The most popular Maryland destinations may take you to Baltimore or College Park, but if you want the best combination of history, food, culture, people and beauty, there's one spot that stands above the rest. Annapolis, Maryland ranks 30 in our Top 100 College Football Towns in America countdown.
To celebrate 100 days until the start of the college football season, HERO Sports is counting down the Top 100 FBS College Football Towns in America. Each day, through Aug. 24, a new city will be revealed. We will analyze the city, the program, the good and bad of the city as well as the bottom line. If you got a problem, @me on Twitter.
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30. Annapolis, Maryland – Navy
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Navy failed to make a bowl game in 19 out of 20 years before Paul Johnson took over, now the Midshipmen look to make it seven straight under Ken Niumatalolo. (Photo: Navy Football)[/credit]
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The Program
If keeping our country safe was not a big enough responsibility for these Midshipmen, Navy football is tied for the third-oldest program in the country. You want to talk toughness, Navy's most successful years were during World War II. Since then, its given us names like Roger Staubach, and one of the most iconic rivalry games in all of college football, Army-Navy.
Paul Johnson ushered in a new era of Navy football in 2002. Two years after Johnson's initial year, Navy finished the season ranked for the first time in over 40 years. After he left for Georgia Tech, Ken Niumatalolo took over and has continued the success. Only once has Navy finished below .500 during Niumatalolo's tenure.
That streak is most likely to continue in 2018. Starting quarterback Malcolm Perry has been called the most dynamic runner Niumatalolo has seen in his 21 years in Annapolis. With Perry at the helm of the triple option, you can expect a lot of fun and excitement in the American this season.
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The City
Spending dusk in Annapolis is to transplant oneself into a Nicholas Sparks novel. Sitting along the Chesapeake Bay, while sailboats meander on the water as the sun sets below the Atlantic, you can almost see Noah and Alli frolic on the horizon. Outside of the picturesque setting, the city provides anything one could hope for in a tourist destination. Crab cakes are plentiful. So much so, one of Annapolis' city monickers is "Crabtown on the Bay."
Head a few steps inland and saunter along cobblestone streets in the nation's former Capital. That's not to mention the Naval Academy in itself is a place to sit in wonderment at one of our treasured armed services at work.
Whether you seek art, music, pubs, history or everything, there's nothing Annapolis cannot provide.
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The Good
Outside of the variuos elements that make Annapolis great, crab lovers watch out. The Annapolis Rotary hosts the largest Crab Fest of its kind in the world. An all-you-can-eat-and-drink festivity, one can only hope the Benjamin Buford Blue of crab resides among the party-goers informing random guests the various ways one could consume crab.
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The Bad
Every 17 years, Annapolis becomes helpless to a foreign invasion even the Navy can't stop. Cicadas rise from the ground like extras from Michael Jackson's Thriller video, head to the trees to shed their skin, grow a new one and mate with other Cicadas, effectively turning Annapolis into a Hedonism resort for insects.
If the idea of thousands of insects mating wasn't horrific enough, the males attract the opposite sex by serenading them with a humming sound that would give Lloyd Christmas a run for his money.
The next invasion is scheduled for 2021. Prepare accordingly.
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Bottom Line
Annapolis consistently ranks among the best cities in America. If Niumatalolo can muster up a few double-digit seasons in a row, there's no reason not to make Annapolis a top destination for any college football fan.
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NEXT: The Ultimate College Football Road Trip
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