Thank you for your help everyone! After I last replied, I explained the downsides to her choice, which she was previously unaware of. After we had that talk, we sat down, looked at the school that I liked, and found another possible contender. After touring both colleges, we both agreed that my school of choice was the best for me. Tonight I confirmed my acceptance and applied for housing! I rarely see people give updates on here so I just wanted to let you guys know that your advice helped immensely and I could not have done it without your guidance. I felt like I was truly alone in this before I made this thread. Again, thank you everyone. I could not be happier or more excited for what the future holds 
Wonderful! Thanks for the update! You handled it all on your own and made it happen!
Would you feel comfortable revealing what school it is?
Thanks for the update and congratulations on convincing your mom with reasonable points!
If you want to respond to anyone asking about the school’s name, I’d PM them. Good luck to you and great job!
LIKE ! ! !
Please learn to use the Shift key. It’s much easier for people to follow your sentences when you do that.
I suspect that there are other things at play that you either don’t recognize, or don’t want to discuss on this thread (which is fine if that’s the case, but will limit the feedback that you get). For example, in post #9 (your second reply), you indicate that you go down to your college of choice frequently to visit your friends. I suspect that your mother may resent your frequent trips down there. She probably knows or suspects that you have a boyfriend there. Since you’re driving 4 hours to get there, I’m assuming that you are staying over night. I doubt your mother likes that, but she may not know how to confront you with it. If the school also has a reputation as a party school, your mother’s concerns are going to be magnified.
My advice would be to come clean about the boyfriend (again, I’m assuming that you’ve been “hiding” this from your mom - I could be wrong). The reality is that if you’re willing to drive 4 hours now to see your boyfriend, you’ll be willing to drive 4.5 hours when you’re in college. As a parent, I would be very concerned about my daughter spending many of her weekends driving 9 hours to another school and I would be even more worried about her skipping classes to extend her stays when in college.
Then, focus on what makes the school better for you in terms of academics, support, career opportunities, etc. (i.e. what does this school offer that the other one doesn’t). I don’t think discussing football is a bad thing, if it’s set in the greater context of overall school spirit and the college experience. Is the northern school more of a commuter school? If so, mention that.
Thanks for the update. It sounds like you handled the situation like a mature, responsible adult. Best wishes!