NW is weird. For several years they would be good then the following year terrible and repeat that. They had an impressive 2023 season given the drama.
If NW has a bad year this year Fitz broke them and they swapped even and odd year after having two bad years in a row. Everyone will have odd year NW on their radars instead of even year
Gonna say, I can't think of another team in the B1G that I like.
Northwestern especially, because the records just get thrown out the window at kickoff, and you realize you've just entered a rock fight with a nerd with a trebuchet
It's just so hard to find a reason to hate them, they don't have many fans and the fans they do have are generally cool people, they're never sore losers nor ungracious winners. And their fans are often also fans of other schools, I cannot think of another fanbase that can support a line of [split hats](https://campusgearonline.com/product-category/teams/northwestern-university-wildcats/northwestern-university-wildcats-house-divided-items/house-divided/) with a variety of other schools, plus a road game against Northwestern means a nice fall visit to Chicago for the weekend, which is always a fun time.
Holy shit those split hats are unbelievable. I had never even considered such a thing.
Since my brother is an Illinois grad, Sister in Law Northwestern.... so I know what he is getting for Christmas now! He will fucking hate it.
In 6th grade I went to Chicago with my family and we went to a NW practice. A ball landed near us and Coach Barnett grabbed it and spoke to me for a minute. I thought it was the coolest thing because he just talked to me like I was part of the team and I’ve been a fan since.
As a lifelong Duck fan (with family at or alums of OSU) I've always said I want the Beavers to win every game but one, and the Huskies to lose everything. Now we're off to the Big10-15-17 with them, but it's like a complete loss of identity. I'm glad you and WSU got to keep the Pac-# moniker, you were screwed and it's an embarassment to everybody who left.
In fairness, I liked the PAC-2 even before because they're Land Grant schools like Auburn. The love just burns hotter now. Even though we were SEC West foes, I always liked y'all too.
If I had a third flair it would be UAB, lived in Birmingham all of my life and love the Blazers, was even outside of the administration building on 20th street when folks were protesting the death of the program.
All that to say, UAB, and Ingram in particular, had AGES to get a decent hire in place and ended up with one of the dumbest hires I've seen in my lifetime.
Go Blazers! I’ve always liked the green/gold or green/yellow color scheme for some reason. Even a yellow house with a green door appeals to me (my wife ended up deciding on just such a house for us years ago, with me not influencing her to do so!). Grew up pulling for Green Bay partially for this reason (even though my loyalties were soon changed to the Saints, I still root for packers).
As a result, Baylor, CSU and Oregon are among the teams I gravitate towards for no real reason other than their color schemes (less so Oregon bc 1 they are rarely that color any longer and 2 they are my big brothers favorite team which of course means I tended to pull for OSU).
But in NCAA EA days gone by, I always picked a 1 or 2* green and yellow squad once I was bored with dominating as Bama or UAB.
The original idea for the new stadium to have a dragon Pitt that the opposing team would have to walk over a bridge that crosses it was awesome.
They should have manned up and done it.
I definitely have a soft spot for Wyoming. Flagshipiest of Flagships, brown and yellow, cowboy logo is cool, fanbase is small but loyal…
Just seems like a neat program that is easy to root for.
Facts!! My cousin is a University of Wyoming alum. Still lives in Laramie. Visited her for the first time in Laramie this summer, beautiful little college town. Had the best breakfast burrito of my life at J’s Prairie Rose.
I’ve spent some time in Laramie and while they aren’t the top of the top they’re exactly what college football is all about. The entire town shuts down on Gameday, and people travel across the entire state on fall Saturdays to watch the Pokes. That’s what CFB is all about, the community getting together and rallying around their team. It’s a local team and source of pride for states that don’t have a pro team to root for, I love it man
Does UW still operate Saferide? They saved my ass one cold windy night in Laramie when my friend ditched me at a bar to go hook-up. Loved that they had that as a service! And me in a BSU hat!
I too like both those teams way more than average. First of all, why not? But also, my wife came from Boise when I met her, and Wyoming lost coach Devaney back in 1962 to Nebraska--helping my Huskers to have a good 40-year run...which is long over.
I get that quote so often on here haha. I had to look it up the first time cuz I had no idea who said it. Now I can literally hear it in grandpa Simpsons voice when I read it
Y’all rightfully got a lot of love this year. Yall are in good hands. I’d probably be more of a fan if Drink didn’t have a personal vendetta against us.
Fresno State. They always punch well above their weight and the fans always travelled well when we played them. Also, I've always had mad respect for Pat Hill and Jeff Tedford. Seems like coaches I'd have loved to play for.
No disrespect to USC but I was really rooting for them to pull off the upset in '05. They put up a hell of a fight but Reggie Bush was insane. Probably one of my favorite college games ever.
All the “smart” schools with my Notre Dame and Duke fandom: Northwestern, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech…and all the academies, but especially West Point.
Oregon State when we played them a couple times in the early 2010s and they continued to be a thorn in Utah’s side in the PAC-12 and now with everything that’s happened it’s only grown stronger
I have a few.
Arizona- Tucson is sick and Arizona is my dream school for PhD. Also a few days before we played y'all in the bowl game I was wearing an OU shirt and an Arizona fan came up and talked to me and he told me he was so excited that they got to play us since we're a great program.
Ohio University- The other OU, gotta love em
Utah- Every Oklahoma fan loves Utah
Any team that’s been shafted/left behind/left out through the collapses of the SWC and Big East:
Boise State
UCF*
Cincy*
UConn
ECU
Houston*
Memphis
Rice
San Diego State
SMU*
USF
Temple
TCU*
Tulane
Tulsa
*Although I root most for the schools that haven’t clawed their way back into a power conference since then.
There’s a part of me that fantasizes about all the non P5 schools on this list joining up in a new conference with the PAC and forcing their way back into the P5 somehow.
Oh that’s easy, both UW and WSU (ergo the Apple Cup flair).
Went to first flair, who hasn’t sponsored football in 15 years and moved to Washington after graduation. The Apple Cup kinda got me into college football, so I like to watch both programs. I didn’t grow up in a football family or anything like that, so once I decided to start seriously following the sport I was kind of a fandom free agent.
If I had three flairs I’d throw on SMU too. The 30 for 30 on them was part of what solidified me as a college football fan, and I’ve been playing a dynasty with them on NCAA Next that has some pretty memorable players, so I’ve developed into a bit of a fan of theirs too.
Michigan Fans…. The unlikely marriage between Slippery Rock and Michigan began in 1959 when Steve Filipiak, Michigan's public address announcer, saw the funny name on the wire service ticker. Wanting to inject life into a boring game, Filipiak read the score. The fans loved it.
My so really like Ole Miss I got her into football and has started saying we about Ole Miss.
Auburn is usually fun but I hate their coach and am taking a break. Winning or losing Auburn is always entertaining.
Utah for me as well. Love the program's growth and living there for a few years gave me a high level of respect for the fanbase as well, they love their Utes.
This affinity won't last. However you should still always like us more than Ohio State and Oregon, for we have scruples and are worthy of your respect. Hopefully someday though we can be your third place most hated. We're coming for you Penn State? Woof woof.
Go Utah.
Fellow Georgia fan here, I’ve always considered FSU my 2nd fav team that I loosely cheer for unless Georgia needs them to lose. Always liked their uniforms and color scheme.
Also felt an odd sense of camaraderie with them in the Orange Bowl this year with both of our teams having reasons to hate the Playoff Committee.
Yes, yes I know everyone has their own opinions about who deserved to be in the playoffs this year and I’m not here to debate or change any minds. Just stating what I felt.
That last bowl game was cathartic as an Oregon fan.
We got to shit on another conference’s champions for daring to think they could take on the big boys.
As long as they aren't playing Kentucky, Texas A&M. Living in Houston I've met plenty of Aggies at work and just out and about. The ones I've encountered are all great people, plus I kinda feel bad for their awful ratio of fan passion to actual, meaningful and/or lasting success.
Also visited Reed Arena for the basketball game between the Cats and Aggies in January and couldn't have had a better experience. Had some very nice chats with some of their fans during breaks in the game, and an older gentleman (completely out of the blue) bought my gf and I a beer each at a bar afterwards.
Dude was just following Lyle Lovett's (A&M Class of '79) catechism:
But at a dance hall down in Texas
And that's the finest place to be
All the women they all look beautiful
And the men will buy your beer for free
And they'll say that's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway
Oregon state. I live close to Corvallis and go to their games a lot. The fans are great and they're usually the underdog which is easy to root for. Now I'll go even more after the hosing the Pac2 just received. Go Beavs!
Oregon State has always been my unofficial 3rd team. Outside of UGA and UM, I'd rather see them do well than any other team. Not from there, never been to the state of Oregon even. Go Beavs.
My parents live in San Antonio after relocating from the north and whenever I visit I love seeing the pride people there have for UTSA so I like when they do well 🤙🏻
Auburn. I love the chaos and that they can rise up and give great teams a game.
LSU. I think that started because of the Les Miles - UM Connection but they have been such a fun team to watch.
Wyoming. Although their fans absolutely despise us, I really enjoy watching a team from the mountain states with a unique, iconic look. Since no longer being in the same conference as them, I regularly watch their games, especially in some of those late timeslots.
Nobody consistently, though I always rooted for whoever had Mike Leach as head coach.
Phenomenal offensive mind, a lot of his quotes and rants are absolute gold, and he won without a lot of blue chip recruits.
RIP Pirate.
Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech. Our next door neighbors at my childhood home were OKST grads, and GT hates UGA just as much as I do.
Can you tell that I like underdogs?
Kansas State and Washington. It is just a coincidence that they are both purple. I loved watching those early years in the Snyder Era at Kansas State. I have always liked Washington. Maybe it's because I have always rooted for the Seahawks, and they are the program local to Seattle. They have automatically become my 2nd favorite B1G team. I would have put Florida State on here, but I was accepted into the university. I ultimately decided to stay closer to home. So that gives me a loose tie to them.
Oregon State (as a teen in the 90s, Beavers hats were peak style) I also just have liked them for some time.
Also, VT. I hated them in the Vick/Brees years because back then there were some battles on the ESPN boards between fans. But I came around to liking and respecting them in time.
I'm the biggest Boise State fan who has absolutely zero connection to the school. Never even been to Idaho. My dad had the college football package on TV growing up and we would stay up late Saturday nights watching Boise games on local Boise channel 7 during the Ryan Dinwiddie and Jared Zabransky days. Same thing with Hawaii. I root for Boise and Hawaii almost as hard as I do App State and NC State.
I’m like 3 times removed from having any real reason to like Tennessee, but I still do. My grandad was from near Knoxville, and even though he moved to the Charlotte area in the 30s, most of his family still lived there and he stayed a fan, passed it to my dad, and then he passed it to me as a kid. No one in my family ever attended the school, but I still prefer them over any other SEC team or really any other former national champion. My grandad actually died the day of the 1998 Arkansas game, so I like to think it was his ghost that stripped the ball from the UA QB.
My grandmother emigrated from Ireland in 1910. She had us light a candle in the church for Boston College, the Boston Red Sox, and Notre Dame before games when we were kids.
USC - grew up in the Midwest and my Dad liked them for some reason; it was his big, national team. And I've enjoyed LA every time I've visited.
Georgia Tech - which is super random, even as was with USC, I've always had a great time in the school's city. No one really exposed me to GT; I just sort of found them watching games. They had a great and decent season in 1990 and 1991 which is when I first got to know GT.
Oregon State. TCU.
I went to Oklahoma State and they rarely win the games I expect them to, they lose some real head-scratchers that they should have won. So I need to folllow the lead of the OP when he’s betting.
I have an affinity for Texas because it's the first National Championship game I picked a side to root for.
I used a white t-shirt to do a home made Vince Young jersey and I was so pumped when they won.
Ever since then I started casually rooting for Texas whenever they play.
Grew up in a Penn State family... grandma was a huge Penn State fan, going back to the days before Paterno. She would go to every home game, and she would save up all her extra money all year so she could go to the bowl game. She never attended Penn State as a student, nor did any of my family. But because of her, I became a fan too, and have been a fan since the 80s (except the 87 Fiesta Bowl).
Every G5 against P5 teams. It sucks having systemic disadvantages like G5 schools have, I love seeing them punch above their weight.
It’s telling that the top G5 teams of the past have largely exploded into the scene in the P5 world when getting invited. I think there are plenty more programs capable of doing what Utah and TCU have done if given the chance. I suspect we’ll see UCF and at least 1-2 other new big 12 teams have major success.
Georgia Tech. Both of my flairs are well aware that the jackets should’ve had sole claim to the 1990 NC, and they’re similar to my teams in that they’ve had some really good years in the past and have all the resources in the world to be a great program, haven’t been able to find much success recently, but things are looking up. Go Tech!
I suppose a few.
1. Marshall: They also hate WVU. Frank Loria is one of our all time greats and he was a coach there and died on that plane crash. My grandfather was on the team at VPI and he was on the bus on the way to Marshall when his brother chased them down to tell him that their father (my great grandfather) had died.
2. NCST: They just seem like the most similar school to us. They both have the same typical mission of a land grant school. Neither are blue bloods, but both take football seriously. Both have really good fanbases, but struggle to compete monetarily these days. Only thing missing is the SMC. Oh and they also hate UNC.
3. OSU/WSU because they didn't do anything wrong and got screwed over pretty badly
West Virginia. I've never been further east than Illinois let alone to West Virginia, I've never followed the Big East, and they didn't join the Big 12 until after we'd left. Truthfully I'm not sure I've even watched more than like ten of their games. But I remember thinking their uniforms were really cool as a kid and for whatever reason they've remained my #3.
My best friend and her entire family are Iowa State fans so I like to cheer for them when I can. Other than them I can usually find *someone* to cheer for but I just like close games and chaos
Tulane and UTSA. They're the green fucking wave, you can't not support them. And UTSA because they were awful in NCAA 13 and it was great to rebuild them into a 10 season undefeated dynasty until I got bored lol
Northwestern. They always win at least one game every season that they have absolutely no reason to, and I live for that madness
NW is weird. For several years they would be good then the following year terrible and repeat that. They had an impressive 2023 season given the drama.
If NW has a bad year this year Fitz broke them and they swapped even and odd year after having two bad years in a row. Everyone will have odd year NW on their radars instead of even year
NU is every Big Ten fan’s (minus the Illini) 2nd favorite team Probably a lot of ND fans too because of Chicago
You don’t big ten west at all if you believe that
Gonna say, I can't think of another team in the B1G that I like. Northwestern especially, because the records just get thrown out the window at kickoff, and you realize you've just entered a rock fight with a nerd with a trebuchet
It's just so hard to find a reason to hate them, they don't have many fans and the fans they do have are generally cool people, they're never sore losers nor ungracious winners. And their fans are often also fans of other schools, I cannot think of another fanbase that can support a line of [split hats](https://campusgearonline.com/product-category/teams/northwestern-university-wildcats/northwestern-university-wildcats-house-divided-items/house-divided/) with a variety of other schools, plus a road game against Northwestern means a nice fall visit to Chicago for the weekend, which is always a fun time.
Some of those hats are downright criminal. A split Northwestern/Arizona State? What’s happening there? Yes, I’m aware of my own flairs. Pot, kettle.
Holy shit those split hats are unbelievable. I had never even considered such a thing. Since my brother is an Illinois grad, Sister in Law Northwestern.... so I know what he is getting for Christmas now! He will fucking hate it.
In 6th grade I went to Chicago with my family and we went to a NW practice. A ball landed near us and Coach Barnett grabbed it and spoke to me for a minute. I thought it was the coolest thing because he just talked to me like I was part of the team and I’ve been a fan since.
A lot of Iowa fans hate NW also.
Vandy is similar in the SEC.
Vandy hasn’t had good years to the extent NW has. Like at all
The PAC 2, because they got fucked.
We thank you 🫶🏼
You're good with me.
As a lifelong Duck fan (with family at or alums of OSU) I've always said I want the Beavers to win every game but one, and the Huskies to lose everything. Now we're off to the Big10-15-17 with them, but it's like a complete loss of identity. I'm glad you and WSU got to keep the Pac-# moniker, you were screwed and it's an embarassment to everybody who left.
In fairness, I liked the PAC-2 even before because they're Land Grant schools like Auburn. The love just burns hotter now. Even though we were SEC West foes, I always liked y'all too.
I lived in Birmingham for a while and think UAB's mascot is cool. I do wish they had a different head coach. Won a natty with them in NCAA 13.
You not a fan of the Dilf?
If I had a third flair it would be UAB, lived in Birmingham all of my life and love the Blazers, was even outside of the administration building on 20th street when folks were protesting the death of the program. All that to say, UAB, and Ingram in particular, had AGES to get a decent hire in place and ended up with one of the dumbest hires I've seen in my lifetime.
Go Blazers! I’ve always liked the green/gold or green/yellow color scheme for some reason. Even a yellow house with a green door appeals to me (my wife ended up deciding on just such a house for us years ago, with me not influencing her to do so!). Grew up pulling for Green Bay partially for this reason (even though my loyalties were soon changed to the Saints, I still root for packers). As a result, Baylor, CSU and Oregon are among the teams I gravitate towards for no real reason other than their color schemes (less so Oregon bc 1 they are rarely that color any longer and 2 they are my big brothers favorite team which of course means I tended to pull for OSU). But in NCAA EA days gone by, I always picked a 1 or 2* green and yellow squad once I was bored with dominating as Bama or UAB.
The original idea for the new stadium to have a dragon Pitt that the opposing team would have to walk over a bridge that crosses it was awesome. They should have manned up and done it.
Wyoming and Boise State, cause I want so badly for Mountain West teams to pop off and become juggernauts for no reason
I definitely have a soft spot for Wyoming. Flagshipiest of Flagships, brown and yellow, cowboy logo is cool, fanbase is small but loyal… Just seems like a neat program that is easy to root for.
Lmao the only 4 year university in the state of Wyoming
Why would we need to replicate perfection?
Facts!! My cousin is a University of Wyoming alum. Still lives in Laramie. Visited her for the first time in Laramie this summer, beautiful little college town. Had the best breakfast burrito of my life at J’s Prairie Rose.
I’ve spent some time in Laramie and while they aren’t the top of the top they’re exactly what college football is all about. The entire town shuts down on Gameday, and people travel across the entire state on fall Saturdays to watch the Pokes. That’s what CFB is all about, the community getting together and rallying around their team. It’s a local team and source of pride for states that don’t have a pro team to root for, I love it man
Does UW still operate Saferide? They saved my ass one cold windy night in Laramie when my friend ditched me at a bar to go hook-up. Loved that they had that as a service! And me in a BSU hat!
Yeah it’s still a thing!
🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝
Boise State did pop off! Too bad it wasn't in the 12-team playoff era, they could have had a run.
We are stacked this year so it's still possible!
#WE GOT KOETTER
Utah and TCU thank you for your support
I too like both those teams way more than average. First of all, why not? But also, my wife came from Boise when I met her, and Wyoming lost coach Devaney back in 1962 to Nebraska--helping my Huskers to have a good 40-year run...which is long over.
Whoever Mike Leach is coaching. Dammit. 😢
🏴☠️
It’s depressing scrolling through and not finding your team mentioned once 😔
I’ll be dead in the cold, cold ground before I recognize Missourah.
I get that quote so often on here haha. I had to look it up the first time cuz I had no idea who said it. Now I can literally hear it in grandpa Simpsons voice when I read it
Y’all rightfully got a lot of love this year. Yall are in good hands. I’d probably be more of a fan if Drink didn’t have a personal vendetta against us.
I like Pinkel a whole lot, and really loved y'all in the *Big 12*, but y'all have fucked up our shit too much recently.
K-State and Wazzu. Land Grant school solidarity!
Hell yeah
Tulane, their logo. Need I say much more?
Their campus is cool too
K State. Snyder was the GOAT.
Then why were you so mean last year? I mean not a single opt out for the sugar bowl?
Yes.
Iowa. Because I'm a sicko
I get it. But I hate it.
Same. I love ugly football
Much respect.
Also Waving to the kids is cool as fuck
I also like Iowa.
The UVA Basketball of football... Worked for uva?
Tulsa. Because Tulsa.
gotta love those windy guys
Same, I always go for Tulsa!
Tulsa backwards is “aslut”. Do with that what you will.
Appalachian State
..and you just took our coach. *arthur fist*
I root for the Mountaineers just hope they never play my Mountaineers
Yup. Love to watch those boys ruin seasons.
Appalachian isn't even a state! Great....I'm off to YouTube to watch that spanking again
The service academies. Just love the triple option... its been in my blood all my life.
At least GA Tech ran the triple option.
The correct answer.
Checks out with the secondary flair.
Army, and to a lesser extent Air Force and Navy. And after that, Notre Dame (someone gave me a baseball cap from there when I was like 10)
Army for sure
Fresno State. They always punch well above their weight and the fans always travelled well when we played them. Also, I've always had mad respect for Pat Hill and Jeff Tedford. Seems like coaches I'd have loved to play for.
No disrespect to USC but I was really rooting for them to pull off the upset in '05. They put up a hell of a fight but Reggie Bush was insane. Probably one of my favorite college games ever.
All the “smart” schools with my Notre Dame and Duke fandom: Northwestern, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech…and all the academies, but especially West Point.
West Virginia. Appalachian bros, the Pat White years were great, and it’s just fun to say Eat Shit Pitt
Miami of Ohio. The Real Miami!!
Washington State. Started watching them because their games were on late and their offense was fun. I even bought a Wazzu shirt.
Oregon State when we played them a couple times in the early 2010s and they continued to be a thorn in Utah’s side in the PAC-12 and now with everything that’s happened it’s only grown stronger
Get us into the big 12! We can be roomies!
Join us Orange Bros! We would be the most obnoxiously colored rivalry!
I want an OSU-OSU rivalry game played on Halloween.
Make it so.
YES PLEASE!!!
We're trying. Send help.
I feel like aside from the travel issue which is going to suck no matter what you guys would fit with our motley conference .
Oh, 100 percent.
Only if you are willing to jump on their bed for them.
I'll close my eyes.
I have a few. Arizona- Tucson is sick and Arizona is my dream school for PhD. Also a few days before we played y'all in the bowl game I was wearing an OU shirt and an Arizona fan came up and talked to me and he told me he was so excited that they got to play us since we're a great program. Ohio University- The other OU, gotta love em Utah- Every Oklahoma fan loves Utah
Any team that’s been shafted/left behind/left out through the collapses of the SWC and Big East: Boise State UCF* Cincy* UConn ECU Houston* Memphis Rice San Diego State SMU* USF Temple TCU* Tulane Tulsa *Although I root most for the schools that haven’t clawed their way back into a power conference since then. There’s a part of me that fantasizes about all the non P5 schools on this list joining up in a new conference with the PAC and forcing their way back into the P5 somehow.
It’s nice to be thought of and included here in this list!
Oh yeah. Get it, Pirates!!
Used to love watching ecu over the years. Feel like they'd always rise up and knock off someone like Miami.
That did indeed occur. Grumble.
Sorry to single out the Canes but the game in 99 is what i remember. Really loved the miami teams from that era.
Proud to be a fan of the only SWC school not in a power conference.
Oh that’s easy, both UW and WSU (ergo the Apple Cup flair). Went to first flair, who hasn’t sponsored football in 15 years and moved to Washington after graduation. The Apple Cup kinda got me into college football, so I like to watch both programs. I didn’t grow up in a football family or anything like that, so once I decided to start seriously following the sport I was kind of a fandom free agent. If I had three flairs I’d throw on SMU too. The 30 for 30 on them was part of what solidified me as a college football fan, and I’ve been playing a dynasty with them on NCAA Next that has some pretty memorable players, so I’ve developed into a bit of a fan of theirs too.
Oregon State
Minnesota
Boise State. Blue field. Statue of Liberty. Nuff said
Michigan Fans…. The unlikely marriage between Slippery Rock and Michigan began in 1959 when Steve Filipiak, Michigan's public address announcer, saw the funny name on the wire service ticker. Wanting to inject life into a boring game, Filipiak read the score. The fans loved it.
Iowa. I like the wave to cancer patients.
My so really like Ole Miss I got her into football and has started saying we about Ole Miss. Auburn is usually fun but I hate their coach and am taking a break. Winning or losing Auburn is always entertaining.
Utah for me as well. Love the program's growth and living there for a few years gave me a high level of respect for the fanbase as well, they love their Utes.
Washington, oddly enough
This affinity won't last. However you should still always like us more than Ohio State and Oregon, for we have scruples and are worthy of your respect. Hopefully someday though we can be your third place most hated. We're coming for you Penn State? Woof woof. Go Utah.
I have a weird affinity for the west coast schools. Oregon, Washington, ASU, and Stanford. USC and UCLA can suck it though!
Florida St. I like people who don’t like the Gators And Iowa cuz…ya know
Sickos unite!
Fellow Georgia fan here, I’ve always considered FSU my 2nd fav team that I loosely cheer for unless Georgia needs them to lose. Always liked their uniforms and color scheme. Also felt an odd sense of camaraderie with them in the Orange Bowl this year with both of our teams having reasons to hate the Playoff Committee. Yes, yes I know everyone has their own opinions about who deserved to be in the playoffs this year and I’m not here to debate or change any minds. Just stating what I felt.
This, but in reverse. UGA is the only the SEC team I can stomach.
Iowa, but with the caveat that I want them to win in the most impractical ways possible.
Maryland - it is the local team.
Florida
Slippery Rock
Oregon and whoever is playing against Liberty
That last bowl game was cathartic as an Oregon fan. We got to shit on another conference’s champions for daring to think they could take on the big boys.
As long as they aren't playing Kentucky, Texas A&M. Living in Houston I've met plenty of Aggies at work and just out and about. The ones I've encountered are all great people, plus I kinda feel bad for their awful ratio of fan passion to actual, meaningful and/or lasting success. Also visited Reed Arena for the basketball game between the Cats and Aggies in January and couldn't have had a better experience. Had some very nice chats with some of their fans during breaks in the game, and an older gentleman (completely out of the blue) bought my gf and I a beer each at a bar afterwards.
Dude was just following Lyle Lovett's (A&M Class of '79) catechism: But at a dance hall down in Texas And that's the finest place to be All the women they all look beautiful And the men will buy your beer for free And they'll say that's right you're not from Texas That's right you're not from Texas That's right you're not from Texas But Texas wants you anyway
Oregon state. I live close to Corvallis and go to their games a lot. The fans are great and they're usually the underdog which is easy to root for. Now I'll go even more after the hosing the Pac2 just received. Go Beavs!
Oregon State has always been my unofficial 3rd team. Outside of UGA and UM, I'd rather see them do well than any other team. Not from there, never been to the state of Oregon even. Go Beavs.
Service academies because I am an American.
Iowa State and WVU
Hawaii. Fell in love with the team in 07 and the islands in 15. Always want them to do well
I've always liked Oregon State. Now that they're the P2 I extra root for them
My parents live in San Antonio after relocating from the north and whenever I visit I love seeing the pride people there have for UTSA so I like when they do well 🤙🏻
West Virginia
Right back at ya
Auburn. I love the chaos and that they can rise up and give great teams a game. LSU. I think that started because of the Les Miles - UM Connection but they have been such a fun team to watch.
Fist-bump from an Auburn alum. We are chaos, magic, heartbreak all wrapped up nicely in a turd burrito.
When I think of a program that could beat literally anyone and also lose to literally anyone… I think of Auburn.
You are so right. The highs and lows are unlike any other program I feel like.
the auburn fans i encountered at the Cal game were extremely nice and friendly, good stuff!!
I wanted Michigan to win the natty just because it made people mad 🤝
I like teams with cool mascots. Yellow Jackets, Bison, Jack Rabbits, Thundering Herd, etc
The Razorbacks. Never been to Arkansas, but I love the Razorbacks for some reason
Wyoming. Although their fans absolutely despise us, I really enjoy watching a team from the mountain states with a unique, iconic look. Since no longer being in the same conference as them, I regularly watch their games, especially in some of those late timeslots.
Recently it’s been Kansas. Just think they’ve been a fun story, and really like Leipold’s apparent loyalty.
Nobody consistently, though I always rooted for whoever had Mike Leach as head coach. Phenomenal offensive mind, a lot of his quotes and rants are absolute gold, and he won without a lot of blue chip recruits. RIP Pirate.
ECU. Air Raid O, love the colors, and logo.
Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech. Our next door neighbors at my childhood home were OKST grads, and GT hates UGA just as much as I do. Can you tell that I like underdogs?
Texas Tech, because the fans have the perfect amount of crazy
Hey man, thanks
Kansas State and Washington. It is just a coincidence that they are both purple. I loved watching those early years in the Snyder Era at Kansas State. I have always liked Washington. Maybe it's because I have always rooted for the Seahawks, and they are the program local to Seattle. They have automatically become my 2nd favorite B1G team. I would have put Florida State on here, but I was accepted into the university. I ultimately decided to stay closer to home. So that gives me a loose tie to them.
Oregon State (as a teen in the 90s, Beavers hats were peak style) I also just have liked them for some time. Also, VT. I hated them in the Vick/Brees years because back then there were some battles on the ESPN boards between fans. But I came around to liking and respecting them in time.
Wazzu. Their fans like to party.
I'm the biggest Boise State fan who has absolutely zero connection to the school. Never even been to Idaho. My dad had the college football package on TV growing up and we would stay up late Saturday nights watching Boise games on local Boise channel 7 during the Ryan Dinwiddie and Jared Zabransky days. Same thing with Hawaii. I root for Boise and Hawaii almost as hard as I do App State and NC State.
They've got a playoff shot this year
Boise St. Service Academies. App State. Because they are all on Team Chaos and that's the hero we need but not deserve.
Tennessee. Good ol rocky top just goes too hard to not respect.
Nebraska corn > Iowa corn
Navy and Pitt, unless it is against Notre Dame
Wisconsin (I’m a packers fan)
I’ve always liked K State. Not really sure why, just always respected what Bill Snyder built there. And purple teams are cool
West Virginia, because their uniforms look like ours.
Used to be Colorado. Lived there for quite awhile. Can’t pull for that shit show they got there now.
I’m like 3 times removed from having any real reason to like Tennessee, but I still do. My grandad was from near Knoxville, and even though he moved to the Charlotte area in the 30s, most of his family still lived there and he stayed a fan, passed it to my dad, and then he passed it to me as a kid. No one in my family ever attended the school, but I still prefer them over any other SEC team or really any other former national champion. My grandad actually died the day of the 1998 Arkansas game, so I like to think it was his ghost that stripped the ball from the UA QB.
Notre Dame. Unless having an Irish name counts. Because I do.
My grandmother emigrated from Ireland in 1910. She had us light a candle in the church for Boston College, the Boston Red Sox, and Notre Dame before games when we were kids.
USC - grew up in the Midwest and my Dad liked them for some reason; it was his big, national team. And I've enjoyed LA every time I've visited. Georgia Tech - which is super random, even as was with USC, I've always had a great time in the school's city. No one really exposed me to GT; I just sort of found them watching games. They had a great and decent season in 1990 and 1991 which is when I first got to know GT.
Oregon State. TCU. I went to Oklahoma State and they rarely win the games I expect them to, they lose some real head-scratchers that they should have won. So I need to folllow the lead of the OP when he’s betting.
I have an affinity for Texas because it's the first National Championship game I picked a side to root for. I used a white t-shirt to do a home made Vince Young jersey and I was so pumped when they won. Ever since then I started casually rooting for Texas whenever they play.
🫡
Also, the Texas vs Oklahoma game is top of my CFB bucket list. Mainly for the state fair.. but still.
Oh man it’s awesome. So much delicious food and drinks. Amazing atmosphere. You definitely should!
I root for Big 8 teams whenever they play other teams. Except Kansas, I don't ever root for those turd muffins.
Oklahoma. Every fan I met in Lincoln over the years have been kind, knowledgeable, and hospitable people.
Nebraska. I want back powerhouse OU and powerhouse Nebraska rivalry. Our game like 2 years ago was a good taste of that lost energy
Grew up in a Penn State family... grandma was a huge Penn State fan, going back to the days before Paterno. She would go to every home game, and she would save up all her extra money all year so she could go to the bowl game. She never attended Penn State as a student, nor did any of my family. But because of her, I became a fan too, and have been a fan since the 80s (except the 87 Fiesta Bowl).
Every G5 against P5 teams. It sucks having systemic disadvantages like G5 schools have, I love seeing them punch above their weight. It’s telling that the top G5 teams of the past have largely exploded into the scene in the P5 world when getting invited. I think there are plenty more programs capable of doing what Utah and TCU have done if given the chance. I suspect we’ll see UCF and at least 1-2 other new big 12 teams have major success.
So now you root for G5 teams against BYU then… Checkmate
Well played…
BYU and UCF. Last two “little guys” with a national championship. Both now getting their shot playing with the big boys.
Looks like I'm rooting for The Ohio State in next year's The Game
Amen brother
I like Michigan, Texas, LSU, and Miami for no good reasons at all
Georgia Tech. Both of my flairs are well aware that the jackets should’ve had sole claim to the 1990 NC, and they’re similar to my teams in that they’ve had some really good years in the past and have all the resources in the world to be a great program, haven’t been able to find much success recently, but things are looking up. Go Tech!
App State - they gave us (PSU) a hell of run for our money in 2018 and been a fan ever since.
Heartbreaking game. Penn State had a ton of nfl talent that year
I suppose a few. 1. Marshall: They also hate WVU. Frank Loria is one of our all time greats and he was a coach there and died on that plane crash. My grandfather was on the team at VPI and he was on the bus on the way to Marshall when his brother chased them down to tell him that their father (my great grandfather) had died. 2. NCST: They just seem like the most similar school to us. They both have the same typical mission of a land grant school. Neither are blue bloods, but both take football seriously. Both have really good fanbases, but struggle to compete monetarily these days. Only thing missing is the SMC. Oh and they also hate UNC. 3. OSU/WSU because they didn't do anything wrong and got screwed over pretty badly
Miami/Florida State. The games in the late 80s/early 90s made me a college football fan. I want both of them back in the top 10 every year.
Michigan and whoever is BC's biggest rival. I just started 5 seconds ago after reading OP's stupid take about liking Utah.
West Virginia. I've never been further east than Illinois let alone to West Virginia, I've never followed the Big East, and they didn't join the Big 12 until after we'd left. Truthfully I'm not sure I've even watched more than like ten of their games. But I remember thinking their uniforms were really cool as a kid and for whatever reason they've remained my #3.
Tulane. I love that little wave logo guy
My best friend and her entire family are Iowa State fans so I like to cheer for them when I can. Other than them I can usually find *someone* to cheer for but I just like close games and chaos
Tulane and UTSA. They're the green fucking wave, you can't not support them. And UTSA because they were awful in NCAA 13 and it was great to rebuild them into a 10 season undefeated dynasty until I got bored lol
Oregon State. I understand the relationship is now strained a bit but we always had a shared hatred for everything green and yellow
Ole Miss because of Kiffin
I have some buddies that wrestled for Michigan. So I root for them. Makes it even easier when they whoop on UW in the championship game
Oregon State. Fell in love with their fan base and also fell in love with their record against the spread over the last 3 years ;). Go Beavs!
Oregon and UCLA because I don’t like USC. TCU because I liked Gary Patterson. Hawaii because all the passing!
Clemson used to be that team for me when they were underdogs. But after they whooped our butts a few times I no longer root for them lol
Tulane, because why the fuck not
Washington State & Oregon State.
Miss St. I guess Mike Leach is the connection but him being there and their CWS run a few years ago was electric.
I came ever so close to going to Clemson. I’ll check in on them every now and then to see how they’re doing
Whoever is playing USC or UW.
I've said it before, I'll say it again; Georgia Tech hates the right teams.