan State Spartans** — Solid Big Ten support.
25. **Miami Hurricanes** — Loyal despite ups/downs; passionate "U" fans.
### 26-50 (Strong/Regional Powerhouses)
26. **USC Trojans** — Historic brand with LA market potential.
27. **Washington Huskies** — Strong Pacific Northwest following.
28. **Kentucky Wildcats** — Loyal basketball/football overlap.
29. **NC State Wolfpack** — Solid ACC support.
30. **Louisville Cardinals** — Growing passionate base.
31. **Purdue Boilermakers** — Dedicated Big Ten fans.
32. **Illinois Fighting Illini** — Resurgent support.
33. **Missouri Tigers** — Improving attendance and energy.
34. **Iowa State Cyclones** — Great home crowds.
35. **Kansas State Wildcats** — Wildcat loyalty runs deep.
36. **Arizona State Sun Devils** — Recent spikes in attendance.
37. **West Virginia Mountaineers** — Rowdy, dedicated fans.
38. **Virginia Tech Hokies** — Enter Sandman tradition.
39. **Colorado Buffaloes** — Deion-era boost to passionate base.
40. **Utah Utes** — Loyal through tough conditions.
41. **Minnesota Golden Gophers** — Solid Midwest support.
42. **Syracuse Orange** — Dedicated crowds.
43. **Boston College Eagles** — Loyal ACC following.
44. **Pittsburgh Panthers** — Strong home energy.
45. **North Carolina Tar Heels** — Growing basketball crossover.
46. **Cincinnati Bearcats** — Passionate Group of 5/now Power supporter.
47. **Houston Cougars** — Improving turnout.
48. **Boise State Broncos** — Blue turf loyalists.
49. **Fresno State Bulldogs** — Strong regional following.
50. **San Diego State Aztecs** / **Navy Midshipmen** (tie-ish) — Military/service academy pride or strong local support.
**Notes on methodology and caveats**:
- **Attendance** heavily weights the list (e.g., Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, Texas A&M routinely lead).
- National brands (Notre Dame, Texas, Alabama, Ohio State) rank higher due to TV ratings, social media, alumni, and non-local fans.
- Loyalty rankings boost teams like Nebraska, Texas, and Notre Dame that pack houses regardless of record.
- G5 and smaller programs rarely crack top 50 due to stadium size limits, but some have incredible per-capita passion.
Rankings shift yearly with team success, coaching, and conference realignment. What matters most is the passion on game day! If you want criteria adjusted (e.g., more focus on tailgating or away support) or a specific conference, let me know.
Create a list of top 50 fanbases in college football.
**Here's a ranked list of the top 50 college football fanbases**, based on a composite of factors like average home attendance (key metric for passion and turnout), stadium fill rates, historical/national popularity estimates, loyalty through ups and downs, TV viewership draw, traveling support, and overall cultural impact.
This is inherently subjective—fanbases are passionate by nature—but it's grounded in available data from recent seasons (especially 2024-2025 attendance and rankings). Big programs with massive stadiums and national brands dominate the top, while strong regional or loyal underdogs fill out the rest.
### Top 25 (Elite Tier)
1. **Michigan Wolverines** — Largest stadium in the world, consistently tops attendance (~110k+), massive national brand and recent success.
2. **Ohio State Buckeyes** — Huge alumni/fan estimates (often cited as the largest), legendary atmosphere in the Horseshoe.
3. **Texas Longhorns** — Massive market, huge national following, strong attendance and loyalty rankings.
4. **Alabama Crimson Tide** — Legendary passion, elite traveling support, tops many loyalty and popularity lists.
5. **Penn State Nittany Lions** — White Out games are iconic; massive stadium and dedicated fans.
6. **Texas A&M Aggies** — 12th Man tradition, Kyle Field sells out routinely with electric energy.
7. **Notre Dame Fighting Irish** — National fanbase transcends conferences; incredibly loyal regardless of record.
8. **LSU Tigers** — Death Valley at night is unmatched; raucous, passionate crowds.
9. **Georgia Bulldogs** — Recent dominance boosted an already strong, loyal base.
10. **Tennessee Volunteers** — Neyland Stadium rocks with "Rocky Top"; huge following and energy.
11. **Florida Gators** — The Swamp is intimidating; dedicated even in down years.
12. **Auburn Tigers** — Jordan-Hare roars on big nights; deep SEC passion.
13. **Nebraska Cornhuskers** — Sellout streak for decades; famously loyal in good times and bad.
14. **Oklahoma Sooners** — Strong attendance and national brand.
15. **Clemson Tigers** — Loyal through cycles; strong home atmosphere.
16. **Wisconsin Badgers** — Camp Randall is a fortress; consistent support.
17. **Iowa Hawkeyes** — Kinnick Stadium waves and loyalty shine through.
18. **Florida State Seminoles** — Doak Campbell passion runs deep.
19. **Oregon Ducks** — Energetic, growing national appeal with flashy style.
20. **South Carolina Gamecocks** — Williams-Brice gets loud; dedicated fans.
21. **Arkansas Razorbacks** — "Woo Pig Sooie" loyalty in tough SEC.
22. **Ole Miss Rebels** — Hotty Toddy energy and strong recent support.
23. **BYU Cougars** — Strong attendance and dedicated fan culture.
24. **Michigan State Spartans** — Solid Big Ten support.
25. **Miami Hurricanes** — Loyal despite ups/downs; passionate "U" fans.
### 26-50 (Strong/Regional Powerhouses)
26. **USC Trojans** — Historic brand with LA market potential.
27. **Washington Huskies** — Strong Pacific Northwest following.
28. **Kentucky Wildcats** — Loyal basketball/football overlap.
29. **NC State Wolfpack** — Solid ACC support.
30. **Louisville Cardinals** — Growing passionate base.
31. **Purdue Boilermakers** — Dedicated Big Ten fans.
32. **Illinois Fighting Illini** — Resurgent support.
33. **Missouri Tigers** — Improving attendance and energy.
34. **Iowa State Cyclones** — Great home crowds.
35. **Kansas State Wildcats** — Wildcat loyalty runs deep.
36. **Arizona State Sun Devils** — Recent spikes in attendance.
37. **West Virginia Mountaineers** — Rowdy, dedicated fans.
38. **Virginia Tech Hokies** — Enter Sandman tradition.
39. **Colorado Buffaloes** — Deion-era boost to passionate base.
40. **Utah Utes** — Loyal through tough conditions.
41. **Minnesota Golden Gophers** — Solid Midwest support.
42. **Syracuse Orange** — Dedicated crowds.
43. **Boston College Eagles** — Loyal ACC following.
44. **Pittsburgh Panthers** — Strong home energy.
45. **North Carolina Tar Heels** — Growing basketball crossover.
46. **Cincinnati Bearcats** — Passionate Group of 5/now Power supporter.
47. **Houston Cougars** — Improving turnout.
48. **Boise State Broncos** — Blue turf loyalists.
49. **Fresno State Bulldogs** — Strong regional following.
50. **San Diego State Aztecs** / **Navy Midshipmen** (tie-ish) — Military/service academy pride or strong local support.
**Notes on methodology and caveats**:
- **Attendance** heavily weights the list (e.g., Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, Texas A&M routinely lead).
- National brands (Notre Dame, Texas, Alabama, Ohio State) rank higher due to TV ratings, social media, alumni, and non-local fans.
- Loyalty rankings boost teams like Nebraska, Texas, and Notre Dame that pack houses regardless of record.
- G5 and smaller programs rarely crack top 50 due to stadium size limits, but some have incredible per-capita passion.
Rankings shift yearly with team success, coaching, and conference realignment. What matters most is the passion on game day! If you want criteria adjusted (e.g., more focus on tailgating or away support) or a specific conference, let me know.
Apparently you're not familiar with South Carolina. They draw over 70K/game.
Colorado's spike is fading. The Deion buzz is wearing off.
This is more than just what attendance you average. I have yet in my entire life to meet a graduate of South Carolina. Their brand is a very confusing looking logo that I bet less than 30% of your familiars could even associate to the university. Plus, they really haven’t been very successful in a long time. Not nearly as consistent as say Iowa for example.
I would actually put West Virginia in place of South Carolina for 23. Their fan base is just as rabid and they sell out their 75,000 seat stadium consistently as well. Plus when I see their logo, I instantly know who it is.
Completely agree with you about Colorado. But they have had a fairly high-level history. And that goes back well before Deion ever set foot on their campus. Plus their brand/logo is instantly recognizable.
Yes, 1/3 full stadium… great fans! NOT
Even once great UCLA basketball is pathetic. I have a buddy who lives in the area and he routinely goes to Bruin games on a whim. Tickets are easy to come by.
A quick search says that currently average 5,412 per game. LAST in the B1G
16. **Wisconsin Badgers** — Camp Randall is a fortress; consistent support.
17. **Iowa Hawkeyes** — Kinnick Stadium waves and loyalty shine through.
these should be flipped. been to multiple games at camp randall & kinnick, CR doesn't hold a candle to Kinnick in terms of in stadium environment!
17. **Iowa Hawkeyes** — Kinnick Stadium waves and loyalty shine through.
these should be flipped. been to multiple games at camp randall & kinnick, CR doesn't hold a candle to Kinnick in terms of in stadium environment!
On a somewhat connected thought. I just returned from a 3 week trip to Perth, Australia. While in a grocery store wearing my Iowa visor, a guy looked at me and said w his Aussie accent “Iowa Hawkeyes?” Turns out the guy was a punter for Minnesota thru 2024. He is from Perth and lives about 6 blocks from my daughter. Crazy.
Anyway, he is a great guy and told me Kinnick was by far, his most favorite stadium to play in. And yes he was the punter in the “fair catch” game. As he said…”that was a **** show”. He knew it was not a fair catch.
He said the fan support, the older stadium and the Wave are two things he really loved about Kinnick.
Lastly he was best man in Tory’s wedding.
Just a real cool dude. Mark Crawford.
Anyway, he is a great guy and told me Kinnick was by far, his most favorite stadium to play in. And yes he was the punter in the “fair catch” game. As he said…”that was a **** show”. He knew it was not a fair catch.
He said the fan support, the older stadium and the Wave are two things he really loved about Kinnick.
Lastly he was best man in Tory’s wedding.
Just a real cool dude. Mark Crawford.