Media folks think Madison is the best college town in the Big Ten

Who knew? Media folks seem to like lakes and State Street, too. It won't come as any surprise to you, but Madison provides for the best "college town" atmosphere of any school across the Big Ten, according to this panel of experts.

Athlon Sports polled a handful of media members, such as ESPN's Adam Rittenberg and Indiana-coach-turned-BTN analyst Gerry DiNardo, on their favorite Big Ten locales with Madison pulling in eight of ten possible first place votes. Here's what they had to say about the city in the piece, which you can read right here:

"There is no place like it in the Big Ten during fall Saturdays and it's why Madtown is routinely voted one of the nation's best college towns. The capital city is located between two gorgeous lakes and is home to the famed State Street — and it's delicious brat haze. It's vibrant, fun, welcoming and an absolute blast. This is the case even during the cold winter months, which is why Madison got eight of 10 first-place votes."

Madison beat out Ann Arbor for the top spot, with State College coming in third. The poll looked much like the year-end standings across many #B1G sports, too -- Rutgers and Purdue brought up the rear of the pack.