USA Today's 10 best college football towns

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TrueOrange

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America’s 10 best college football towns | Fan Index by Degree

Knoxville comes in at #10.

The setting in Knoxville is unlike any other in the country. On Saturdays, the Tennessee River, which runs through downtown, is crawling with boats full of hardcore fans. (They call themselves the Vol Navy.) And if you’re into nature and not just football, the picturesque Great Smoky Mountain National Park is a 45-minute drive away.
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#3
#3
While I dearly love the Varsity, Knox has more to offer than Athens, College Station, Boise, and the Plains.
 
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#4
#4
Plano Vol said:
While I dearly love the Varsity, Knox has more to offer than Athens, College Station, Boise, and the Plains.
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I think Athens is a great college town, but the Varsity is definitely not the reason.

I have been to every SEC campus and everyone thinks theirs is the best, just as I think Tennessee's is the best. I will say though, now that I have officially participated in the Vol Navy, I can't see how anything compares.
 
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#10
#10
Maybe I am a little biased but don't know how any where else is a better place than Knoxville to watch college sports especially college football.
 
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#13
#13
Knoxville was number one according to Sports Illustrated back in 2004.

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Knoxville, TN - Think your school's game-day experience is all that and a bag of chips? Universities like to carry the one definitive aspect of their programs around like a trump card. But Tennessee sees whatever your school is bringing to the table and bets the House That General Neyland Built that it's got you beat.

What's the competition holding? Washington shows its floating tailgate off Puget Sound only to have Tennessee match it with the Volunteer Navy. Next up is Georgia and its famous bulldog, Uga. Sorry. Compared with Smokey, Tennessee's unflappable bluetick coonhound, Uga looks as clichéd as a poker-playing bulldog.

Michigan and Ohio State put up the Big House (2003 average attendance: 110,918) and the pregame dotting of the i, respectively. Tennessee, however, responds with its own six-digit crowds ('03 average: 105,038), which detonate as the Vols run through the fabled T before the game.

The challengers keep coming: Auburn's Tiger Walk, Nebraska's Sea of Red and West Virginia's Country Roads. Tennessee answers: Vol Walk, Orange Nation, Rocky Top. And don't forget the fabled checkerboard end zone. King the Vols.

1. TENNESSEE
Total Score: 54

ATMOSPHERE: 10. There's plenty of local color, with the Fanta-flavored scene much like the line in Rocky Top: "Wild as a mink but sweet as soda pop." STUDENT SECTION: 8. Cargo-pocket roulette is a common method for sneaking Tennessee Mash into Orange Nation. GOD, COUNTRY, FOOTBALL: 10. Vols fans are notoriously loyal and will pay any price for a ticket. Good thing cops look the other way when it comes to scalping. GIPPER FACTOR: 8. Tennessee leads the nation in wins since 1926, when General Neyland took over. Phillip Fulmer has the highest winning percentage among active I-A coaches. IN-GAME TRADITIONS: 8. Pregame, the Pride of the Southland Band forms the T through which Smokey and the players run. After big wins the quarterback often will conduct the band. EXTRACURRICULARS: 10. "Lookin' for a moonshine still?" as Rocky Top asks. Then you must have a pregame Volguarita at Calhoun's while overlooking the Volunteer Navy on the banks of the Tennessee. But don't miss out on Vol Walk, when players strut down Peyton Manning Pass to the stadium.
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The Best College Weekends - Knoxville, Tn
 
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#14
#14
This is a good sign. Back in the late 70s when I was a student most of us thought the actual city of Knoxville was a dump and none of us had plans to stay in the immediate area after graduating. Of course we all loved the Smokies, but Tellico Lake didn't exist yet (Snail Darter snafu was going on). Glad to see the city and surrounding area has improved so much since then. I know I like the downtown area much better now when I visit.
 
#15
#15
Had Gainesville as honorable mention, so article loses all credibility. Gainesville is an absolute and utter dump.
 
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#20
#20
Dave1967 said:
I wonder what the 10 worst College towns are?
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I can give you my bottom five:


5. Boston--Red Sox, Bruins, and Celtics rule. BC not so
much.

4. Pittsburgh--Heinz field is at its capacity on Sundays
but like a half-empty bottle of Ketchup on Saturdays.

3. Miami--Canes fans make Pitt Panther fans look like die-hards

2. Duke--when you have to offer free Cokes and hot dogs to entice fans to purchase tix to see your rivals you know you have an attendance problem.

1. Birmingham--UAB lost its town's support and the town lost its team.
 
#21
#21
vtvol98 said:
I can give you my bottom five:


5. Boston--Red Sox, Bruins, and Celtics rule. BC not so
much.

4. Pittsburgh--Heinz field is at its capacity on Sundays
but like a half-empty bottle of Ketchup on Saturdays.

3. Miami--Canes fans make Pitt Panther fans look like die-hards

2. Duke--when you have to offer free Cokes and hot dogs to entice fans to purchase tix to see your rivals you know you have an attendance problem.

1. Birmingham--UAB lost its town's support and the town lost its team.
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You could add these

Nashville(Nobody cares about Vanderbilt)
Ames,Iowa(Nobody cares about Iowa State in Iowa)
Tulsa(nobody cares about Tulsa in Oklahoma)
New Orleans (Nobody cares about Tulane or watches their athletics)
Atlanta (GT is getting better but still has attendence problems)
 
#22
#22
Crap article...I live in Boise, aint no way Boise is a better college town than Knoxville. Their stadium holds around 39000 and they dont sell out the games and the fans are always complaining about playing late games or playing games on a Thursday or Friday night.
 
#24
#24
Been to Gainsville, not for a game, but if just talking about the town itself, no way they are in the Top Ten, and neither is Auburn.....all bias aside, Knoxville has come a long way in the past 20 years, its a great town that offers something for everyone, but having the GSM just down the road sure helps, especially for those that like the outdoors.
 
#25
#25
Every sports publication/blog/fan has their own top 10, and none of them are the same. I'm sure that some of them look at other articles before doing theirs to make sure that they've got other teams included. It's all about the clicks.
 
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