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With college football season already underway – and set to pick up in a major way this weekend – new data shows which parts of the country are the biggest diehards of the sport.
Television data company Nielsen has released its first ever edition of the 'Nielsen Scarborough Local College Football Fandom Index.'
This index took a look at eight metrics – apparel purchases, event attendance, streaming, social media following, TV viewership, radio listening, betting intent and overall interest – to determine which parts of the country loved the sport the most.
Considering Nielsen is a company that specializes in television ratings, the list was grouped by media markets.
Atop the list was the market for Birmingham, Alabama, a part that represents football fandoms for the University of Alabama and Auburn.
Behind them are Des Moines/Ames – home to Iowa and Iowa State – followed by Columbus, the home of Ohio State.
The Birmingham market, home to Alabama and Auburn, was deemed the top college football market in the country according to a new study conducted and released by Nielsen
Behind Birmingham is the Des Moines/Ames market - home to Iowa and Iowa State
Despite having a pro hokcey team, Columbus - home to Ohio State - finished third in the index
Rounding out the top five are Omaha, the biggest city in Nebraska, and Knoxville – the home to the University of Tennessee.
Of those five locations, only Columbus is represented by a 'Big Four' professional sports team, the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets.
Markets six through ten are as follows: Oklahoma City (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State), Chattanooga (Tennessee), New Orleans (LSU), Atlanta (Georgia, Georgia Tech) and Memphis (Memphis, Ole Miss).
Of those teams, all but Chattanooga have a 'Big Four' pro sports team.
Across the top-20, Atlanta and Cleveland (tied for 20) are the only two markets represented who have at least three Big Four teams.
