What City Is the Capital of College Football? Power Ranking Top 20 Nominees

If the nation of college football was going to declare a capital city, which town would wear the crown?

Yes, if we were to anoint one metropolis the center of the collegiate pigskin universe, the site in which to erect our capitol edifice, the font of all institutional football...where would it be?

The following slideshow dares to go where no Internet presentation has ventured previously and power ranks, for your pleasure, the top-20 civic nominees to be deemed the “capital of college football.”

These are the places dotting our sweeping landscape that true college-football fans must make a pilgrimage to, even if they mightily detest the spirit relics that are adored at the destination.

These, friends, are the proverbial Meccas of the greatest team sport in these United States. Let us, therefore, go forth, girding our loins with honor and respect, and pay homage to history.

20. Pittsburgh, Pa.

Perhaps a surprise candidate for the honor of being named the capital of college football, the University of Pittsburgh provides its home city with a compelling nomination bid.

Pitt has nine national titles in its long history, and though eight of those where won before 1940, the Panthers won the whole ball of wax as recently as 1976.

The Panthers are the alma mater of Dan Marino, Tony Dorsett (Heisman winner in 1976), Mark May and Mike Ditka and have been led on to the field by Pop Warner (1915-23), Jock Sutherland (1924-38) and Johnny Majors (1973-96).

19. College Station, Texas

The home of Texas A&M University, College Station is as passionate a college-football city as you’ll find anywhere in the nation.

The truth is there are loads of passionate college towns dotting the country, but only a select few can back up their fervor with a solid history of results.

And that’s what this list is all about.

Texas A&M lays claim to two national titles in its history, and though they haven’t won it all since 1939, the Aggies boast a whopping 18 conference crowns in their history.

This puts them in the top 10 among the 20 programs on our list in terms of league titles.

The Aggies claim one Heisman winner (John David Crow in 1957). What holds A&M back in this contest is that it hasn’t done much from a football perspective since the late 1990s.

18. Gainesville, Fla.

The University of Florida didn’t really turn the key on its elite football vehicle until 1990, when Steve Spurrier replaced Galen Hall on the Gator sidelines.

Since that time, Florida has won three national championships, two Heisman Trophies and eight SEC crowns.

The Gators are 5-1 in BCS play and claim alumni such as Cris Collinsworth, Rex Grossman, Percy Harvin, Wilber Marshall, Emmitt Smith, Jack Youngblood, Danny Wuerffel and Tim Tebow.

The Gators don’t have the long-term historical success that others do on our list, but if they continue at their current pace, Gainesville will move up this list in rapid fashion.

17. Athens, Ga.

The home of the Georgia Bulldogs, the city of Athens puts together a solid bid package for capital status. And this is true despite the fact the Bulldogs haven’t won it all since 1980.

Georgia claims national titles in 1942 and 1980, has two Heisman Trophies in its case (Frank Sinkwich in 1942 and Herschel Walker in 1982) and, overall, has earned 14 conference crowns.

Though the Bulldogs haven’t vied for a national championship in quite some time, they’ve won the SEC twice since 2000, and they’ve been to the Sugar Bowl three times during the same span.

Georgia has been led from the sidelines by the likes of Pop Warner (1895-96) and Vince Dooley (1964-88) and boasts an alumni catalog which includes Fran Tarkenton and Kevin Butler.

If Georgia can fight its way back to the top of the SEC, it will do nothing but strengthen Athens’ case in the capital race.

16. Knoxville, Tenn.

Knoxville, like College Station, is home to a literal throng of crazed college football fans, but it’s also a locale infused with a history of winning.

Tennessee has captured four national championships (1938, 1950, 1951 and 1998) and 16 conference titles, but the Vols have yet to bring home a Heisman Trophy.

Perhaps the most impressive stat in Knoxville’s bid package is the fact that the Volunteers are 794-347, or 69.58 percent all-time in football, giving them a top-10 spot among teams on our list in terms of winning percentage.

Tennessee’s early glory was engineered by coaching great Bob Neyland (1926-52) and further enhanced by Johnny Majors (1977-92) and Phillip Fulmer (1992-2008).

Notable Volunteer alumni include Bobby Dodd, Reggie White, Eric Berry and a guy named Peyton Manning.

15. Miami, Fla.

Another city and school with success that’s all relatively recent, the University of Miami began fielding a football team in 1927, but didn’t really start playing big-time ball until Howard Schnellenberger rolled into town in 1979.

Overall, the Hurricanes claim a whopping five national championships for their city (1983, 1987, 1989, 1991 and 2001), nine conference crowns and two Heisman Trophies.

The honor roll of head coaches who led Miami in its glory days are (along with Schnellenberger) Jimmy Johnson (1984-88), Dennis Erickson (1989-94), Butch Davis (1995-2000) and Larry Coker (2001-06).

The Hurricanes' alumni listing is overwhelmingly impressive, with names like Vinny Testaverde, Gino Torretta, Ken Dorsey, Warren Sapp, Bennie Blades, Craig Erickson, Russell Maryland, Jim Otto, Jim Kelly, Ted Hendricks, Michael Irvin and Cortez Kennedy.

Regardless of whether or not Miami can reach national prominence again and despite the fact that Miami (or Coral Gables) isn’t really a “college town,” this is a great football city.

14. Auburn, Ala.

Auburn University has captured three national titles (1913, 1957 and 2010) for its same-name hometown, meaning that it's managed to win it all in three completely different eras of college football history.

The Tigers also lay claim to 11 league crowns and are home to three Heisman winners: Pat Sullivan in 1971, Bo Jackson 1985 and Cam Newton in 2010.

Coaching legends who served at Auburn include none other than John W. Heisman (1895-99), Mike Donahue (1904-22) and Pat Dye (1981-92).

To go along with their Heisman winners, Auburn’s former football students include names like Tracy Rocker, Carlos Rogers and Nick Fairley.

Auburn is a town that is trending upwards in terms of capital consideration.

13. Baton Rouge, La.

Though many would argue that LSU’s hometown is too low on our list, the Tigers are historically a sporadically successful program.

LSU has won the cheesy enchilada four times in history (1908, 1958, 2003 and 2007); they claim 14 conference titles and are in possession of but one Heisman (Billy Cannon won in 1959).

Yes, the Tigers have been very, very successful since 2000, but overall, this is a team that is 734-390 in football (65.3 percent), which is only No. 13 among the 20 teams on our list.

Notable alumni include Tommy Casanova, Glenn Dorsey, Patrick Peterson, Morris Claiborne and Charles Alexander.

Baton Rouge is already the capital city of Louisiana, and there is no doubt that LSU is a great football school. But still, you have to admit that there are towns and teams who have, at this moment, more suitable resumes to fill the job of “center of the universe.”

12. Tallahassee, Fla.

Another state capital with a top-tier college-football team in town, Tallahassee is home to both the Florida statehouse and the Florida State Seminoles football team.

Though the Seminoles have only been lacing it up since 1947, they have an overall record of 473-235 (66.80 percent), which ranks No. 12 among the schools mentioned here.

Florida State has earned two national crowns (1993 and 1999), a whopping 15 conference titles and can claim two Heisman trophy winners (Charlie Ward in 1993 and Chris Weinke in 2000).

Former ‘Noles of note include Marvin Jones, Paul McGowan, Casey Weldon, Deion Sanders, Terrell Buckley, Jamal Reynolds, Sebastian Janikowski, Christian Ponder, Ron Sellers, Fred Biletnikoff and Ron Simmons.

Though Florida State’s vital statistics are rock-solid across the board, more huge successes moving forward are necessary for Tallahassee to break into the top-10 contenders for the capital prize.

11. West Point, N.Y.

Though it’s hard to make a convincing case for a town with a school that hasn’t been relevant in big-time college football since the WWII era, it’s still impossible to leave Army and West Point off this list.

Yes, there are brighter points of light on the college-football trail than the U.S. Military Academy, but still, it’s difficult to find one as historically luminescent.

Army claims national titles in 1914, 1916, 1944, 1945 and 1946 and is the proud guardian of three Heisman Trophies (Doc Blanchard in 1945, Glenn Davis in 1946 and Pete Dawkins in 1958).

Army football has been led onto the field by legends such as Charles Daly (1913-22), Red Blaik (1941-58) Paul Dietzel (1962-65) and Tom Cahill (1966-73).

While it’s true that the Black Knights aren’t necessarily considered relevant on the current landscape of college football, their place in history—and, therefore, their hometown’s place on this list—is a lock.

10. University Park, Pa.

Sometimes referred to as “Happy Valley,” University Park is home to Penn State University and Nittany Lions football.

Penn State has four national titles in its glorious history (1911, 1912, 1982 and 1986) and claims one Heisman winner (John Cappelletti in 1973).

Though the Nittany Lions have only won the Big Ten three times, it’s important to remember that they were an independent, conference-less school from 1881-1992.

What earns Penn State and University Park a top-10 slot in our illustrious listing is an overall football record of 828-361, or 69.63 percent, which earns No. 9 honors among the teams represented here.

Penn State’s roll of former football students includes Kerry Collins, Larry Johnson, LaVar Arrington, Bobby Engram, Paul Posluszny, Todd Blackledge, Mike Reid, Jack Ham, Franco Harris, Matt Millen and Mike Munchak.

9. Princeton, N.J.

Princeton, like West Point, is a difficult case to make when you’re discussing how to power rank cities who could be dubbed the “capital of college football.”

The situation with Princeton is exasperated by the fact that it doesn’t even play in the confines of the FBS, or what was Division I-A.

But, yet and still, and above and beyond all logic and arguments to the contrary, it would be irresponsible and quite negligent to leave Princeton, N.J. off our list or out of the top 10.

Why?

Well, let’s begin with 26 national championships (the most in history), 18 conference titles and a Heisman winner who came well after the proverbial “love was gone.”

Yes, the Tigers’ Heisman victor, Dick Kazmaier, came in 1951, a full 16 years after Princeton had scored its final national championship.

If you are thinking, “Princeton hasn’t won anything since 1935 and won 19 of its national titles before 1900,” you are absolutely correct.

But, this is the team that played in the very first college-football game in history, the team that has more major college football national championships than anyone, and they are a team that is 790-386 (67.17 percent) all-time.

This mark puts Princeton at No. 11 in winning percentage among the 20 teams on our list. And though the Tigers haven’t competed in Division I-A since 1981, they haven’t necessarily dropped off the face of the earth either.

They’ve kept winning games, regardless of where they landed, and you simply can’t say that about everyone else.

The numbers don’t lie. Princeton, N.J. is and will always be one of the great cities in the storied history of college football.

8. Austin, Texas

Yet another state capital that touts an elite college-football program, Austin is home to the Texas Longhorns.

Texas (or “UT” as it is known in the Lone Star State) has one of the best “college football capital” resumes in the game.

The team boasts four national crowns (1963, 1969, 1970 and 2005), 31 conference championships, two Heisman Trophies (Earl Campbell in 1977 and Ricky Williams in 1998) and an all-time record of 858-333 (72.04 percent), which ranks No. 5 among teams on this list.

The Longhorns have been led by legends such as Dana X. Bible (1937-46), Darrell Royal (1957-76) and Fred Akers (1977-86) and count Tommy Nobis, Vince Young, Colt McCoy, Cedric Benson, Bobby Layne, Chris Gilbert and Brian Orakpo among their alumni.

The only thing that holds Texas back from finding a higher slot on our list is the fact that it's won only four national titles (the fewest in the top eight).

7. Lincoln, Neb.

Certainly a beacon of football hope on the wide swath of Great Plains, Lincoln, Neb. is home to the University of Nebraska and its mighty Cornhuskers.

Nebraska owns five national titles (1970, 1971, 1994, 1995 and 1997) and a whopping 46 conference championships, and it is home to three Heisman Trophy winners (Johnny Rodgers in 1972, Mike Rozier in 1983 and Eric Crouch in 2001).

Past Husker sideline leaders include Dana X. Bible (1929-36), Bob Devaney (1962-72), Tom Osborne (1973-97) and Frank Solich (1998-2003).

Nebraska’s alumni roll, from a player standpoint, flourishes with names like Ndamukong Suh, Tommie Frazier, Dean Steinkuhler, Dave Rimington, Rich Glover, Roger Craig, Broderick Thomas, Tom Novak, Trev Alberts and Alex Henery.

Big Red’s 856-349 overall mark is No. 8 on our list. Really the only factors keeping them out of the top five are the fact that they weren’t nationally dominant until the '70s, and their total of five national crowns, though impressive, is low relative to the programs listed above them.

Regardless, Lincoln has got it all and would have to be considered a serious candidate in any real discussion of a “capital of college football.”

6. Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Though Tide fans and SEC enthusiasts everywhere will no doubt cry “foul ball” at Tuscaloosa coming in at No. 6 as opposed to, say, No. 1, we’ll let the numbers speak for themselves.

Yes, the Crimson Tide lay claim to a mind-numbing 13 national titles (tied with Notre Dame for No. 3 all-time), and yes, these championships are spread out over an impressive seven decades that date back to 1926. But after that, things get dicey.

To begin with, Alabama has 26 conference titles, which is certainly nothing to snort at, but it is the fewest among the top eight of our list (not including the eternally independent Notre Dame).

Then you’ve got an overall record of 814-320 (71.78 percent), which is No. 6 in this presentation. And finally, what really hurts is the mere one Heisman Trophy, which Alabama finally captured in 2009 via Mark Ingram.

Alabama has been led onto the field over time by such greats as Wallace Wade (1923-30), Bear Bryant (1958-82) and Gene Stallings (1990-96). Notable player alumni include Don Hutson, Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Ozzie Newsome, Derrick Thomas, Johnny Musso, Cornelius Bennett, Steve Sloan, Kenny Stabler, Pat Trammell, Trent Richardson, Johnny Mack Brown, Lee Roy Jordan and Billy Neighbors.

There is no doubt that Tuscaloosa is a Grade AAA football destination that is trending upwards as we speak. But when you put the Tide’s achievements across the board against history, they’re not a top-three program…yet.

Still, and despite all the numeric chatter, Tuscaloosa, Ala. is as serious a nominee to be sworn in as “capital of college football” as any fair city on our list.

It’s like walking through history.

5. Los Angeles, Cal.

Kicking off our top-five cities, we’ve got L.A., home to both USC and UCLA. But in this instance, the West Coast municipality appears on our list because of the Trojans.

Yes, you could add the Bruins in and come up with a blockbuster argument for No. 1, but for the sake of a level playing field, each city claims one program in this presentation.

The Men of Troy have racked up 10 national titles in their storied history, bringing home the bacon in the 1920s, '30s, '60s, '70s and 2000s, meaning this is no “Johnny comes lately” affair.

USC owns 38 conference titles and seven Heisman Trophy winners (tied with Notre Dame and Ohio State for No. 1), and its 779-313 all-time mark (71.33 percent) earns it No. 7 honors among the teams listed here.

Past USC head coaches include Gus Henderson (1919-24), Howard Jones (1925-40), John McKay (1960-75), John Robinson (1976-97) and Pete Carroll (2001-09).

Among the vast array of notable Trojan player alumni are Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Charles White, Marcus Allen, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, Pat Haden, Leroy Holt, Keyshawn Johnson, Lynn Swann, Tony Boselli, Bruce Matthews, Junior Seau, Ronnie Lott and Rodney Peete.

What separates USC and L.A. from our top-four cities/squads is the fact that its overall winning percentage is lower than the top dogs and it hasn’t hauled in as many conference crowns.

Still, you’d have to be a raving fool to not want to set your sights on the Coliseum one glorious fall afternoon. And with all the championship hardware, tradition and Roman breast plates in town, L.A. is definitely capital-worthy.

4. Columbus, Ohio

Columbus has it all…it’s the state capital of Ohio, it boasts one of the most zealous fanbases in college sports, and it’s got the gridiron history necessary to make it a serious applicant in our race to become the bastion of pigskin.

Ohio State lays claim to seven national titles, 37 conference crowns, a record seven Heisman Trophies and an overall win-loss record of 825-316 (72.3 percent), giving the Buckeyes the No. 4 slot in all-time winning percentage among teams on this list.

Impressively, Ohio State’s national crowns are spread across five decades that begin in the WWII era.

The Buckeyes have been led from the sidelines by the likes of Paul Brown (the Paul Brown, 1941-43), Woody Hayes (1951-78), Earl Bruce (1979-87), John Cooper (1988-2000) and the recently departed Jim Tressel (2001-10).

Ohio State player alumni include Archie Griffin, Eddie George, Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, Troy Smith, Chris Spielman, Orlando Pace, A.J. Hawk, Andy Katzenmoyer, Mike Nugent, James Laurinaitis, Jim Otis, Jack Tatum, Cris Carter and Mike Vrabel.

What keeps Columbus out of the top three is the fact that though all the other stats jive, the Buckeyes have only hauled in seven national titles.  Seven is no doubt impressive, especially given the rest of the package, but it still falls short.

Columbus’ application for a capital designation is as strong us the unmixed Kool-Aid they serve up in August outside of the Horseshoe.

3. Norman, Okla.

Representing the Big 12 and the former Big 8 in our race to earn “capital” honors, Norman, Okla. is a supreme football destination.

Like Ohio State at No. 4, Oklahoma claims just seven national crowns, but it has a whopping 42 conference championships vs. the Buckeyes' 37.

The combination of league titles (seven have come since 2000) with the No. 3 slot in our rankings in winning percentage (72.54) packs a punch that Ohio State simply can’t handle.

The only weakness in the Sooners' bid package is their five Heisman winners, which is two less than both Ohio State and USC.

Former Oklahoma coaches include Bud Wilkinson (1947-63), Chuck Fairbanks (1967-72) and Barry Switzer (1973-88).

The long honor roll of Sooner football alumni is dotted with names like Billy Vessels, Kurt Burris, Steve Owens, Greg Pruitt, Billy Sims, Josh Heupel, Jason White, Adrian Peterson, Sam Bradford, Tommy McDonald, Brian Bosworth, Roy Williams and Lee Roy Selmon.

Norman, Okla...capital of college football?

2. Ann Arbor, Mich.

Coming in at a strong No. 2 in our chase to be the Mecca of college football, Ann Arbor has all the right stuff to elicit a full-throttle pilgrimage.

The Michigan Wolverines have captured 11 national titles in their storied history and also lay claim to 42 conference titles and three Heisman Trophy winners.

What resonates strongest in reviewing Ann Arbor’s application is the fact that all 42 of Michigan's conference crowns come via Big Ten titles. 

This is very significant, as most of the other programs on this list began in a smaller conference or were members of a predecessor to what became one of today’s BCS leagues. 

In most of these cases, some of the listed conference titles were won in other leagues which were frequently less competitive.

Michigan’s titles don’t fall into this category.

The other huge “wow” factor in the Wolverines' capital bid is that their winning percentage is No. 1 among the 20 teams that make up our distinguished list.  Yes, Blue’s 74.15 winning percentage is tops, but only by a 0.24 margin over No. 2 Notre Dame.

What keeps Ann Arbor, and Michigan, out of the No. 1 slot is the fact that first, they have done less lately than others on the upper crust of our rankings (laying Notre Dame aside), and secondly, their three Heisman winners put them well behind in the bronze-trophy race.

Notable sideline czars in Michigan’s long history include Fielding Yost (1901-26), Harry Kipke (1929-37), Fritz Crisler (1938-47), Bo Schembechler (1969-89) and Lloyd Carr (1995-2007).

The alumni listing for the Wolverine football program is as impressive as any in the land and includes names like Tom Harmon, Desmond Howard, Charles Woodson, Erick Anderson, Elvis Grbac, Chris Perry, Braylon Edwards, Anthony Carter, Jim Harbaugh, Tyrone Wheatley, Tim Biakabutuka, Tom Brady, Todd Collins, Ron Kramer and former President of the United States Gerald Ford (he didn’t just go to school at Michigan, he played football there).

If Ann Arbor, Mich. is not a college-football Mecca, then frankly, there is no such place on the planet.

1. South Bend, Ind.

Whether you love it or hate it, it’s difficult to make a case that Notre Dame and its hometown of South Bend don’t combine to hold a lion’s share of the mystique, tradition and winning history associated with college football.

And this is so not because NBC plays cheesy music in the background when it tells us it is so; no, instead, it is true because the numbers simply don’t lie.

Notre Dame owns 13 national titles which spread nicely through the 1910s, '20s, '30s, '40s, '60s, '70s and '80s, a fact that signals a consistent brand of domination.

The Irish boast a whopping seven Heisman winners and an all-time winning percentage of 73.91, which is No. 2 only just barely behind Michigan.

Due to their independently drawn-up schedule with traditional rivals from across the swath of our great nation, the path to the national championship has often, over all the years our game has been played, gone through South Bend.

Legendary gridiron leaders Knute Rockne (1918-30), Elmer Layden (1934-40), Frank Leahy (1941-53), Ara Parseghian (1964-74), Dan Devine (1975-80) and Lou Holtz (1986-96) have coached at Notre Dame.

Irish alumni of note are plentiful and include Curly Lambeau, Paul Hornug, Alan Page, Joe Montana, Nick Buoniconti, Dave Casper, Angelo Bertelli, Tim Brown, Jim Crowley, George Gipp, Johnny Lattner, Johnny Lujack, Joe Theismann, Chris Zorich, John Huarte, Terry Hanratty and Raghib Ismail.

The real arguments against South Bend and Notre Dame taking the top spot are the fact that they haven’t won it all since 1988 (a legitimate argument indeed) and that without a conference affiliation, we just have to assume that if they weren’t independent, they could have racked up league titles like a Michigan or Oklahoma has.

Is this a fair assumption? It’s really impossible to know.

Despite all this, the numbers are simply hard to argue, and just because it may make you sick doesn’t mean that it isn’t true.

If we were to build that college-football edifice, a pigskin capital per se, we’d likely build it in South Bend, Ind.

Or Ann Arbor, or Norman, or Columbus, or Los Angeles, or Lincoln, or Austin or a dozen places in between.