College Football: These five U.S. states have the most FBS programs per capita
By John Scimeca
Which U.S. states have the most NCAA Division I FBS college football programs relative to their population?
Much has been made about the changing state of college football and how the drastic changes have rapidly transformed the game. Many argue that these changes are damaging the game — so much, in fact, that the “haves” are grossly benefiting at the expense of the “have nots,” and that this egregious state of events will only get worse down the road.
University leaders across the country don’t seem to be paying much attention to that, however. Just look at the next two seasons, where three new football programs will join the FBS ranks, swelling its numbers to 133 total teams by the start of 2023.
Five U.S. states stand out among the others in terms of the most I FBS programs per capita – and only four have fewer than 1 million people per school.
Those three additional college football programs — James Madison this fall plus Sam Houston State and Jacksonville State in 2023 — will slightly change the rankings concerning which U.S. states have the most FBS programs per capita.
More teams, too, that are outside of the new, so-called “Power Two” (SEC and Big Ten) conferences are continuing to up the ante in terms of financial support for Division I football at the highest level. Texas Tech, for example, is a program that has had two winning seasons since 2010 and has just announced two financially significant pledges of support for its Red Raiders football team in the Big 12.
Why bother to compile these rankings?
It’s easy to count which states have the most FBS teams — the state of Texas will have 13 FBS programs by the next season. The Lone Star state, however, is home to 29.5 million people and is the second-most populous state in the country behind California. This puts Texas in the middle of the pack in terms of “per capita” rankings.
It’s not to say the states further down the list aren’t as serious about their college football. Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, for instance, only have five FBS programs combined, but their numbers swell significantly when you count FCS programs on the second tier of NCAA Division I football, not to mention the numerous D-II and D-III schools. In fact, 30 college football teams at all levels compete in the state of Pennsylvania.
But there’s something to be said about a state with a significant number of FBS football programs when compared to a relatively small population. It represents an important amount of support and importance placed on college football.
It signifies a commitment of funds, resources, and of attention — typically, an NFL franchise is non-existent and far beyond these states’ borders. A top-flight NCAA Division I football program requires extensive facilities, a lot of professional coaches, administrators, and staff, revenue streams from donors and media rights deals, and of course, butts in the seats — a number of fans that support the team on Saturday afternoons and beyond.
Which American states prioritize top-level college football — which states have the most FBS programs per capita?