Birmingham: The college football viewing ‘Capital of the U.S.’

Birmingham, Alabama is the “football capital of the world” when it comes down to watching college football on TV, 

The Magic City watched more college football than any city in the U.S. between July 31 to December 17, according to Nielsen ratings for the 2025 season. 

Two Ohio State markets, Columbus and Dayton, captured the No.2 and No.3 spots, while Clemson fans in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville market landed in the 4th spot.  

SEC dominant markets (plus Atlanta with Georgia Tech and Tulsa (Oklahoma State) rounded out the top 10 list

Below is the list:

1. Birmingham (Alabama/Auburn)
2. Columbus (Ohio State)
3. Dayton (Ohio State)
4. Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville (Clemson)
5. Tulsa (Oklahoma/Oklahoma State)
6. Oklahoma City (Oklahoma)
7. Atlanta (Georgia/Georgia Tech)
8. Knoxville (Tennessee)
9. New Orleans (LSU)
10. Jacksonville (Florida/Georgia)

Nielsen released the Top 10 local markets for CFB viewership this season.

As always, Birmingham. pic.twitter.com/n4LelmCtF4

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) January 15, 2026

Birmingham topping sports viewership rankings is not surprising. According to a Bham Now story in 2021, more sports fans watched ESPN from The Magic City than any other U.S. city for more than a decade.

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