RotoWire.com used Google Trends to see the search interest scores over the past month on September 10, 2025, for the search terms "College Football" and "NFL." We then found the two cities in each state that had the highest search volume for college football and the highest for NFL.
Then, using ChatGPT, we created a map showcasing the different search volumes across the U.S. for these terms.
The darker purple shows the higher search volume for NFL news, while the orange shows the volume for college football.
Top College Football States and Cities
State | College Football Search Score | College Football Top City |
Alabama | 100 | Dothan |
South Carolina | 73 | Columbia |
Mississippi | 69 | Meridian |
Georgia | 67 | Thomasville |
Nebraska | 64 | North Platte |
Tennessee | 63 | Knoxville |
Oklahoma | 54 | Oklahoma City |
Louisiana | 52 | Baton Rouge |
Ohio | 50 | Lima |
Iowa | 45 | Sioux City |
Given the continued success of the state's flagship university and the sporadic rise of their rivals on the Plains, it's likely of little surprise to learn that Alabama is the top state for college football fandom nationally, with a perfect search score of 100, 27 points higher than the next closest market (Georgia, at 73).
Overall, the Yellowhammer State lays claim to seven national championships this century, with the Crimson Tide being the last to win it all back in 2020, while Auburn's lone title came in the BCS era when Cam Newton led the Tigers to a title in 2010.
South Carolina's lone titles in the 21st century came from the Clemson Tigers of the ACC, with Dabo Swinney leading the program to CFP crowns in 2016 and 2018, while the third-place state (Mississippi, at 69) last had a champion in 1960, when the Ole Miss Rebels split that year's championship with Minnesota.
After those three Southern belles, states like Georgia (67 search interest score), Nebraska (64 score), Tennessee (63 score), Oklahoma (54 score), Louisiana (52 score), Ohio (50 score) and Iowa (45 score) were the next most college football-crazed locations, helping to explain why the SEC has taken home as many titles as the conference has over the last several decades.
For reference, this year's CFP odds board at bet365 has several teams from those CFB hotbeds at or near the top of the list, with Ohio State (+550), Penn State (+650), Texas, Georgia and Oregon (+700 each), LSU (+1000) and Alabama (+1400) leading the charge to win it all in 2025.
Top NFL States and Cities
State | NFL Search Score | NFL Top City |
North Dakota | 100 | East Dunseith |
South Dakota | 97 | Wilmot |
Minnesota | 91 | Bayport |
Wisconsin | 87 | Little Suamico |
Delaware | 84 | Felton |
Wyoming | 83 | South Flat |
Colorado | 83 | Blackhawk |
Nevada | 83 | Laughlin |
New Mexico | 83 | Prewitt |
Pennsylvania | 80 | Bradford |
When it comes to the pros, the trends when it comes to online search interest are a little blurrier, geographically, as the leading states (North and South Dakota) have no direct tie to the 32-team league, while the next two (Minnesota and Wisconsin) have a team apiece.
Overall, North Dakota was the leader in the NFL search interest race, with a perfect search interest score of 100, while the Roughrider State's southern neighbor was next up, at 97, followed by Minnesota (91 score), Wisconsin (87 score) and Delaware (84 score).
Throw in a few more states, such as Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico (83 score each) and Pennsylvania (80 score) and you have the NFL interest board covered, speaking to the nationwide ties to the league, regardless of whether a given state has a team to call its own.
As for the action on the field this NFL season, oddsmakers from FanDuel Sportsbook currently list the Baltimore Ravens as the odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl LX, at +490, while the Buffalo Bills (+600), Green Bay Packers (+700), Philadelphia Eagles (+750) and Kansas City Chiefs (+1200) are next in line.
