Could the Auburn University football team’s national championship in the 2010-11 season have played a part in the recent population spike for the Auburn, AL, metro area?

From July 2010 to July 2014, the Auburn area’s population rose almost 10 percent, according to a LawnStarter study of U.S. Census Bureau data. The nearly double-digit rate makes the Auburn area the fastest-growing college football hub in the U.S., our analysis shows.

To come up with this ranking, LawnStarter examined the 2010-2014 population growth of every U.S. metro area that hosts an NCAA Division I FBS football team. For purposes of this analysis, we weeded out any metro area that had at least 1 million residents in 2014 so that we could keep the spotlight on regions where college sports truly are dominant.

‘Small-Town Charm’

An aerial view of Auburn

AuburnTigers.com

Although Auburn hasn’t been ranked No. 1 in this season’s college football polls, it did end up grabbing the top spot in our ranking. From 2010 to 2014, the Auburn area gained more than 13,000 residents — and, presumably, more Auburn Tigers fans. Would a ’Bama or Georgia diehard dare move to the home of Toomer’s Corner?

So, what’s the appeal of Auburn?

“Auburn manages to maintain small-town charm while offering the amenities of a larger city,” says Jennifer Fincher, vice president of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce.

“Besides being home to one of the best colleges in the South, we offer excellent K-12 schools, a growing industrial base, an award-winning hospital, gorgeous weather and an involved, caring community,” adds Fincher, who moved from Pennsylvania to Alabama in 2004. “Students want to stay and their parents come to retire. And who can argue with the draw of year-round college sports?”

Fastest-Growing College Football Towns

Here’s our list of the 15 fastest-growing college football towns in America.

1. Auburn, AL

Junior League of Lee County

Major school: Auburn University

July 2010 metro population: 140,799

July 2014 metro population: 154,255

Population increase: 9.56%

2. Fort Collins, CO

CSH

Major school: Colorado State University

July 2010 metro population: 300,484

July 2014 metro population: 324,122

Population increase: 7.87%

3. Provo, UT

ProvoMayor.com

Major school: Brigham Young University

July 2010 metro population: 529,830

July 2014 metro population: 571,460

Population increase: 7.86%

4. Fayetteville, AR

University of Arkansas International Education

Major school: University of Arkansas

July 2010 metro population: 465,699

July 2014 metro population: 501,653

Population increase: 7.72%

5. Boise, ID

Flickr/Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce

Major school: Boise State University

July 2010 metro population: 617,923

July 2014 metro population: 664,422

Population increase: 7.53%

6. Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

My NC Homes

Major schools: Duke University, University of North Carolina

July 2010 metro population: 508,063

July 2014 population: 542,710

Population increase: 6.82%

By the way, we service the Durham and Chapel Hill areas! Check out our Durham lawn care and Chapel Hill lawn care pages to get an instant quote.

7. Boulder, CO

University of Colorado

Major school: University of Colorado

July 2010 metro population: 295,967

July 2014 metro population: 313,333

Population increase: 5.87%

8. Bryan-College Station, TX

Google+/ShopBrazos

Major school: Texas A&M University

July 2010 metro population: 229,478

July 2014 metro population: 242,905

Population increase: 5.85%

9. Columbia, MO

University of Missouri

Major school: University of Missouri

July 2010 metro population: 163,182

July 2014 metro population: 172,717

Population increase: 5.84%

10. Iowa City, IA

Green Building & Design

Major school: University of Iowa

July 2010 metro population: 155,560

July 2014 metro population: 164,357

Population increase: 5.66%

11. Colorado Springs, CO

Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau

Major school: Air Force Academy

July 2010 metro population: 650,351

July 2014 metro population: 686,908

Population increase: 5.62%

12. Morgantown, WV

Iron Cowboy

Major school: West Virginia University

July 2010 metro population: 130,328

July 2014 metro population: 137,251

Population increase: 5.31%

13. Lincoln, NE

Flickr/Collin Ulness

Major school: University of Nebraska

July 2010 metro population: 302,922

July 2014 metro population: 318,945

Population increase: 5.29%

14. Manhattan, KS

Manhattan Convention & Visitors Bureau

Major school: Kansas State University

July 2010 metro population: 93,344

July 2014 metro population: 98,091

Population increase: 5.09%

15. Ames, IA

Iowa State University Admissions

Major school: Iowa State University

July 2010 metro population: 89,596

July 2014 metro population: 94,073

Population increase: 5.00%

Top photo: Flickr/StevenV