Ranking Detroit’s Top College and Pro Teams of 2026
Before every fall Monday show when I worked at the flagship, we’d get a flood of calls begging us not to talk Detroit Lions football.
When our show began, we were flooded with calls about Detroit Lions football. That is how I knew Lions football was king in Detroit. That played out in our latest polling of the Woodward Sports Network staff. I asked the youngsters to rank teams from their favorite to least favorite.
The Lions won in a landslide. The Pistons edged the Tigers by one point in the battle for second place. I included Detroit City Football Club because soccer fans get on me when I exclude them when talking about Detroit’s pro sports scene.
DCFC finished last in my poll behind University of Michigan basketball.
Here are the full rankings
- DETROIT LIONS: The Lions have never been to a Super Bowl and for much of their existence were the poster boys for mediocrity. But people love their Lions.
- DETROIT PISTONS: You won’t believe how many conversations about Isiah Thomas and the Bad Boys I’ve had in the hallways here.
- DETROIT TIGERS: The Tigers piss you off, but the lure of baseball is strong. This is a roller coaster team that puts you on the edge only to let you down.
- MICHIGAN FOOTBALL: It’s not surprising this ranked so high. Our own Braylon Edwards patrols the hallways and threatens anyone who does not greet him “Go Blue!”
- DETROIT RED WINGS: They say Detroit is Hockeytown. It isn’t.
- MICHIGAN STATE BASKETBALL: People love Tom Izzo.
- MICHIGAN STATE FOOTBALL: This product has been embarrassing, but people still remember Mark Dantonio and Kenneth Walker.
- MICHIGAN BASKETBALL: Michigan won a national title in hoops, but this remains a football school.
- DCFC: Who?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Terry Foster is the self proclaimed Minister of Words with Woodward Sports and fills in on shows when folks need time off. He worked at the Detroit News and Free Press for 37 years and co-hosted the Valenti and Foster Show for 13 years at the Detroit Lions flagship.
