A professor at Emory University believes there is a science to understanding NFL fandom.

His formula puts Broncos Country among the league’s elite supporters.

Mike Lewis, the faculty director for the school’s marketing analytics center, released his annual rankings of NFL fans this week and Denver checked in at No. 7; tops in the AFC West ahead of the Raiders (No. 17), Chargers (No. 26) and Chiefs (No. 31). Lewis took into account three main factors in establishing his list.

— Fan equity: Home ticket revenues.

— Social equity: Level of fan engagement through social media channels.

— Road equity: Away game fan attendance relative to team performance.

While Broncos Country did not rank among the best road-traveling fan bases, the Mile High home-sellout streak dates back to 1970 and the @Broncos Twitter account current features over 2.6 million followers, giving Denver its top-10 distinction. Here’s how the rest of the league ranked out in the study.

1. Dallas Cowboys

2. New England Patriots

3. Philadelphia Eagles

4. New York Giants

5. Pittsburgh Steelers

6. Green Bay Packers

7. Denver Broncos

8. Chicago Bears

9. San Francisco 49ers

10. New Orleans Saints

11. Washington Redskins

12. Indianapolis Colts

13. Atlanta Falcons

14. Miami Dolphins

15. Seattle Seahawks

16. Carolina Panthers

17. Oakland Raiders

18. Baltimore Ravens

19. Buffalo Bills

20. New York Jets

21. Houston Texans

22. Detroit Lions

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

24. Minnesota Vikings

25. Arizona Cardinals

26. Los Angeles Chargers

27. Cleveland Browns

28. Cincinnati Bengals

29. Jacksonville Jaguars

30. Tennessee Titans

31. Kansas City Chiefs

32. Los Angeles Rams

— Kyle Fredrickson, The Denver Post

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What’s on tap?

TV/RADIO: Here’s what sports are airing today

Must-Read

Unable to post test scores good enough to accept a Division I offer, Broncos rookie running back Devontae Jackson had a different type of freshman year in 2014. Read more…

What the Broncos hope Butt can do is join healthy tight ends Noah Fant and Jeff Heuerman as middle-of-the-field targets for quarterback Joe Flacco. Butt had eight catches for 85 yards in three games last year. Read more…

A crowd estimated at 500 people filed into the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on Monday afternoon to remember Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, who died June 13 at the age of 75 due to Alzheimer’s. Read more…

Quick Hits

+ Broncos Mailbag: Will receiver Courtland Sutton have a breakout year in 2019?

+ “His heart is beyond big”: Broncos’ Chris Harris gives back to hometown with annual camp.

+ Broncos’ Von Miller and Chris Harris Jr. have been nightmares for the Bengals, Chargers and Chiefs.

+ Broncos Mailbag: Have a question about the team? Tap here to ask Ryan O’Halloran here.

+ Want to chat about the Broncos? Ask to join our closed discussion group on Facebook.

By The Numbers

July 16

The date the Broncos’ discounted 2019 single-game tickets will go on sale. Read more…

Parting Shot

The NFL offseason — it’s when fans of every team are filled with optimism. Well, unless you’re a Broncos fan and you believe what NFL Network’s Adam Rank has to say. Read more…

Get in Touch

If you see something that’s cause for question or have a comment, thought or suggestion, email me at dboniface@denverpost.com or tweet me @danielboniface.