What’s the best sports team in your state? For some states this is an easy answer, as only a handful of professional (or maybe even semi-professional) teams even compete there. For others, the question is a bit more contentious! Here’s our list of the best teams in each state.
Alabama
Even casual observers of college football know how ridiculously successful The Crimson Tide has been in the sport. They’ve won a whopping 18 national championships and are far and away the most successful organized sports team in the state. In fact, Alabama has no professional sports teams.
Alaska
Alaska is not home to any NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, or Division 1 college football or basketball teams. As such, their finest team is likely the Alaska Aces, a hockey team that played in the Pacific Southwest Hockey League until the 2016-2017 season. They won five regular season championships, making them a very successful semi-pro team in their time.
Arizona
Arizona’s professional teams, like the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Cardinals, have struggled to secure championships. The only winning team in the state has been the Diamondbacks, who won a World Series in 2001, becoming the fastest-winning expansion team in MLB history.
Arkansas
The Arkansas Razorbacks, the University of Arkansas’s basketball team, is the state’s most successful sports team. The team has six Final Four finishes as well as one second-place season in the NCAA Tournament. That makes them a shade more successful than teams like the football team that shares their name.
California
California is loaded with great teams, like the UCLA Bruins, the Dodgers, and the 49ers. But at the end of the day, it’s hard to argue with the Lakers’ impressive 12 championships. That outpaces the 49ers six Super Bowls and the Dodger’s seven World Series wins.
Colorado
The Denver Nuggets are a great basketball team, but they’ve only ever secured one NBA championship. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos have gone to the Super Bowl and come back victorious three times! That makes them the state’s best team in our book.
Connecticut
Connecticut isn’t home to any professional sports teams. However, it more than makes up for this shortfall with the prolific and exceptional University of Connecticut Huskies basketball team, which has won five championships since the 90s!
Delaware
Delaware doesn’t have a lot of competition for the title of “best sports team,” given Delaware State’s unimpressive track record with sports. The Delaware Blue Hens football team, which plays for the University of Delaware, has had far more success and has secured six championships.
Florida
Florida’s home to plenty of great teams, from the Florida Gators to the Miami Heat and Tampa Bay Lightning. When you crunch the numbers, though, the Miami Hurricanes stand tall with five national championships, making them one of the most successful college sports programs in the US, let alone Florida.
Georgia
Georgia’s pro and college teams alike are all beloved in the region. The Georgia Bulldogs college football team is a frontrunner in the conversation for the state’s best team, but the nod goes to the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have won four World Series and have historically been a very dominant force in the MLB.
Hawaii
Hawaii isn’t home to many major sports teams. However, their best team would have to be the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, the football team for the University of Hawaii. They’re a Division 1 team that played to a 12-0 record in 2008 to face Georgia in the Sugar Bowl!
Idaho
Idaho’s finest sports team is easily the Boise State Broncos, and it’s not even close. They have the fifth highest winning percentage of any college football team in the US. Beyond this, they earned undefeated records in 2006 and 2009, truly impressive accomplishments that should catch any sports fan’s attention.
Illinois
The best sports team in Illinois? Da Bears. They’ve been around for over 100 years and in that time, they’ve won nine national championships. Notably, only one of those was called a “Super Bowl,” but their other wins from 1921-1963 still count!
Indiana
Who else would be the bets team in Indiana? It’s the Hoosiers, the basketball team from Indiana University. Interestingly, the Hoosiers are tied with the Colts for five championships, but when you compare the teams’ relative strengths against others in their leagues, it’s clear that the Hoosiers just dominate.
Iowa
Iowa is another state that sees its sports success at the college level. The Iowa Hawkeyes football team has 11 Big Ten titles and a national championship under their belt. That nudges them ahead of the basketball team that shares their name, which has three Final Fours but no championships.
Kansas
The finest sports team in Kansas is the Jayhawks, the college basketball team of the University of Kansas. They’re actually unopposed in the state for this title, as the Kansas City Chiefs play on the Missouri side of the city, not the Kansas side.
Kentucky
If you’re any kind of fan of college basketball, you know the best sports team in Kentucky already. It’s the Wildcats, the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world when it comes to college basketball. They’ve got eight national titles, seventeen appearances in the Final Four, and a mind-blowing 53 SEC titles. There’s good, and there’s the Wildcats.
Louisiana
When you hear “the Tigers” and people are discussing football, you’re right to think “Clemson.” However, there’s another Tiger team: the LSU Tigers, a decidedly excellent college football team with 16 conference titles.
Maine
Maine also has no professional teams, but they more than make up for that with their impressive college teams. The Maine Black Bears of the University of Maine have an impressive 13 conference titles and 5 playoff wins, putting them ahead of any other teams in the state.
Maryland
At a glance, the numbers would suggest that the Baltimore Orioles are outperforming the Ravens. Three World Series titles is better than two Super Bowl wins, right? Well, the Orioles have been around since 1901, while the Ravens started in 1996. They get the title of best sports team in the state due to their quick victories!
Massachusetts
This is another tough state to call. There are tons of great teams that play in Massachusetts, but reviewing the numbers shows that the Celtics just outperform the Red Sox, the Bruins, and other Boston-based teams by a wide margin. Their 17 championships speak for themselves.
Michigan
While you might not be a hockey fan, those in the know are well aware of the Detroit Red Wings. They’re the most successful hockey team in the US—the only teams with more Stanley Cups are based in Canada.
Minnesota
The best team in the frigid northern state of Minnesota is the Twins. They’ve been around for a long time, and they’ve secured three World Series victories in that time. Over the decades, the Vikings have never secured a Super Bowl victory and only have one NFL championship to their name.
Mississippi
The Ole Miss Rebels are a well-known team in the South. They’ve battled their way to three national championships and six SEC titles, which makes them easily the state’s most prolific college team. Mississippi doesn’t have any professional sports team that compete with the Rebels for this spot.
Missouri
You might be thinking that the Kansas City Chiefs are the best franchise in the state of Missouri. And you’d be right to think that if you’re just looking at recent performances. However, the St. Louis Cardinals have 11 World Series wins. That’s an absurd number and makes them the second-most successful baseball team in the country.
Montana
From 1986 to 2011, Montana’s Grizzlies managed to reach seven FCS championships. They won two of those appearances, making them the state’s most impressive team. Montana, like many states with a low population density, has no professional teams.
Nebraska
The Cornhuskers haven’t done much lately, but historically they’ve been a major force in college football. It’s important to remember that they’ve won 46 conference titles. That’s nearly half of the seasons the team has played! It doesn’t get much more dominant than that.
Nevada
The best team in Nevada is the Las Vegas Raiders, and it’s not even close. Notably, the Raiders didn’t win their three Super Bowls in Nevada, but the team is based there now, so it’s fair to say they’re the best team in the state.
New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Wildcats football team is the best team in the state for two reasons. The first is that there are no professional sports teams in New Hampshire. The second is that the Wildcats have fifteen conference titles. Easy enough!
New Jersey
This one bears some clarification: the Giants and Jets play home games at stadiums in New Jersey. However, they’re not New Jersey teams, they’re New York teams. Their stadiums being in New Jersey has everything to do with the logistics of playing football in NYC. In any case, the best Jersey team is the Devils, with their three Stanley Cup wins.
New Mexico
There’s not a ton of professional competition in New Mexico. That being said, the best team to compete in the Land of Enchantment is New Mexico State’s basketball program, but it’s… not pretty. They went to the Final Four in 1970 and have never been any further aside from that season, but they’re doing better than either of the state’s college football teams or the Lobos, their rivals from the University of New Mexico.
New York
Football fans might get upset about it, but the Yankees are the best team in the history of New York. It’s not even a contest: they’ve won twenty-seven World Series trophies. That’s absurd and the next closest team (the Cardinals) has under half that at eleven.
North Carolina
Who’s the best sports team in North Carolina? That would have to be the Tar Heels, with their six national championships and twenty-one Final Four appearances. That has them above their eternal rivals, Duke, who have five titles and seventeen Final Fours!
North Dakota
The North Dakota sports scene is livelier than you might expect: the FCS conference’s biggest name is the Bison. North Dakota State’s team dominates their conference, with a 44-3 playoff record and a whopping seventeen national titles under their belt.
Ohio
Ohio might have some of the hottest competition on this list with its six pro teams and thirteen Division 1 schools. It’s a tough call, but the Buckeyes (OSU’s football team) might be the best team around due to their eight national championships and thirty-nine conference titles.
Oklahoma
Here’s some interesting stats for a college football fan: the Sooners have seven national championships, fifty conference titles, and seven Heisman winners as alum. This makes them the most impressive team in Oklahoma and the sixth most-winning team among FBS schools.
Oregon
If you were expecting the Ducks to be the best team in Oregon, we’ve got bad news for you. They’ve won only a single national championship and been to the Final Four twice. The Portland Trailblazers, on the other hand, have an NBA championship and three finals appearances to go with their six division titles. That’s a better record than the Ducks!
Pennsylvania
If Ohio’s sports scene is crowded, Pennsylvania is downright stacked with teams. They’ve got seven pro teams between the four big leagues and tons of successful stories from their franchises. That being said, the nod for best team in the state needs to go to the Steelers, as they’ve won six Super Bowls and made the playoffs some thirty-three times.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island is a small state with no pro teams and few schools. This means there’s not a lot of competition for the title of “most prestigious team,” so the Providence Friars get the nod. No hate to the Friars, however, as they’ve been to the Final Four twice across twenty-two NCAA Tournament visits.
South Carolina
It’s wholly unsurprising that the Clemson Tigers are the best sports team in South Carolina. The state has no professional teams to speak of but plenty of college football. Clemson’s won three national championships and taken twenty-seven conference titles. That makes them one of the best college football teams period, let alone in South Carolina.
South Dakota
South Dakota State impressed the college football world in 2022 with the Jackrabbits’ stunning national championship victory. That win pushed them over their state rival, the South Dakota Coyotes, making them a more impressive program than any other in the state.
Tennessee
The Titans aren’t the most impressive team in the NFL, which means the Tennessee Volunteers earn their spot as the best team in the state. They’ve got six national championships and a long history of success on the field, so this is an easy decision.
Texas
The number of excellent sports franchises and programs in Texas is ridiculous. It’s almost too hard to call any of them the “best,” so we’re just going to look at the raw numbers and call your attention to the San Antonio Spurs. They’re completely tied with the Cowboys in terms of championships, but they’ve got the highest winning percentage of any team in US sports over the past 30 years.
Utah
Utah’s only got one pro team: the Jazz. Sadly, they’ve got no NBA championships to their name. That being said, they do have two Finals appearances and eleven division wins, which puts them above the Utah Utes with their Pac-12 football exploits.
Vermont
Interestingly, there’s only one Division 1 team in Vermont and no pro teams. What’s more, the Catamounts have no football counterparts: they’re truly the only game in town. That being said, this isn’t fully a pity spot: they’ve got an NCAA Tournament win that pushed them into the Round of 32!
Virginia
Can you believe that there’s no pro sports franchise in Virginia? The massive, historic state just doesn’t have the right demographics or pull for an MLB, NFL, NBA, or NHL team, it seems. Their best college team, in any event, is the Virginia Cavaliers basketball team, who took home the 2019 national championship.
Washington
It’s the Seahawks. The Washington Huskies are a close second, but, come on. It’s the Seahawks! They won the Super Bowl in 2013 and have made 20 playoff appearances since their relatively recent start in 1976. That’s impressive stuff!
West Virginia
Believe it or not, the West Virginia Mountaineers basketball team has had more championship success than their football program. They have a second-place finish, two Final Four appearances, and tons of conference titles. That makes them the best in the state!
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Wisconsin
Say it with us: Green Bay Packers. Eleven NFL championships, four Super Bowls, and enough wins to prove that a small city can have some big success. It’s extremely easy to root for the small-but-mighty Packers, and their success is enough to make them Wisconsin’s best team (as well as the NFL’s winningest).
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Wyoming
You’re about to learn something: the Wyoming Cowboys won the NCAA Tournament in 1943. Boom, you know some Wyoming sports trivia now. Jokes aside, that win, combined with the Cowboys football program’s lack of meaningful playoff success, makes the Cowboys basketball team the state’s best sports program!
