U-M beats Ohio State on list of best sports fan schools

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The University of Michigan beat out Ohio State on a list of the best schools for sports fans.

USA Today has released its 10 best colleges for sports fans , a list voted on by readers after an expert panel selected the finalists.

The University of Michigan came in at No. 5, just beating out Ohio State University, which came in at No. 6.

The article noted the school’s almost 60 national championships, which includes last year’s football national championship. More than 300 Olympic athletes have also come from the school’s athletics program, the list said.

“Each game day, frenzied fans flood The Big House — the largest stadium in the U.S. by capacity — to support the Wolverines, clad in Michigan maize and blue,” USA Today wrote.

Ohio State, meanwhile, was noted for the more than 100,000 fans that typically show up to the Ohio Stadium on football game days. The only other achievement the editors decided was worth mentioning was the rivalry it has with the University of Michigan, “one of the best rivalries in college sports.”

The University of Tennessee topped the list, claiming the title of the No. 1 college for sports fans.

The Wolverine’s also made the list of the 10 best college sports traditions , for the ‘Blues Brothers’ dance. The tradition, with fans participating in a choreographed dance, started at a University of Michigan hockey game, according to USA Today.

That tradition was ranked at No. 5.

It yet again beat out Ohio, which came in at No. 8 with its Script Ohio tradition, where the school’s marching band spell out ‘Ohio’ on the field.

Michigan State University did not make either list.

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