Fansided

Fandom 250 preview: 24 best college fandoms in the NCAA

By Shea Corrigan

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 21: Fans cheer in the stands on the 50-yard-line as Saquon Barkley scores a first quarter touchdown during the whole stadium white out. The Penn State Nittany Lions vs. the Michigan Wolverines on October 21, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in State College, PA. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 21: Fans cheer in the stands on the 50-yard-line as Saquon Barkley scores a first quarter touchdown during the whole stadium white out. The Penn State Nittany Lions vs. the Michigan Wolverines on October 21, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in State College, PA. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Fandom 250 recognizes 24 colleges and universities for their avid athletic fanbases.

Collegiate pride is no joke. People — Americans, mainly and almost exclusively — develop powerful, lifelong bonds with their institutes of higher learning and this affinity is amplified by a factor of roughly a million when said school has a strong, historic and/or successful sports program.

The 24 schools named in the NCAA category of the Fandom 250 — the ultimate ranking of fanbases, including but not limited to fans of pro sports teams, movie franchises and Instagram celebrities — are known for their sports fans. Their stadiums and arenas are legendary for their noise. Their programs are hated for their dominance. Their rivalries monitored by law enforcement for their volatility. And their fans themselves: Their fans are a force to be reckoned with. All. Year. Long.

See, NCAA fans have the added luxury of multiple sports under one fandom umbrella. And while, yes, not all sports programs are created equal and every school has its favorite child/sport, for the most part, fans of the NCAA can root and rep their team through multiple seasons.

And rep they do: People love their schools and identify strongly with their teams, forming a personal attachment that is somewhat unique to college sports. That so many fans are also students or graduates of the schools whose teams they root for creates a sense (perhaps an illusion) of inclusion and participation not seen in other sports. (There are very few NFL or TV fans that can claim the “we” with any authority, but students and alum…they have one of the stronger cases.)

But of course: The most passionate NCAA fanbases are hardly limited to students and alum, often drawing in the community and extending off campus and throughout the state, even in the region. All of which amounts to legions of fans, both local and displaced, cheering on their college team from near and far.

Here are the 24 best NCAA fandoms — unranked and in alphabetical order by their most formal names — you can expect to see on the Fandom 250 this year:

  • Clemson University
  • Duke University
  • East Mississippi Community College
  • Florida State University
  • Louisiana State University (LSU)
  • North Dakota State University
  • The Ohio State University
  • The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State)
  • The University of Alabama
  • University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
  • University of Florida
  • The University of Kansas
  • University of Kentucky
  • University of Louisville
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • University of Notre Dame
  • The University of Oklahoma
  • University of Southern California
  • The University of Texas at Austin
  • The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
  • University of Washington
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison

Check back in December to see where each of these college fandoms ranks.

Fan Vote

As we put together our rankings, we want to hear from you. Who do you think has the best fans in this category? Take part in our Reader Vote and let our editors know why your fanbase is the best!


Next: College Football's 25 Best Rivalries

What is the FanSided Fandom 250?

The Fandom 250 is the ultimate ranking of fandoms. From sports teams and movie franchises to Instagram celebrities and brands, if something has an avid, sometimes rabid, fanbase, FanSided wants to honor those fans and — in the spirit of healthy competition — rank ‘em.

The Fandom 250 is divided into 16 categories: NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, Soccer, NCAA, Sports Figures, Celebrities, Music, Movies, TV Shows, Comics, Gaming, Brands, Internet Famous and Other. All 250 qualifying fandoms will be ranked both within their categories and against the field, so fans can see how the object of their devotion stacks up against its peers and in the fan landscape at large.

Qualifying fandoms will be announced by category every Tuesday through early December, with the official ranking — and the big reveal of No. 1 fandom — announced on Dec. 12.

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