Norman landed the No. 4 spot on the 2026 USA Today Sports Readers' Choice Awards list of best college sports towns in America.
The results, announced Aug. 26, placed Norman behind only Missoula, Montana (No. 1), Tuscaloosa, Alabama (No. 2) and Oxford, Mississippi (No. 3). Norman beat out University Park, Pennsylvania; Lexington, Kentucky; Knoxville, Tennessee; Madison, Wisconsin; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Athens, Georgia to round out the top 10.
Norman finished fourth out of 20 nominees.
An expert panel selected the nominees, and readers voted to determine the final rankings. Voting closed Aug. 17.
USA Today Sports described Norman's fan culture as year-round and passionate regardless of sport, praising the downtown scene and tailgating alongside game attendance across football, basketball and other programs.
The ranking arrives as the University of Oklahoma enters the 2026 football season ranked No. 10 in the AP preseason poll, according to Sports Illustrated. OU is the fifth-highest-ranked SEC team heading into the fall.
Every game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium has been sold out since the start of the 1999 season, according to Sooners Wire. USA Today Sports separately ranked the stadium No. 17 among the nation's top 25 college football venues heading into 2026.
KREF sports radio, Norman's Sooner-focused station on 1400 AM, posted the ranking on X on Wednesday. The announcement drew more than 28,000 impressions and 1,290 likes.
@KREFsports: "Norman has been ranked as the No. 4 College Sports Town."
The Sooners open the 2026 football season at home against UTEP before traveling to Michigan for a Sept. 12 matchup.
Coming up in Norman:
- OU football home opener vs. UTEP, Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
- OU at Michigan, Saturday, Sept. 12
