Largest College Football Fanbase?

[VolTom1]

Does anyone have the real numbers or meaningful data on this? This is all I could find and at first I was shocked until I noticed It says Synthesis of 2011, 2014, and 2019 studies.. Those were not our best years. I assume half our fans were hiding at this point, but maybe I am bias? But look at how low Georgia is, how can a state with 11 million people and two recent natties have fewer fans than Wisconsin? I looked and found an article by Sports Illustrated that I think was regurgitating the same data but instead of Syracuse it had Stanford, so is this whole thing is a joke? This would mean that over half of the people in our state are fans of another team, while other sates like Louisiana the entire state is loyal to LSU, I just don't believe this. This would mean that 8 million people are fans of Alabama and Auburn 3 million more people than the state population... But Tennessee can't even get half of their own state population, I just don't buy that.

 

[207 others]

Seems right on the money

 

[TNnative]

State of Tennessee has had a lot of out of state transplants. And many still follow the teams they followed before they got here.Buy it or not? That may be what is on the shelves right now. Walk through your local Wal-Mart, and keep your eyes on those that pass by you. Every now and again, I see folks wearing t-shirts for plenty of universities other than Tennessee. Good news is there is plenty of Tennessee gear as well.

Now, do I think Tennessee should be higher on that list? Absolutely. And I think it is going to get better. IF the Vols can continue to improve, and the university makes good choices going forward. They made one this year that I believe can eventually move the power T higher.

How the Hell did Syracuse make this list? And above the Vols and Auburn? That seems very strange.

 

[Tin Man]

The thing is, I don’t care how many “fans” other college teams have. I’m a Tennessee alumnus. I’m Orange, and when I meet another true believer, it’s meaningful. GBO.

 

[Volador]

Hands Down - the Vols have the "largest" fans base

​

 

[Tin Man]

Coda: Where Tennessee’s fans travel, we make a positive impact. Overwhelmingly, folks want us to return. Their chambers of commerce want us back. Their local media produce glowing stories about our visits. We’re the shizzle.

 

[Rickyvol77]

Does anyone have the real numbers or meaningful data on this? This is all I could find and at first I was shocked until I noticed It says Synthesis of 2011, 2014, and 2019 studies.. Those were not our best years. I assume half our fans were hiding at this point, but maybe I am bias? But look at how low Georgia is, how can a state with 11 million people and two recent natties have fewer fans than Wisconsin? I looked and found an article by Sports Illustrated that I think was regurgitating the same data but instead of Syracuse it had Stanford, so is this whole thing is a joke? This would mean that over half of the people in our state are fans of another team, while other sates like Louisiana the entire state is loyal to LSU, I just don't believe this. This would mean that 8 million people are fans of Alabama and Auburn 3 million more people than the state population... But Tennessee can't even get half of their own state population, I just don't buy that.
View attachment 763746

I believe UT has around 4 million and get shortchanged in these type estimates

 

[Glocker_Alum_2005]

Does anyone have the real numbers or meaningful data on this? This is all I could find and at first I was shocked until I noticed It says Synthesis of 2011, 2014, and 2019 studies.. Those were not our best years. I assume half our fans were hiding at this point, but maybe I am bias? But look at how low Georgia is, how can a state with 11 million people and two recent natties have fewer fans than Wisconsin? I looked and found an article by Sports Illustrated that I think was regurgitating the same data but instead of Syracuse it had Stanford, so is this whole thing is a joke? This would mean that over half of the people in our state are fans of another team, while other sates like Louisiana the entire state is loyal to LSU, I just don't believe this. This would mean that 8 million people are fans of Alabama and Auburn 3 million more people than the state population... But Tennessee can't even get half of their own state population, I just don't buy that.
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Sorry, I can't buy we have less fans than 'cuse or even Barn.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

Syracuse??? How??

 

[YankeeVol]

Syracuse??? How??

NY's population is quite large. Roughly 3x that of Tennessee

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

Seems right on the money

I highly doubt we have fewer fans than Syracuse.

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

NY's population is quite large. Roughly 3x that of Tennessee

Yet their population has a far higher percentage of people who don’t care about college sports and people who root for out of state teams.

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

Sorry, I can't buy we have less fans than 'cuse or even Barn.

Agreed. Auburn has a devoted following, but they are splitting the vote with a more successful team in their own state, and their state has fewer people than ours does. I don’t think Wisconsin is above us either.

 

[YankeeVol]

Yet their population has a far higher percentage of people who don’t care about college sports and people who root for out of state teams.

They care about college basketball quite a bit actually. Lacrosse as well.

I still remember a teacher putting the tourney on during class.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

NY's population is quite large. Roughly 3x that of Tennessee

Yeah but do they really care about college sports?

 

[Unconditional Surrender]

The fact that Neyland has 100k seats and is consistently the most expensive ticket in the country since Covid ought to tell you a little. The above estimates may be correct in terms of casual fans but they don’t measure intensity. I am not saying we are number one but we aren’t that far down. Below Auburn? Come on! Go on social media (Twitter and Facebook) and look at followers for the major sports. That might give a better picture.

 

[YankeeVol]

Yeah but do they really care about college sports?

See one post above.

 

[YankeeVol]

The fact that Neyland has 100k seats and is consistently the most expensive ticket in the country since Covid ought to tell you a little. The above estimates may be correct in terms of casual fans but they don’t measure intensity. I am not saying we are number one but we aren’t that far down. Below Auburn? Come on! Go on social media (Twitter and Facebook) and look at followers for the major sports. That might give a better picture.

Not even Top 10 for 2025. I do remember that at the time, the #1 TN vs. #3 UGA ticket was the most expensive ever on TickPick.

Top 10 most expensive college football game day experiences for 2025

Oddspedia unveiled the most expensive & cheapest game day experiences in college football this upcoming season, with the SEC leading the way.

www.on3.com

 

[Unconditional Surrender]

Not even Top 10 for 2025. I do remember that at the time, the #1 TN vs. #3 UGA ticket was the most expensive ever on TickPick.

Top 10 most expensive college football game day experiences for 2025

Oddspedia unveiled the most expensive & cheapest game day experiences in college football this upcoming season, with the SEC leading the way.

www.on3.com

Just anecdotally that cannot even be close to accurate. I look on the third party sites quite a bit. Tennessee tickets the last 3 years have been higher than Bama, Florida, and LSU. I’ve seen single digits for west coast teams like UCLA and USC

 

[jeff1vol]

If they factor in the "bandwagon" fans... it makes a lot of sense. Folks like winners and there is no doubt that winning correlates to the list above. Population of the home state and the size of the alumni base may factor in as well. Wisconsin and Syracuse DO NOT have a bigger fanbase that UT. Green Bay Packers DOMINATE the fandom in Wisky. And pro sports dominate the NY region as well. I'd like to see their "formula".

 

[Rickyvol77]

If they factor in the "bandwagon" fans... it makes a lot of sense. Folks like winners and there is no doubt that winning correlates to the list above. Population of the home state and the size of the alumni base may factor in as well. Wisconsin and Syracuse DO NOT have a bigger fanbase that UT. Green Bay Packers DOMINATE the fandom in Wisky. And pro sports dominate the NY region as well. I'd like to see their "formula".

Also the study was done by the New York Times, and NE media is often self-absorbed and lacking in actual facts, Northerners always over-estimate themselves in real life

 

[AlsaceFreak]

Does anyone have the real numbers or meaningful data on this? This is all I could find and at first I was shocked until I noticed It says Synthesis of 2011, 2014, and 2019 studies.. Those were not our best years. I assume half our fans were hiding at this point, but maybe I am bias? But look at how low Georgia is, how can a state with 11 million people and two recent natties have fewer fans than Wisconsin? I looked and found an article by Sports Illustrated that I think was regurgitating the same data but instead of Syracuse it had Stanford, so is this whole thing is a joke? This would mean that over half of the people in our state are fans of another team, while other sates like Louisiana the entire state is loyal to LSU, I just don't believe this. This would mean that 8 million people are fans of Alabama and Auburn 3 million more people than the state population... But Tennessee can't even get half of their own state population, I just don't buy that.
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This chart would not be accurate in 2025. Volnation is a behemoth. Go ask the folks in Norman which fanbase covered up their stadium the most during their inaugural season in the SEC. The data used for this was compiled in the same era that had two of our football coaches make the All Time Worst College Football Coaches list recently. We were not very attractive for TV back then.

 

[UT97Vol]

Yet their population has a far higher percentage of people who don’t care about college sports and people who root for out of state teams.

Yep. The list is incredibly inaccurate. Syracuse also has half the number of living alumni as Tennessee and they are in a state/region that doesn't care about college football. There is absolutely no way. Oh and it's NYT's. LMAO.

 

[UT97Vol]

Fanatics Best-Selling Schools (2024 regular season and CFP):

1. Notre Dame
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Texas
5. Tennessee
6. Alabama
7. Michigan
8. Oregon
9. Penn State
10. Florida

 

[Oldvoldad]

The thing is, I don’t care how many “fans” other college teams have. I’m a Tennessee alumnus. I’m Orange, and when I meet another true believer, it’s meaningful. GBO.

I've had the opportunity to travel quite a bit. Nothing better than hearing a good ole, Go Vols! when I was in Rome. I think our base is well represented!