The 2024 college football season brings an expanded playoff system, more conference realignment and perhaps a heightened sense of anticipation.
College football season is almost here. So BetOhio.com – your source for the best Ohio sports betting promo codes – used Google Trends to see which Ohio metro area is most excited for college football. Our numbers are based on search interest scores for the phrase “college football” between July 24 and July 31, 2024.
Ohio College Football Excitement
Rank | Metro Area | Score |
1 | Lima | 100 |
2 | Zanesville | 97 |
3 | Columbus | 92 |
4 | Toledo | 90 |
5 | Steubenville | 88 |
Which Ohio City Anticipates Football Most?
The cities that show up on our list are spread all over the state, showing the depth of interest in college football in Ohio. This will be the second college football season in which folks can use online or retail Ohio sportsbooks to wager on college football.
The town of Lima (population 34,500 according to the World Population Review website) tops our list for college football search interest at 100. Lima, in the western part of the state, is reasonable driving distance from Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State, Big 12 member Cincinnati, and Mid-American Conference rivals Miami (Ohio), Bowling Green and Toledo.
Other Ohio Metro Areas On List
In second place with a search volume score of 97 is Zanesville, about 50 miles east of Columbus. Speaking of the state capital, and the home of Ohio State University, Columbus is third on our list (92 search volume). Check out Ohio State odds to win national championship when the 2024 college football season gets underway.
Toledo, the fourth-largest city in the state, is also fourth on our list with 90 points. It’s a hotbed for the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry as a border city, just south of the Michigan state line. Eastern Ohio is represented on our list by Steubenville (88), which borders West Virginia.
The Buckeyes are favored to win the Big Ten championship this season as the league expands to 18 teams by adding Oregon, Washington, UCLA and USC. The College Football Playoff has also grown as 2024 is the first year with a 12-team playoff format. At bet365 Ohio Sportsbook, as of Aug. 2, OSU is tied with Georgia at -600 odds as the biggest favorites to make the CFP.
USA Today Network photo by Carter Skaggs/The Enquirer
