It has everything one could want in a college football town. There's fantastic football, great restaurants and nightlife and enough city resources to stay busy for a long time–but is it really a college town? Columbus, Ohio, ranks 11th on our Top 100 College Football Towns of 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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11. Columbus, Ohio — Ohio State
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As controversy swirls around the program, success in 2018 hangs in the balance.(Photo: Associated Press)[/credit]
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The Program
There is no denying Ohio State's place among the greatest programs in college football history. The Buckeyes have been ranked with clockwork-consistency since the inception of the AP Poll in 1936. During the 80-plus year history of polling, the Buckeyes have not been ranked in just three seasons. They have seven Heisman Trophies. Outside of the state of Michigan, no one can hold a candle to Ohio State's B1G dominance.
Since their first national championship in 1942, they have won national championships in every decade except the 80s and 90s. Their consistency is so ridiculous, Jim Tressel has the shortest tenure since Woody Hayes took over in 1951. In Tressel's 10 years in Columbus, he played in three national championship games, winning one. That's the guy who owns the shortest tenure over the last 57 years.
Urban Meyer has continued that tradition, bringing his own title to Columbus in 2014. Ohio State hasn't finished lower than 12th in any of Meyer's six years in Columbus. Meyer hasn't coached a team at Ohio State that lost more than two games in a season. Let that sink in.
The 2018 Preseason Coaches Poll ranks Ohio State fourth and it is highly expected to be in the College Football Playoff for the third time in five years. While they'll have to replace JT Barrett at quarterback, and seven NFL draft picks, they still have Nick Bosa, who should cause havoc in offensive backfields. If certain things (to be discussed further down) work out, Ohio State will have a lot to be excited about come January.
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The City
Columbus is a city, and Ohio State is a city within the city. Over 66,000 students attended Ohio State in 2017. That's bigger than most college towns. So while it may technically be a college town, with an overall population circling around 823,000, Columbus is a metropolis. Columbus is a college town the same way Boston, Philadelphia and Dallas are college towns. The thing of it is, however, while people from Columbus would have you believe they are not a college town, the city revolves around Ohio State football. The streets in the middle of a Buckeye game look more like a post-apocalyptic world. This city bleeds scarlet (don't call it red) and gray (don't call it silver).
Despite Columbus' general location in the eastern part of the United States, 48 percent of Americans live within 600 miles of Columbus. Which means its close to everything, while still having almost everything. Having said that, it is still in Ohio, and the winters are still gray and dreary. While you may not get the unique character that comes with some of the smaller college gowns, you do get the amenities that come with a big city. The people that live there or go to school there are not watching paint dry Sunday through Friday. There's food from all across the globe served here, enough bars and restaurants to go somewhere new every day of the year. There are parks and zoos, family-friendly events, and not-so-family-friendly activities.
The joys of visiting a major metropolitan city are that it is a major metropolitan city.
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The Good
There are a lot of traditions, specifically "Dotting the i," but for this exercise, there may be no better example of "The Good" in Columbus than being the home of both Wendy's and White Castle.
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The Bad
Meyer is embroiled in controversy after Brett McMurphy broke news that "Meyer knew in 2015 of domestic abuse allegations against a member of his coaching staff." That coach turned out to be Zach Smith. Smith was served a domestic violence civil protection order in July after reported abuse that began in 2009 and continued in 2015. Meyer said at Big 10 media day, he would have fired Smith in 2015 had he known– three years before he did. McMurphy's story proved that statement to be untrue.
Meyer tried to temper the frenzy. He released a statement via Twitter, stating he did know about the abuse allegations and took "appropriate actions." No matter how Meyer frames it, the allegations are quite damaging, and it is unknown if he will recover.
This also follows a continued trend with disgraced head coaches. Woody Hayes hit an opposing player during a game. Jim Tressel lied to the Justice Department during a federal investigation regarding his football program.
As great as Ohio State has been on the field, there have been enough incidents off to cause some uneasiness.
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Bottom Line
You'd be hard-pressed to find a better football program than Ohio State. When you combine historical relevance and the present state, maybe one other school can contend. The college football is fantastic, the tailgating is right up there with the best, and the city provides everything you could ever want. Except you never really feel like you are in a college town.
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NEXT: Top 100 College Football Towns in America: No. 12 Boulder, Colorado
NEXT: The Ultimate College Football Road Trip
