Oklahoma Football: Norman Far Down the List of Best Football Cities

Those of us who are card-carrying members of the Sooner Nation know how passionate Oklahoma football fans are about their team.

Because of that, it is a little difficult to fully understand why a recent survey ranked Norman, Okla., all the way down to No. 167 on a list of what it called the best football town in America.

WalletHub.com, a website that provides information to help consumers make prudent financial decisions, recently published a survey ranking the so-called “best cities for football in 2015.” Number one on the list was Green Bay, Wis. The creators of the survey considered 18 different measurements for determining the best U.S. city for football. Included among the data points was such things as fan engagement, ticket prices and the number of college and professional teams and their performance.

Nov 28, 2015; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield (left) and wide receiver Sterling Shepard (right) celebrate with fans after defeating Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium. Oklahoma won 58-23. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports /

Cities that rank the highest on the list, such as Pittsburgh, Denver and New York, have both NFL teams and one or more college teams close to the metropolitan area.

Given that the state of Oklahoma has no NFL teams – the closest being the Dallas Cowboys – it probably isn’t surprising that Norman isn’t in the upper echelon of the list, despite the rich heritage and great football tradition that exists among Oklahoma Sooners fans. But to be perfectly candid, there is no way that Norman should be ranked 75 spots lower than Stillwater, Okla., and just 17 spots higher than Lawrence, Kan., home of perhaps the worst team in all of college football.

Only one Big 12 city (Morgantown, W.Va.) is listed in the top 50 and only two (Manhattan, Kan., and Stillwater, Okla.) are among the top 100.

Here is where the Big 12 cities came out in the WalletHub.com survey:

33. Morgantown, W.Va. (West Virginia)

79. Manhattan, Kan. (Kansas State)

92. Stillwater, Okla. (Oklahoma State)

115. Ft. Worth, Texas (TCU)

137. Austin, Texas (Texas)

143. Lubbock, Texas (Texas Tech)

167. Norman, Okla. (Oklahoma)

174. Ames, Iowa (Iowa State)

183. Lawrence, Kan. (Kansas)

213. Waco, Texas (Baylor)

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