Inspired by the new college football video game coming out, we decided to match ski areas with their college football equivalent. For this we first ranked the states as conferences and had Vermont as the SEC, New Hampshire as the Big 10, Maine as the ACC, and Southern New England as the Big 12. Here are the comparisons:
SEC – Vermont
Bolton Valley – Texas A&M
For the past few seasons Texas A&M has been alright but not at the top of the pack which is similar to Bolton Valley in which it is a good place to go skiing but it won’t be on the same level that Jay Peak and Killington are.
Bromley – Florida
Florida, you don’t know what you’re going to get each year where they could win four games or six or eight. Bromley is the Sun Mountain and by facing the sun it can be good for clear days but that also means the snow is melting faster there. With winters becoming more and more unpredictable, the snow surfaces at Bromley can get more and more unpredictable like the Florida Gators.
Burke – Kentucky
Burke is an underrated mountain that can provide some excitement on trails like Big Dipper and Warren’s Way while Kentucky is typically underrated and can make some noise in college football. Both Kentucky and Burke can sneak into the Top 25 at any given time.
Jay Peak – Alabama
Jay Peak is one of the most reliable mountains there is in New England. No matter the weather over the rest of the region, the Jay Cloud will always deliver for a good experience. Alabama has been one of the most reliable teams in college football under Nick Saban and Saban’s teams always deliver. Now Alabama is starting out under a new leader in Kalen DeBoer while Jay Peak is currently hiring a Director of Mountain Operations.
Killington – Georgia
Killington is one of the best ski areas in New England and across the country while Georgia is one of the best teams in the SEC and across the country, need I say more?
Mad River Glen – Tennessee
Tennessee has days where they are one of the best teams in college football and they have days which makes you question why you ever had faith in the team. Mad River Glen relies heavily on natural snow and sometimes that can work out really well but in winters where there may be periods of bad snowfall it can be underwhelming.
Magic Mountain – South Carolina
South Carolina is notable and provides a fun experience for fans but can not really play up to the competition around it in the SEC. Magic Mountain provides a fun, independent type of skiing but when it compares to mountains like Killington, Stowe, and Okemo, it comes up short.
Middlebury Snowbowl – Vanderbilt
Middlebury and Vanderbilt are smart schools while Vanderbilt can’t really compete in college football, Middlebury can’t really compete with the surrounding ski areas in terms of quality of skiing.
Mount Snow – Missouri
Mount Snow usually gets overlooked in the discussions about the best ski area in Vermont and it may not be the best, but it is still a very good quality ski area. Missouri usually gets overlooked in the discussions for the college football playoff but was a very good quality team last year and beat Ohio State.
Okemo – Ole Miss
Ole Miss can make some noise every few seasons and compete with the better teams in the SEC with less resources while Okemo can compete for being one of the best Vermont ski areas despite being located in Southern Vermont.
Pico – Mississippi State
Mississippi State may be a quality football team in another conference but in the SEC they get looked over a lot. Pico would be a great mountain in another state but in Vermont they do not compete with the big names.
Saskadena 6 – Arkansas
Arkansas and Saskadena 6 both have a good history from a long time ago of being great but nowadays both get looked over in the overall state of college football/Vermont skiing.
Smuggler’s Notch – Texas
Are they back? Smuggler’s Notch gets the Texas comparison because it took a little while for them to open up Madonna this season while it took Texas a little while to get back to relevance.
Stowe – LSU
Stowe is one of the powerhouses in Vermont and can be a top option depending on the year while LSU is a powerhouse in the SEC and can win the National Championship with the right team.
Stratton – Auburn
Auburn has a really tough schedule with having to play Georgia and Alabama on a regular basis while they can still make some noise at any given time. Stratton gets overlooked in the overall picture of Vermont skiing but if you go there you will not be disappointed and may feel that it is underrated.
Sugarbush – Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a very good program but recently has rarely made it to be the last team standing while Sugarbush is a very good mountain but has not been the last mountain open the last few years with Killington and Jay Peak taking that crown.
Big 10 – New Hampshire
Attitash – Penn State
Penn State went from greatness to enduring some tough times to making a comeback to be one of the best mountains in the state. Attitash went from greatness to tough times with management to making a comeback under Brandon Swartz. The Progression Quad upgrade can be compared to Bill O’Brien as a head coach and the Mountaineer upgrade was essentially the upgrade to James Franklin as head coach.
Black Mountain – Minnesota
Minnesota was once a very formidable team a few years ago but recently is trying to get back on track while Black Mountain was a great option for skiing a few years ago but recently closed down for roughly a week while they now look to sell to a new owner to bring the mountain back to greatness.
Bretton Woods – Oregon
Bretton Woods is one of the newest ski areas in New Hampshire and Oregon is one of the newest members of the Big 10. Bretton Woods consistently has some of the best snow in the state while Oregon was usually in contention for the PAC-12 title.
Cannon – USC
Cannon and USC both have historic pasts and are powerhouses in their respective state/conference.
Cranmore – Iowa
Iowa makes punting exciting and is very successful while Cranmore makes skiing across an entire mountain exciting (Jimmy’s Run, Gibson, Bandit, Quad Chute) while also being a very successful business.
Crotched – Maryland
Maryland can have their moments early in the season but by the end of the year they usually have 4-5 losses on their record. Crotched starts off the season better than most places with multiple different ways down the mountain but by December break most mountains have caught up to them.
Dartmouth Skiway – Illinois
Dartmouth Skiway may be the best option for skiing in the Upper Valley area and is just a consistent ski area in terms of what they offer. Illinois as of late has been a mid-tier team in the Big 10 while they can make some noise and go on a run every now and then.
Granite Gorge – Indiana
Granite Gorge is still trying to return to the success it had before it shut down while Indiana is still trying to return to the success it had when Michael Penix Jr was the quarterback.
Gunstock – Michigan State
Although Michigan State is going through a tough time right now, when Mark Dantonio was head coach you knew you would get a very entertaining team. Gunstock is still looking for their Tom Day replacement, but you know those views of Winnipesaukee will always be there.
King Pine – UCLA
UCLA may not be what it used to be but it can make some noise every now and then with exciting play while King Pine may not be the biggest attraction in the region, but they still make some noise with events like Wild Corn.
Loon – Michigan
Michigan is the reigning national champion and has played a dominant game the last few years on the gridiron. Loon has had very good seasons the last few seasons and has even passed Wildcat a few times for the longest season. Is this similar to Michigan surpassing Ohio State? Maybe.
Pats Peak – Nebraska
Pats Peak gets looked over a lot in New Hampshire, but they are usually 100% for most of the season. Nebraska was last ranked in 2019 and has been looked over a lot when it comes to the AP poll but that could be because opponent’s receivers are usually 100% open for most of the season.
Ragged – Northwestern
Ragged doesn’t make a lot of noise but is very dependable for good skiing throughout the winter while Northwestern usually isn’t up for Big 10 Title consideration a lot but still produces good teams.
Sunapee – Wisconsin
Wisconsin is consistently one of the better teams in the Big 10 West while Sunapee is consistently one of the best mountains in Southern New Hampshire.
Tenney – Rutgers
Rutgers hasn’t been good in a while but has gradually made progress but has yet to score a touchdown in Beaver Stadium since joining the Big 10. Tenney has had some troubles in the past, but they are making progress but still do not have a General Manager yet.
Waterville Valley – Washington
Waterville Valley is a great place to ski and always has quality snow and a long season while Washington usually puts together a good team while going through multiple head coaching changes.
Whaleback – Purdue
Whaleback sees a challenge and works though it to provide great skiing to the Upper Valley area while Purdue continuously puts together competitive teams and even provides college football fans with a blowout of Ohio State sometimes.
Wildcat – Ohio State
Ohio State vs Michigan. Wildcat vs Loon. Wildcat has been known to have the longest season in New Hampshire but recently Loon has been taking that except for this year. Wildcat offers some of the best snow on their good days like Ohio State can play really good on their good days but falters against higher competition.
ACC – Maine
Big Rock – Virginia Tech
Big Rock can be a fun place to ski but it usually doesn’t get a ton of coverage. Virginia Tech can be a fun team but can not really compete with the ACC powerhouse teams.
Big Moose – Miami
Big Moose was a really popular mountain in the late 60s and early 70s and made a comeback as of recent while Miami was really good in the late 80s and early 90s and made a comeback with Malik Rosier as quarterback before running into more hard times.
Black Mountain – NC State
NC State is a team that will always compete with the best of teams, but they do not get it done when it comes to winning the conference. Black Mountain is very underrated and can be one of the best mountains on a good day but when it comes down to it, there are other better options overall.
Camden Snowbowl – Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech does not get a lot of recognition while it can still produce some good games. Camden Snowbowl does not get a lot of recognition while it can still produce some fun ski days.
Hermon Mountain – Boston College
Hermon Mountain is small in the Maine skiing scene and faces immense competition while Boston College is a lower team in the ACC and always faces a ton of competition.
Lost Valley – Duke
Lost Valley is a small mountain that does a lot in terms of events to provide a fun family experience. Duke is not really known for its football but every few years they have a big name like Daniel Jones or Riley Leonard to bring fans in.
Mount Abram – Stanford
Mount Abram is another mountain that does not really get a lot of recognition but is still very fun while Stanford doesn’t get a lot of recognition now but can be a very exciting team.
Pleasant Mountain – UNC
UNC is a very consistent team and a very good team that will win 8-10 games each season while Pleasant Mountain is an underrated mountain but will always have good snow surfaces throughout the season.
Saddleback – Louisville
Louisville is a team that can consistently be in the hunt to be the best team in the ACC, but they run into a little trouble when it comes to Clemson and Florida State. Saddleback has had an amazing return to the Maine ski scene, but they still do not get the recognition that Sugarloaf and Sunday River get.
Sugarloaf – Clemson
Sugarloaf may be the best ski area in Maine and even in New England while Clemson was one of the best teams in the ACC and was one of the best in the nation a few years ago.
Sunday River – Florida State
Sunday River will consistently be up there in conversations about the best ski areas in Maine and New England but usually gets put out of those conversations pretty early. Florida State was one of the best teams this past season but ultimately wasn’t good enough to make the cut for the playoff.
Big 12 – Southern New England
Berkshire East – Utah
Both Berkshire East and Utah are the clear leaders in a conference/region where all the teams are pretty much alike.
Blue Hills - Houston
Bousquet – Iowa State
Bradford - BYU
Butternut - Kansas
Catamount – West Virginia
Jiminy Peak – Kansas State
Nashoba Valley – Arizona State
Otis Ridge - Arizona
Ski Ward - UCF
Wachusett – Colorado
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Mohawk – Oklahoma State
Powder Ridge – Texas Tech
Southington - Baylor
Sundown - TCU
Yawgoo Valley - Cincinnati