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Athlon Sports recently polled 10 “experts” to find out the top college towns across the country, and to no surprise, SEC country is where you want to be on Saturday afternoons during the fall.
Five college towns from SEC land were listed, with Athens (Georgia) leading the entire nation at No. 1. Oxford (Ole Miss), Knoxville (Tennessee), Baton Rouge (LSU), and Tuscaloosa (Alabama) also made the cut.
“Rich in musical history, Athens’ natural charm has long lured college football fans to Northeast Georgia,” wrote Athlon Sports’ Braden Gall. “Bordering the evergreen campus to the North, the Downtown District is home to some of the South’s best music venues, bars and restaurants. There is a plethora of parks, trails and greenways for those who like the fresh air, but come nightfall, be sure to find your way to The 40 Watt Club or Georgia Theatre for a show. Top it all off with Five Points, a mix of mansions and fine dining.”
Here’s how the complete rankings look, with SEC towns in bold:
1. Athens (Georgia)
2. Madison (Wisconsin)
3. Austin (Texas)
4. Boulder (Colorado)
5. Ann Arbor (Michigan)
6. Oxford (Ole Miss)
7. Eugene (Oregon)
8. Palo Alto (Stanford)
9. Chapel Hill (North Carolina)
10. Charlottesville (Virginia)
11. Seattle (Washington)
12. Knoxville (Tennessee)
13. State College (Penn State)
14. Berkeley (California)
15. Baton Rouge (LSU)
16. West Point (Army)
17. Clemson (Clemson)
18. Tuscaloosa (Alabama)
19. South Bend (Notre Dame)
20. Laramie (Wyoming)
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
