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PressWhat College Football Home Games Are Really Worth to Short-Term Rental Markets
Published: August 27, 2026
Linda Rollins
| School | Market | RevPAR vs Non-Game | ADR vs Non-Game | Occupancy vs Non-Game | Demand vs Non-Game | Avg Available Listings | Avg Nightly Demand | Occupancy | ADR | RevPAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Tuscaloosa | +454.8% | +66.7% | +232.7% | +242.7% | 1,027 | 626 | 79.3% | $642 | $509 |
| Ole Miss | Oxford | +360.1% | +59.1% | +189.1% | +203.6% | 1,774 | 1,041 | 81.1% | $707 | $573 |
| Auburn | Auburn | +318.7% | +45.7% | +187.4% | +183.7% | 717 | 494 | 84.9% | $495 | $420 |
| Mississippi State | Starkville | +284.5% | +51.2% | +154.3% | +151.8% | 500 | 370 | 87.2% | $356 | $311 |
| Florida | Gainesville | +151.6% | +48.7% | +69.2% | +74.5% | 1,628 | 1,162 | 83.9% | $296 | $248 |
| Georgia | Athens | +148.2% | +50.5% | +64.8% | +73.5% | 1,403 | 868 | 81.3% | $469 | $381 |
| Penn State | State College | +142.8% | +41.0% | +72.1% | +76.0% | 1,531 | 850 | 76.2% | $602 | $459 |
| LSU | Baton Rouge | +124.2% | +42.8% | +57.0% | +58.5% | 1,210 | 828 | 83.4% | $252 | $210 |
| Michigan | Ann Arbor | +105.4% | +42.5% | +44.2% | +52.2% | 1,018 | 685 | 82.6% | $436 | $360 |
| Iowa | Iowa City | +105.1% | +42.6% | +43.8% | +50.2% | 376 | 274 | 86.2% | $304 | $262 |
| Oregon | Eugene | +99.3% | +29.2% | +54.3% | +55.8% | 1,981 | 1,377 | 84.9% | $250 | $212 |
| Texas A&M | College Station | +99.0% | +31.0% | +52.0% | +55.5% | 1,480 | 960 | 81.6% | $401 | $327 |
| Indiana | Bloomington | +97.8% | +24.3% | +59.1% | +58.0% | 1,059 | 717 | 81.4% | $352 | $287 |
| Nebraska | Lincoln | +85.5% | +28.6% | +44.2% | +44.8% | 502 | 388 | 87.3% | $230 | $201 |
| Purdue | Lafayette | +79.0% | +30.7% | +37.0% | +38.7% | 390 | 276 | 80.2% | $240 | $192 |
| South Carolina | Columbia, SC | +66.8% | +25.8% | +32.5% | +33.6% | 1,931 | 1,299 | 80.7% | $254 | $205 |
| Missouri | Columbia, MO | +64.7% | +28.0% | +28.7% | +31.5% | 519 | 373 | 85.4% | $254 | $217 |
| Illinois | Champaign / Urbana | +61.9% | +23.9% | +30.6% | +31.9% | 566 | 406 | 84.1% | $211 | $177 |
| Michigan State | Lansing / East Lansing | +60.6% | +22.4% | +31.2% | +32.1% | 564 | 404 | 84.7% | $175 | $148 |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City | +57.4% | +26.2% | +24.7% | +25.0% | 3,161 | 2,158 | 82.2% | $198 | $163 |
| Tennessee | Knoxville | +42.2% | +19.0% | +19.5% | +18.7% | 2,780 | 1,934 | 80.8% | $267 | $216 |
| Arkansas | Fayetteville/Bentonville | +35.7% | +10.8% | +22.5% | +26.0% | 4,440 | 3,092 | 78.4% | $250 | $196 |
| Wisconsin | Madison | +33.6% | +16.3% | +14.9% | +17.0% | 695 | 480 | 82.9% | $241 | $200 |
| Vanderbilt | Nashville | +14.9% | +4.3% | +10.2% | +11.5% | 12,513 | 8,644 | 82.5% | $401 | $331 |
| Kentucky | Lexington | +13.7% | +7.0% | +6.2% | +7.8% | 1,488 | 977 | 79.1% | $262 | $207 |
| Ohio State | Columbus | +12.8% | +7.8% | +4.7% | +4.0% | 4,186 | 2,695 | 78.0% | $233 | $182 |
| Washington | Seattle | +12.4% | +5.9% | +6.2% | +7.9% | 11,818 | 6,706 | 75.7% | $205 | $155 |
| Minnesota | Minneapolis | +6.0% | +1.9% | +4.0% | +5.2% | 4,120 | 2,547 | 76.9% | $201 | $154 |
| Maryland | College Park / Hyattsville | +3.3% | +1.7% | +1.5% | +1.0% | 567 | 267 | 72.0% | $123 | $89 |
| Northwestern | Evanston | +3.2% | +3.3% | -0.1% | -0.7% | 293 | 206 | 80.6% | $229 | $184 |
| Rutgers | Edison / New Brunswick | -2.2% | -2.5% | +0.4% | +3.4% | 600 | 309 | 74.2% | $131 | $97 |
| Texas | Austin | -14.7% | -7.6% | -7.6% | -12.9% | 18,650 | 9,192 | 68.1% | $270 | $184 |
| School | Market | Best Weekend Opponent | Best Weekend Occupancy | Worst Weekend Opponent | Worst Weekend Occupancy | Occupancy Gap in pp | ADR Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Tuscaloosa | Tennessee | 94.4% | Eastern Illinois | 44.2% | 50.3 | $230 |
| Indiana | Bloomington | Illinois | 97.4% | Kennesaw State | 50.9% | 46.5 | $93 |
| Penn State | State College | Oregon | 98.6% | Florida International | 53.2% | 45.3 | $165 |
| Arkansas | Fayetteville/Bentonville | Texas A&M | 97.1% | Arkansas State | 52.6% | 44.5 | $57 |
| Texas A&M | College Station | South Carolina | 96.4% | Utah State | 52.7% | 43.7 | $161 |
| Auburn | Auburn | South Alabama | 98.1% | Mercer | 59.8% | 38.3 | $124 |
| Georgia | Athens | Texas | 94.8% | Charlotte | 57.6% | 37.2 | $186 |
| Kentucky | Lexington | Texas | 96.7% | Tennessee Tech | 60.9% | 35.8 | $89 |
| Missouri | Columbia, MO | Texas A&M | 96.5% | Central Arkansas | 60.9% | 35.6 | $87 |
| LSU | Baton Rouge | Texas A&M | 95.0% | Western Kentucky | 59.5% | 35.5 | $70 |
| Illinois | Champaign / Urbana | Rutgers | 95.6% | Northwestern | 61.9% | 33.7 | $57 |
| Ole Miss | Oxford | Florida | 93.8% | Georgia State | 62.0% | 31.8 | $353 |
| Tennessee | Knoxville | Arkansas | 95.3% | East Tennessee State | 64.4% | 30.9 | $61 |
| Purdue | Lafayette | Illinois | 93.6% | Southern Illinois | 63.4% | 30.3 | $39 |
| Ohio State | Columbus | Texas | 93.0% | Grambling | 63.0% | 30.0 | $52 |
| Mississippi State | Starkville | Tennessee | 97.5% | Alcorn State | 68.0% | 29.6 | $57 |
| Michigan | Ann Arbor | Wisconsin | 91.5% | Purdue | 62.5% | 29.1 | $133 |
| Iowa | Iowa City | Minnesota | 95.5% | Michigan State | 66.5% | 29.1 | $15 |
| South Carolina | Columbia, SC | Alabama | 91.2% | Coastal Carolina | 62.8% | 28.4 | $52 |
| Florida | Gainesville | Texas | 97.7% | South Florida | 69.4% | 28.3 | $78 |
| Vanderbilt | Nashville | LSU | 94.4% | Kentucky | 67.1% | 27.3 | $105 |
| Minnesota | Minneapolis | Nebraska | 90.9% | Michigan State | 64.0% | 26.9 | $42 |
| Oregon | Eugene | Wisconsin | 96.3% | Minnesota | 70.6% | 25.7 | $28 |
| Washington | Seattle | Ohio State | 84.5% | Purdue | 61.6% | 22.9 | $58 |
| Wisconsin | Madison | Ohio State | 92.3% | Illinois | 69.6% | 22.7 | $59 |
| Michigan State | Lansing / East Lansing | Youngstown State | 93.1% | Penn State | 72.5% | 20.6 | $4 |
| Nebraska | Lincoln | Michigan | 94.6% | Iowa | 75.2% | 19.4 | $49 |
| Maryland | College Park / Hyattsville | Nebraska | 82.9% | Towson | 65.0% | 17.8 | $28 |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City | Kent State | 89.3% | Missouri | 74.8% | 14.5 | $12 |
| Texas | Austin | Sam Houston | 75.3% | San Jose State | 63.7% | 11.6 | $17 |
| Rutgers | Edison / New Brunswick | Oregon | 77.8% | Miami (OH) | 69.0% | 8.8 | $8 |
| Northwestern | Evanston | Purdue | 84.9% | UCLA | 78.1% | 6.8 | $32 |
ARTICLE SUMMARY
AirDNA analyzed 2025 performance and 2026 booking pace across 32 SEC and Big Ten short-term rental markets to measure what a college football home game weekend is actually worth. In the smallest college towns, seven or eight weekends carry up to a quarter of the market’s entire annual revenue, and revenue per available rental climbs as much as 455% over a typical fall weekend. In the largest markets the lift is real but modest. Timing, not opponent quality, turns out to be the single biggest lever on game weekend demand.
Linda Rollins
Senior Research Analyst
Linda Rollins is a Data Analyst at AirDNA, passionate about transforming complex datasets into clear, actionable insights that drive success in the short-term rental industry. Linda combines technical skill with a knack for storytelling to help short-term rental investors and operators make confident decisions about their Airbnb businesses. She aspires to be a future short-term rental owner and enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and looking for good eats.