College football is back and so are the masses that swarm college towns each weekend to catch the game.
As the short-term rental market continues to fluctuate and hosts scramble to find a niche that can help them stay booked, one reliable category of guest is the dedicated football fan.
Analytics site AirDNA cobbled together college towns across five major conferences — SEC, ACC, Big 10, Big 12, and PAC-12 — in order to determine which places were the best for those seeking to invest in short-term rentals like Airbnbs and Vrbos. It sifted through the statistics on how many listings already exist, the average annual revenue for hosts, and the average occupancy rate for the area.
To be sure, the top-scoring towns aren't just the ones that have the highest revenue potential. To determine the ranking, AirDNA assigned each town a "market score" out of 100, with a high score indicating the town has an ideal mix of consistent demand, low competition, and steady revenue to be an investment.
Pullman, Washington, home of the Washington State Cougars, came out on top with a score of 96, an average annual host revenue of $60,500, and relatively low competition with under 200 active listings.
The list spreads coast to coast, though the Big 10 — mostly schools in the Midwest — nabbed the most spots at the top of the list, with five hubs landing in the top nine. The SEC — mostly southern schools — trailed behind with two top picks.
Insider breaks down the top destinations.