Florida ranked 17th most popular for college football among the 50 states, according to a Watchdog analysis of college sports participation.
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education collects athletics data annually from all institutions with intercollegiate athletics programs that receive funding through federal financial aid programs. Data for 2016 – the latest year available – includes more than 2,000 schools nationwide.
California is the most popular state for football, with 7,360 players, followed by Pennsylvania (5,616) and Texas (5,273).
In all, there are 91,057 football players for colleges and universities in the United States.
College football popularity rankings
| Rank | State | Total football participation |
| 1 | California | 7,360 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | 5,616 |
| 3 | Texas | 5,273 |
| 4 | Ohio | 4,762 |
| 5 | New York | 3,620 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 3,596 |
| 7 | Illinois | 3,544 |
| 8 | Iowa | 3,006 |
| 9 | Kansas | 2,873 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 2,782 |
| 11 | Minnesota | 2,739 |
| 12 | Michigan | 2,601 |
| 13 | Virginia | 2,593 |
| 14 | Missouri | 2,331 |
| 15 | Indiana | 2,117 |
| 16 | Georgia | 2,029 |
| 17 | Florida | 1,989 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 1,985 |
| 19 | Mississippi | 1,938 |
| 20 | Kentucky | 1,895 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 1,828 |
| 22 | Alabama | 1,728 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | 1,694 |
| 24 | South Carolina | 1,549 |
| 25 | Arkansas | 1,459 |
| 26 | West Virginia | 1,410 |
| 27 | Louisiana | 1,388 |
| 28 | Nebraska | 1,276 |
| 29 | Oregon | 1,181 |
| 30 | Arizona | 1,056 |
| 31 | Colorado | 1,030 |
| 32 | South Dakota | 1,030 |
| 33 | North Dakota | 1,021 |
| 34 | Maryland | 940 |
| 35 | New Jersey | 909 |
| 36 | Connecticut | 877 |
| 37 | Utah | 820 |
| 38 | Montana | 777 |
| 39 | Washington | 714 |
| 40 | New Mexico | 608 |
| 41 | Maine | 482 |
| 42 | New Hampshire | 452 |
| 43 | Rhode Island | 405 |
| 44 | Idaho | 376 |
| 45 | Washington D.C. | 345 |
| 46 | Vermont | 298 |
| 47 | Delaware | 294 |
| 48 | Nevada | 223 |
| 49 | Hawaii | 119 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 119 |
| Total | 91,057 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education
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