Like no other town on this list, the greatness of this city can carry a mediocre program to one of the best college football towns in America. Even if it can easily be disputed. New Orleans, Louisiana ranks 16th 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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16. New Orleans, Louisiana — Tulane
[credit]Yulman Stadium may be the only place where you can get peace and quiet in New Orleans. But for how long? Willie Fritz might be the man to change that.(Photo: Tulane Athletics )[/credit]
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The Program
To look back at Tulane is to wonder what could have been. One of the charter members of the SEC, the Green Wave competed–really competed–with the top programs in the south, filled up 80,000-seat Tulane Stadium and won three conference championships. Then in a matter of a decade, the once-proud Tulane history was left in the rear-view mirror.
The administration chose to de-emphasize athletics and cut back on money infused into the program, which included scholarships. The program left the SEC and became an independent. It is not that far off-base to wonder if Tulane could have been the premier college football program of Louisiana instead of LSU.
As it stands, Tulane is still feeling the effects of that decision made over 50 years ago. The football program lives in anonymity, averaging around 16,000 fans at the brand new Yulman Stadium. That number should rise, however. Willie Fritz is starting to build a winner, even if it has been 38 years since Tulane went to back-to-back bowl games. Fritz and the-ever dangerous triple-option offense have improved in his two years in New Orleans and more should be expected in year three–including a bowl game berth.
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The City
After that trip down memory lane regarding the program, it could be hard to understand how New Orleans ever made the list. If you are questioning its placement, you have never been to the Big Easy.
There is music, delicious food and culture at every turn. The city's character on display in the sights and sounds that start at dawn and never end. New Orleans is such a vibrant city, that even the funerals turn into parades and have become tourist attractions. Step away from Bourbon Street and enter the many bars and clubs and see lifetime musicians ripping out their innards and putting them on display for you to devour. Most of the music you hear is better than 90 percent that is heard on the radio.
Even though New Orleans' two biggest events, Mardi Gras and its Jazz Festival are in the college football off-season, there is enough passion, history, clubs, restaurants and general environment to quench even your wildest desires.
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The Good
As if the above-stated info wasn't enough, New Orleans' laws, or lack thereof, on to-go cups of a specific type of liquid refreshment mean whether it is a win or loss for Tulane, you can celebrate or drown your sorrows accordingly.
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The Bad
New Orleans was built on silt. That fact alone means the city came from nothing to something. The problem is, according to environmentalist, Louisiana is losing the equivalent of a football field of land mass every hour.
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Bottom Line
Tennessee Williams once said, "America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everything else is Cleveland.” If coach Fritz can right the ship, Tulane football could rise from obscurity and add to the ever-growing list of memorable activities in the Crescent City.
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NEXT: Top 100 College Football Towns in America: No. 17 Pasadena, California
NEXT: The Ultimate College Football Road Trip
