College football’s 15 most passionate and loyal fanbases
By John Buhler
11. Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma got it first major professional sports franchise in 2008 when the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City to become the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma is called to Sooner State for a reason: the Oklahoma Sooners are everything in this state.
The Sooners are a top-five program all-time. They have the National Championships, All-Americans, Big Eight/12 Championship and Heisman Trophy winners to back up that claim. Oklahoma is what every college football program wishes its history looked like, so of course, the Sooners have garnered millions of fans along the way.
From Boomer Sooner to the Sooner Schooner, it’s always been about the Crimson and Cream in this Southwestern state. Near a major metro region in Dallas, Texas, there are Oklahoma fans all over the country. They reconvene eight fall Saturdays a year to completely pack Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Since the state doesn’t necessarily have all the football talent it needs to sustain a national power, Oklahoma does a phenomenal job of recruiting outside of its borders to land top players. The Sooners have history on their side as a traditional blue-blood, but their loyal fanbase is a huge reason that Oklahoma’s place in the top 25 isn’t going away in the near future.
Next: 10. Ohio State Buckeyes