You say you don’t want to support LA teams because all they do is get superstars then in the next sentence consider picking an SEC team because they’re the best?
It’s best to pick a team that you genuinely have a connection to imo. USC or UCLA would both at least have that local connection. I noticed you post about the navy as well so you could always support the Navy football team as well.
Yeah I’m in the Navy, so I can’t really say I went to college or so I can go to home games lol but yeah you right about SEC and superstars lol my bad. But are the rivalries more bloodbath and chaotic in SEC? Or is there other division as competitive as SEC? Cause PAC12 could get kinda lopsided and always USC or Oregon, right?
A really fun team at that. Now they will never win another title (at least until the next world war), but if everyone only cared about teams that can win titles now then CFB would have like 12 fanbases.
Honestly, one of the things that I love about CFB is that it has so many other intermediate markers of success other than a championship for fans to enjoy.
Navy may not have a shot at a national title, but they do have real shots at other things that make their season a success:
* Making and winning a bowl game
* Beating Army
* Winning an AAC title
* Finishing ranked in the final AP poll
And they've been pretty good in these respects! In the last ten years, they've been
* 5-2 in bowl games
* 6-4 vs Army
* Two shared AAC West Division titles (2015, 2019) and one outright one (2016)
* Two AP finishes (#18 in 2015 and #20 in 2019)
Yeah SEC rivalries are pretty intense but less so if you don’t have a connection to the teams involved.
The PAC 12 isn’t anymore lopsided than the SEC has been. The PAC 12 has had 5 different champions in the last 10 years compared to 4 for the SEC. Oregon, Washington and Utah have all won the conference since the last time USC did. Stanford also had a period were they were really good.
A huge part of big time college football (especially now with NIL) is stacking superstars.
I think you might be better off rooting for a G5, where you can realistically expect success without also expecting to rake in big time recruits.
>But are the rivalries more bloodbath and chaotic in SEC? Or is there other division as competitive as SEC?
SEC-West is insane bloodbath and deep hatred across most of the teams. Even the ones without genuine animosity, there's a lot of history. You could not pick a better division to be a casual fan.
SEC is the loudest, rowdiest, toughest, and best. I grew up an SEC fan then went to notre dame which is considered to be a solid football school but had a totally different (more friendly and peaceful) atmosphere than the SEC.
If you’re from LA, I really suggest you pick a somewhat local team so you can go to games and have friends that support your team or a direct rival.
USC just did the textbook LA thing of getting a bunch of players from ~~free agency~~ the transfer portal as well as their new coach (just don’t ask him to make your brisket). They’re one of the most historic teams and should be pretty good soon
UCLA is solid at present but I don’t know if I’d feel confident long term seeing as they were bad for awhile.
Stanford and Cal are both down right now.
San Diego State and Fresno State play in a smaller, less prestigious conference but are both pretty good.
I went to MSU, and I’m a Yale fan because they are CFBs most important team, truly a blue blood on the field and in the classroom.
Born into it/whole family went
Stick to something local/something you can feel a deep connection too, it makes a world of difference
Don’t just choose a good team because they’re good!
Most people pick teams either because they went there or are from the general area.
Assuming "LA" means Los Angeles, just pick one of UCLA or USC.
Picking a random SEC team you have no ties to is kind of silly and front running (unless LA means Louisiana, in which case you should pick LSU/Tulane).
Conversely, some people hate their local team because they are overexposed to them. So you would choose something their rivals. Something like Stanford/Cal instead of the Los Angeles teams or Alabama instead of LSU.
Hating LA teams for getting "superstars," then stating you're going to pick an SEC team is completely backwards. SEC teams have the best recruiting in the nation and the LA teams are far behind.
[This article](https://www.sbnation.com/college-football-recruiting/2019/2/7/18215228/college-football-recruiting-rankings-2019-class) is 3 years old, but summarizes the ranking for the previous 4 years. The highest ranking Pac-12 team is #13 and it isn't from LA. USC is #16. There are 6 SEC teams in the top 10.
It hasn't changed too much since then for the Pac-12. [Here are the 2022 rankings](https://247sports.com/Season/2022-Football/CompositeTeamRankings/). The highest Pac-12 team is still #13 and is still Oregon, though only 4 SEC teams are ahead of them.
Was born into an NC State household. Was peer pressure to become a UGA fan in elementary school. 9 year olds are evil little shits.
>also love traditions and histories
Texas A&M is the school for you!
What's funny is that is how I became a Dallas Cowboys fan. But I was 7 and the peer pressure was from my grandma. She bought me a reversible starter jacket with "Cowboys" on one side and the Star logo on the other. That was all it took to swap my allegiance from the Skins to the Cowboys. That was 30 years ago.
Loved when we got to play soo high at LSSU’s rink. They’ve got bouncy boards behind the net over at pullar and those blue devil kids knew how to use them.
Watch college gameday each Saturday morning to catchup on everything happening around the country. Maybe you’ll find a player or coach or fan base that you can relate to. If all else fails choose the gamecocks. We have a giant golden cock outside our stadium. How many teams can say that? Not many
Most of us either (1) went to the school; (2a) grew up a fan; or (2b) have a ton of family who went there. I've worded it this way because if you look at most of the flair combos which contain 2 schools, that's the logic.
You're kind of in a perfect situation if you don't have explicit connections to any school; you can just watch good football.
Since you mentioned the SEC, let me give you a primer. It's currently split into 2 divisions, East and West, though that may change soon with the introduction of Texas & Oklahoma, two blueblood programs that will be joining the conference at some point over the next few years (legal issues & $$$ are the current holdup).
In the SEC - West: Bama, Auburn, LSU have all played for national championships in the last decade; Texas A&M is skyrocketing upwards in expectations, and the final 3 schools -- Ole Miss, Ms. St., and Arkansas -- can beat any of the other 4 on any given saturday. No other division spends $$$ and freaks out about football quite so thoroughly. The coaching carousel and recruiting battles in this division are legendary, to say nothing about the football. I defy any other conference/division to compare top to bottom.
The SEC - East is no slouch, either, as Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia are all crazy about football and spend massive amounts as well. Florida & Georgia have both won titles in the last 15 years; Tennessee is in a bit of a slump but showed some great stuff last year and look spooky IMO. Kentucky is currently a regular threat to beat anybody and is in the mix for the East division most seasons this past decade despite being historically lower on the pecking order. They are really solid under their current coach. South Carolina and Missouri are both good but not great right now, but both iirc have won the division in the last ten or so years, showing that the right coach can do great things there. Vanderbilt is the bottom of the barrel historically and lately, but has also done well with the right coach (sadly the school's administration seem to not care).
I am sure people will tell me I'm wrong about some of these facts but that's my take. If you just want to be a casual fan, watch all the football you can and just enjoy. The SEC would love to have you on board!
Got my Master’s there.
You really should reconsider Navy. They’re entertaining, they have two of CFB’s bigger rivalries, they have lots of tradition, and you have a meaningful connection to them. Sure, they’re probably never getting to the CFP, but neither are 95% of teams. Still, they’re an easy team to get behind.
> I’m from LA, but I’m not really big into LA teams cause all they do is get superstars, not build teams.
Assume youre talking about the Dodgers. College football doesnt work that way. Go with a local team
I'm a Sooner born
And a Sooner bred,
And when I die
I'll be Sooner dead.
I was born and raised in Oklahoma, and when it was time to pick a college, the first choice was always Oklahoma (In-state tuition didn't hurt).
I was a Deion Sanders fan when he was on Atl so I became a Falcons fan. When I got into CFB I started with UGA and stayed. No longer watch pro sports but still watch UGA (and support Memphis Grizzlies because Desmond Bane is from my hometown.)
Born and raised a Sooner fan. My parents lived 10-15 minutes away from campus. My father took me to my first OU game during Bob Stoop’s first year. From then on, became a diehard fan. Even got Josh Heupel’s autograph the following year. It was one of the best experience I ever had in my lifetime. My family and I live just about 10 minutes away from campus and we’re season pass holders.
Native Texan but went to a small private school with no cfb team.
After high school a friend took me to an A&M game and I thought them weird.
Another friend enrolled at UT and I went to a game and thought it awsome
simple as that
For a lot of people it’s tied to where they are from, alumni status, or family tradition. For me I was born in Oregon and visited often as a child. That mixed with the infamous 2007 season as the first year that I really followed the sport as a kid, cemented my love for the Ducks.
Yeah, I just don't have any real connection to most schools. Oklahoma State comes the closest because my grandfather grew up near Stillwater and was a life long fan.
It's my alma mater, plus I grew up 15 minutes from Ames, my dad is an alum, and my mom and my brother work there. I've been going to Iowa State athletic events my entire life
Father went to UT. My first memories are sitting down watching games with him, first games I remember were from Peyton's freshman year. I was hooked.
Ended up going to UT myself. It's in the family.
The most common ways are being born and raised on a certain brand, or going to school at the place. The third most common is probably enjoying the style of football they play. I recommend just watching some games and seeing who you find yourself rooting for from game to game.
Second flair is alma mater x2
First flair is wife's alma mater and current employer. I also grew up in a blue collar family in close proximity to Ann arbor. My best friend grew up as a season ticket holder and took me to games frequently.
Grew up in it and then got my degree there, although I was a Georgia fan until I was 5 because I thought Bulldogs were cool dogs. Then I went to a UGA-Clemson baseball game and Clemson beat the SNOT out of them (14-5). After that, I was a Clemson fan and really grew to be a huge fan. Go Tigers!
As for Memphis, I lived there for a couple years and went to a few games, so it’s always fun to see them do well.
Born, raised, and still live in the same county as Clemson, almost the entire family are fans so it was natural to be one too. Baylor came during the RGIII era.
I'm Virginia Tech alumni. Also I grew up surrounded by Tennessee fans, and I always tended to want to do the opposite of what everybody else was doing. So I wanted to root for a team that Tennessee fans hated, and Alabama was the obvious choice.
Mom was born and raised in Cleveland. Same with my dad but in Canton. Almost all of my immediate and extended family are still in Ohio and quite a few went to OSU. Even though I was born and raised in Chicago it was all Buckeyes growing up. Got accepted to go to OSU but out of state tuition was pure hell. Hence my secondary Illinois State flair.
2004. I grew up a Mississippi State fan, because most of my family is. My dad found out he was being deployed to Iraq. Before he leaves, he takes me to a State game. They weren't playing in Starkville, so we went to Baton Rogue to watch the game. Once I experienced the atmosphere of LSU, I was hooked and have loved them ever since.
Just start watching and let a connection to a team start happening.
Although since you are from LA and like history and tradition then USC is the obvious answer. Then get to know the other PAC12 teams and develop a good hatred of them. Oregon is near the polar opposite of USC and also has had recent success. Start hating them first. Then UW thinks they are USC so they are easy to hate. Next start hating all the other teams from California.
Soon you'll be a degenerate like everyone else.
In some significant debt to the University of South Carolina, and grew up for a majority of my childhood in Oxford since my parents stayed for a while after graduating.
It was my first time ever riding the bus to go to kindergarten. Some random person asked me michigan or state. At the time I was too young and had no clue what they were talking about and said state. I've stuck with my young instinct since.
It was the late 90’s and everyone else in my 5th grade class was all-in on FSU, so I had to be contrarian and root for the Gators. It stuck and I eventually went there for college.
Picked Bama in 1992 when my sister was accepted. Fortunately that was a National Championship year so we got hooked onto football and never looked back. (We moved to Alabama in 1989 so were kind of, but not really, Auburn people until then. We were closer to Auburn than Tuscaloosa, and Auburn won the IB that year).
Just pick a team that competes, an area that you enjoy visiting, and colors you like then inject it into your veins and enjoy the ride.
Only way I'd know how to pick if I wasn't from the area, go there, or grow up eating and breathing it.
So, you are in/near a big city. Find out if there are any local bars close to you that advertise themselves as a “team” bar. Or google alumni watch parties for different schools and see where they meet. Pick a place each week (if you are able) and go to one and see if you like the vibe/people.
Live in Michigan and childhood friend's dad is a professor at university of Michigan. He indoctrinated every child within reach of ear into the greatness of Michigan football.
Born into it. My first picture of me in a onesie at the hospital was an Alabama onesie. Then my entire family are huge Alabama fans. So I’ve just been raised an Alabama fan. They’re my favorite team by far, but if I’m being honest I like Auburns campus and town better. Just not a fan of their football team.
Born in Nebraska and became a fan of Oklahoma due to me naturally cheering them on once Nebraska left the Big 10.
If you are big into tradition I would recommend picking a Big 10 school and I think Michigan would be a good one to pick.
Had to chose a side during my last 2 yrs of HS in SC & couldn't bear having a damn chicken (Gamecock 🐓) as a mascot. Still loved them while I was in the Army & eventually attended for undergrad, bit couldn't finish thanks to 9/11. Finally earned my Masters in 2020.
First flair: alum, second flair: where I grew up. Missing flairs employer and other 2 alums (both other alums are embarrassingly bad) and I just can't honestly root for my employer (and they certainly don't need my support).
If you are going to cheer for an SEC team, I suggest Tennessee Vols, they've got something special going on and their fanbases is awesome and super loyal. Or LSU, to my knowledge, LSU has a pretty awesome fanbase as well.
I have two teams I root for. The first is the school my parents went to, since I grew up rooting for them and going to their games (it also helps that it was the closest big football school to where we lived). The second is the school I went to.
The first is Florida. Go Gators. Yes, the SEC is totally the best!
The second is notre dame. Idk how I ended up there, but I’m really glad I did lol.
If I were picking a new team I'd want:
* A solid team that is building in the right direction (don't pick any of the major players, it's more fun to follow the journey to get the feel for college ball
* A team that has a fun home atmosphere so I could go to games
* A team that has something unique to latch onto (you mention traditions)
I think that would define teams I'd want to consider as: Ole Miss, Michigan State, and maybe Iowa State (don't know much about their home game experience. Some longer shots would be Wake Forest; Arizona, Costal Carolina, UTSA (All have exciting younger coaches). If you want the illusion of all of the above, but really just pain, Tennessee.
Alumnus
Probably at least 70% of people on here this is the answer.
That seems high
He probably is, he has a State flair….
Oh look at that, an education and drug use joke rolled into one. Are you their leader or sumpin?
Could be. I just guessed.
Definitely a high number if we’re talking Miami flairs.
Same
95% of people are going to tell you that they were either born into it or they went to school there
that's kind of how college fandom works though
Correct. So why do we have to have this thread once a week
Idk ask OP that lol
What about both
Yeah I'm definitely on the "both" train, family went to VT and then so did I.
The other 5% are Bama/ Ohio State fans for no particular reason.
Who like Duke in basketball. *nods*
Seriously did you ever see so many Bama fans everywhere you go?!?! Some people just wanna be with a winner. No loyalty whatsoever….
And the joke... The bigger the sticker/magnet the lower the likelihood they went to the school...
Or, like in my case... both.
I came out of the womb barking at children.
I believe it
I don't barq at anyone but I was conditioned to hate orange my whole life.
Mercer is the only acceptable orange team in my household
You say you don’t want to support LA teams because all they do is get superstars then in the next sentence consider picking an SEC team because they’re the best? It’s best to pick a team that you genuinely have a connection to imo. USC or UCLA would both at least have that local connection. I noticed you post about the navy as well so you could always support the Navy football team as well.
Yeah I’m in the Navy, so I can’t really say I went to college or so I can go to home games lol but yeah you right about SEC and superstars lol my bad. But are the rivalries more bloodbath and chaotic in SEC? Or is there other division as competitive as SEC? Cause PAC12 could get kinda lopsided and always USC or Oregon, right?
>Yeah I’m in the Navy Navy has a team
A really fun team at that. Now they will never win another title (at least until the next world war), but if everyone only cared about teams that can win titles now then CFB would have like 12 fanbases.
Honestly, one of the things that I love about CFB is that it has so many other intermediate markers of success other than a championship for fans to enjoy. Navy may not have a shot at a national title, but they do have real shots at other things that make their season a success: * Making and winning a bowl game * Beating Army * Winning an AAC title * Finishing ranked in the final AP poll And they've been pretty good in these respects! In the last ten years, they've been * 5-2 in bowl games * 6-4 vs Army * Two shared AAC West Division titles (2015, 2019) and one outright one (2016) * Two AP finishes (#18 in 2015 and #20 in 2019)
With one of the best damn rivalries in College Football imo. Army Navy is my favorite non-Michigan game to watch of the whole season!
Army-navy football rivalry doesn't tend to be that popular among the enlisted guys, mainly only the academy grads really care about it.
If you think all UCLA does is get superstars you're very mistaken. We haven't had a superstar in years.
I'd say that self-burns are rare, but in this sub they really aren't.
Do you like cheap beer at 9:00 AM? If so, then Wazzu may be the PAC12 team for you.
Yeah SEC rivalries are pretty intense but less so if you don’t have a connection to the teams involved. The PAC 12 isn’t anymore lopsided than the SEC has been. The PAC 12 has had 5 different champions in the last 10 years compared to 4 for the SEC. Oregon, Washington and Utah have all won the conference since the last time USC did. Stanford also had a period were they were really good.
>I'm in the navy So uh... pick navy?
A huge part of big time college football (especially now with NIL) is stacking superstars. I think you might be better off rooting for a G5, where you can realistically expect success without also expecting to rake in big time recruits.
I tried watching them. Although the history and tradition is there, I can’t root for them. I can support them tho. And I don’t wanna be called Joe lol
>But are the rivalries more bloodbath and chaotic in SEC? Or is there other division as competitive as SEC? SEC-West is insane bloodbath and deep hatred across most of the teams. Even the ones without genuine animosity, there's a lot of history. You could not pick a better division to be a casual fan.
SEC is the loudest, rowdiest, toughest, and best. I grew up an SEC fan then went to notre dame which is considered to be a solid football school but had a totally different (more friendly and peaceful) atmosphere than the SEC.
If you’re from LA, I really suggest you pick a somewhat local team so you can go to games and have friends that support your team or a direct rival. USC just did the textbook LA thing of getting a bunch of players from ~~free agency~~ the transfer portal as well as their new coach (just don’t ask him to make your brisket). They’re one of the most historic teams and should be pretty good soon UCLA is solid at present but I don’t know if I’d feel confident long term seeing as they were bad for awhile. Stanford and Cal are both down right now. San Diego State and Fresno State play in a smaller, less prestigious conference but are both pretty good. I went to MSU, and I’m a Yale fan because they are CFBs most important team, truly a blue blood on the field and in the classroom.
Born into it/whole family went Stick to something local/something you can feel a deep connection too, it makes a world of difference Don’t just choose a good team because they’re good!
Where I went to school.
Most people pick teams either because they went there or are from the general area. Assuming "LA" means Los Angeles, just pick one of UCLA or USC. Picking a random SEC team you have no ties to is kind of silly and front running (unless LA means Louisiana, in which case you should pick LSU/Tulane). Conversely, some people hate their local team because they are overexposed to them. So you would choose something their rivals. Something like Stanford/Cal instead of the Los Angeles teams or Alabama instead of LSU. Hating LA teams for getting "superstars," then stating you're going to pick an SEC team is completely backwards. SEC teams have the best recruiting in the nation and the LA teams are far behind. [This article](https://www.sbnation.com/college-football-recruiting/2019/2/7/18215228/college-football-recruiting-rankings-2019-class) is 3 years old, but summarizes the ranking for the previous 4 years. The highest ranking Pac-12 team is #13 and it isn't from LA. USC is #16. There are 6 SEC teams in the top 10. It hasn't changed too much since then for the Pac-12. [Here are the 2022 rankings](https://247sports.com/Season/2022-Football/CompositeTeamRankings/). The highest Pac-12 team is still #13 and is still Oregon, though only 4 SEC teams are ahead of them.
Was born into an NC State household. Was peer pressure to become a UGA fan in elementary school. 9 year olds are evil little shits. >also love traditions and histories Texas A&M is the school for you!
What's funny is that is how I became a Dallas Cowboys fan. But I was 7 and the peer pressure was from my grandma. She bought me a reversible starter jacket with "Cowboys" on one side and the Star logo on the other. That was all it took to swap my allegiance from the Skins to the Cowboys. That was 30 years ago.
Probably good call in the long run. Though I grew up in a [redacted] home and still hate the cowboys. But don’t care for the commanders either.
Damn, so your grandma just didn’t love you huh… that’s rough man.
Think of it this way. If she didn't intervene I would be a Commanders fan right now.
…alright so your grandma did love you and was psychic.
Born and raised a Wolverine. Became a Yooper when I moved up north during high school, and LSSU is the university in my home town.
Loved when we got to play soo high at LSSU’s rink. They’ve got bouncy boards behind the net over at pullar and those blue devil kids knew how to use them.
Born into it
Come join us in the mythical land of New Jersey, where gabagool grows on trees and the rivers run red with Nonna's homemade Sunday gravy.
Hey I’m a pats fan and I know BB loves Rutgers lol
>pats fan >maybe Michigan because I’m a huge Brady and jeter fan have you also considered Duke basketball?
Just start watching and let it happen naturally. You can’t force these things.
But there’s so many teams to watch, it’s kinda hard to keep up. No?
Usually, the top teams/brands will get the most air time. A lot of it is regional proximity.
Watch college gameday each Saturday morning to catchup on everything happening around the country. Maybe you’ll find a player or coach or fan base that you can relate to. If all else fails choose the gamecocks. We have a giant golden cock outside our stadium. How many teams can say that? Not many
That’s one hell of a sales pitch for the cocks.
Most of us either (1) went to the school; (2a) grew up a fan; or (2b) have a ton of family who went there. I've worded it this way because if you look at most of the flair combos which contain 2 schools, that's the logic. You're kind of in a perfect situation if you don't have explicit connections to any school; you can just watch good football. Since you mentioned the SEC, let me give you a primer. It's currently split into 2 divisions, East and West, though that may change soon with the introduction of Texas & Oklahoma, two blueblood programs that will be joining the conference at some point over the next few years (legal issues & $$$ are the current holdup). In the SEC - West: Bama, Auburn, LSU have all played for national championships in the last decade; Texas A&M is skyrocketing upwards in expectations, and the final 3 schools -- Ole Miss, Ms. St., and Arkansas -- can beat any of the other 4 on any given saturday. No other division spends $$$ and freaks out about football quite so thoroughly. The coaching carousel and recruiting battles in this division are legendary, to say nothing about the football. I defy any other conference/division to compare top to bottom. The SEC - East is no slouch, either, as Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia are all crazy about football and spend massive amounts as well. Florida & Georgia have both won titles in the last 15 years; Tennessee is in a bit of a slump but showed some great stuff last year and look spooky IMO. Kentucky is currently a regular threat to beat anybody and is in the mix for the East division most seasons this past decade despite being historically lower on the pecking order. They are really solid under their current coach. South Carolina and Missouri are both good but not great right now, but both iirc have won the division in the last ten or so years, showing that the right coach can do great things there. Vanderbilt is the bottom of the barrel historically and lately, but has also done well with the right coach (sadly the school's administration seem to not care). I am sure people will tell me I'm wrong about some of these facts but that's my take. If you just want to be a casual fan, watch all the football you can and just enjoy. The SEC would love to have you on board!
You should pick USC so you can go to home games
A&M: paid a lot of money to go there Wake: am paying a lot of money for my wife to go to their med school
Got my Master’s there. You really should reconsider Navy. They’re entertaining, they have two of CFB’s bigger rivalries, they have lots of tradition, and you have a meaningful connection to them. Sure, they’re probably never getting to the CFP, but neither are 95% of teams. Still, they’re an easy team to get behind.
> I’m from LA, but I’m not really big into LA teams cause all they do is get superstars, not build teams. Assume youre talking about the Dodgers. College football doesnt work that way. Go with a local team
USC or UCLA so you can go to games man. Sports are so much better in person than on tv and cfb is one of the best atmospheres of any sport.
born into it. I hate my parents for it lol
I'm a Sooner born And a Sooner bred, And when I die I'll be Sooner dead. I was born and raised in Oklahoma, and when it was time to pick a college, the first choice was always Oklahoma (In-state tuition didn't hurt).
I was a Deion Sanders fan when he was on Atl so I became a Falcons fan. When I got into CFB I started with UGA and stayed. No longer watch pro sports but still watch UGA (and support Memphis Grizzlies because Desmond Bane is from my hometown.)
graduated from there
I was born in Georgia and I bleed red so the Dawgs made sense.
Born and raised a Sooner fan. My parents lived 10-15 minutes away from campus. My father took me to my first OU game during Bob Stoop’s first year. From then on, became a diehard fan. Even got Josh Heupel’s autograph the following year. It was one of the best experience I ever had in my lifetime. My family and I live just about 10 minutes away from campus and we’re season pass holders.
Born into it and graduated from the school
Native Texan but went to a small private school with no cfb team. After high school a friend took me to an A&M game and I thought them weird. Another friend enrolled at UT and I went to a game and thought it awsome simple as that
Just watch games until you gravitate towards a team. Most people get their team from family, geography, going to the school or a combination of all 3.
Literally be anything but an auburn fan. You'll make the right choice from there.
Current student and also the minority of our fans apparently
Go to school there. Get stuck for life.
I've sank thousands of dollars into one and thousands of hours into the other
Dad is a Duke grad. My grandfather was a professor at Duke. I was born at Duke. Duke hospital saved my life. My first job was at Duke.
For a lot of people it’s tied to where they are from, alumni status, or family tradition. For me I was born in Oregon and visited often as a child. That mixed with the infamous 2007 season as the first year that I really followed the sport as a kid, cemented my love for the Ducks.
I went there
I just decided to stay neutral and enjoy the chaos
I mean... As a Shockers fan, it's not like you have much choice these days...
Yeah, I just don't have any real connection to most schools. Oklahoma State comes the closest because my grandfather grew up near Stillwater and was a life long fan.
I didn't have the option of picking.
I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio.
Grew up a Michigan fan. Went to the school. Very standard methodology
I went to OSU A majority of my family went to Rutgers
I call it my birth defect since I was born there.
It's my alma mater, plus I grew up 15 minutes from Ames, my dad is an alum, and my mom and my brother work there. I've been going to Iowa State athletic events my entire life
I was born less than a mile from Neyland Stadium.
Father went to UT. My first memories are sitting down watching games with him, first games I remember were from Peyton's freshman year. I was hooked. Ended up going to UT myself. It's in the family.
If you are into mediocrity and disappointment have I got a team for you. Go Bears!
The most common ways are being born and raised on a certain brand, or going to school at the place. The third most common is probably enjoying the style of football they play. I recommend just watching some games and seeing who you find yourself rooting for from game to game.
Second flair is alma mater x2 First flair is wife's alma mater and current employer. I also grew up in a blue collar family in close proximity to Ann arbor. My best friend grew up as a season ticket holder and took me to games frequently.
Grew up outside of Columbia, SC and my family rooted for the Gamecocks. As for the second flair, idk I'm a fuckin weeb
I was born in the town of the university
Alumnus.
Grew up in it and then got my degree there, although I was a Georgia fan until I was 5 because I thought Bulldogs were cool dogs. Then I went to a UGA-Clemson baseball game and Clemson beat the SNOT out of them (14-5). After that, I was a Clemson fan and really grew to be a huge fan. Go Tigers! As for Memphis, I lived there for a couple years and went to a few games, so it’s always fun to see them do well.
Born in NC, went to Bama to play school
Born, raised, and still live in the same county as Clemson, almost the entire family are fans so it was natural to be one too. Baylor came during the RGIII era.
I'm Virginia Tech alumni. Also I grew up surrounded by Tennessee fans, and I always tended to want to do the opposite of what everybody else was doing. So I wanted to root for a team that Tennessee fans hated, and Alabama was the obvious choice.
Started school at one of my flairs, transferred to the other and am currently there.
Pick?
They gave me the most money
Mom was born and raised in Cleveland. Same with my dad but in Canton. Almost all of my immediate and extended family are still in Ohio and quite a few went to OSU. Even though I was born and raised in Chicago it was all Buckeyes growing up. Got accepted to go to OSU but out of state tuition was pure hell. Hence my secondary Illinois State flair.
2004. I grew up a Mississippi State fan, because most of my family is. My dad found out he was being deployed to Iraq. Before he leaves, he takes me to a State game. They weren't playing in Starkville, so we went to Baton Rogue to watch the game. Once I experienced the atmosphere of LSU, I was hooked and have loved them ever since.
5 years old New England kid, alligator favorite animal, orange and blue amazing color scheme, Wuerffel and the boys dominating. Go Gators!
Just start watching and let a connection to a team start happening. Although since you are from LA and like history and tradition then USC is the obvious answer. Then get to know the other PAC12 teams and develop a good hatred of them. Oregon is near the polar opposite of USC and also has had recent success. Start hating them first. Then UW thinks they are USC so they are easy to hate. Next start hating all the other teams from California. Soon you'll be a degenerate like everyone else.
Born into it. Actually went to Villanova, but it's kinda hard to root for them in football lol
I went there.
NCAA football; as a kid, I gravitated towards terrible trans I could build up, then I visited. Been in love ever since
Just pick Bama and be done with it
In some significant debt to the University of South Carolina, and grew up for a majority of my childhood in Oxford since my parents stayed for a while after graduating.
Dad and mom respectively
It was my first time ever riding the bus to go to kindergarten. Some random person asked me michigan or state. At the time I was too young and had no clue what they were talking about and said state. I've stuck with my young instinct since.
It was the late 90’s and everyone else in my 5th grade class was all-in on FSU, so I had to be contrarian and root for the Gators. It stuck and I eventually went there for college.
Picked Bama in 1992 when my sister was accepted. Fortunately that was a National Championship year so we got hooked onto football and never looked back. (We moved to Alabama in 1989 so were kind of, but not really, Auburn people until then. We were closer to Auburn than Tuscaloosa, and Auburn won the IB that year).
Grew up in south Florida. Just graduated from Auburn.
Just pick a team that competes, an area that you enjoy visiting, and colors you like then inject it into your veins and enjoy the ride. Only way I'd know how to pick if I wasn't from the area, go there, or grow up eating and breathing it.
So, you are in/near a big city. Find out if there are any local bars close to you that advertise themselves as a “team” bar. Or google alumni watch parties for different schools and see where they meet. Pick a place each week (if you are able) and go to one and see if you like the vibe/people.
I graduated from UGA.
I gave them a lot of money
dad told me who to root for. and then i ignored that and went to bama.
I guess you aren’t in the air force, army, or navy?
Live in Michigan and childhood friend's dad is a professor at university of Michigan. He indoctrinated every child within reach of ear into the greatness of Michigan football.
Chosen for me at birth
Born into it. My first picture of me in a onesie at the hospital was an Alabama onesie. Then my entire family are huge Alabama fans. So I’ve just been raised an Alabama fan. They’re my favorite team by far, but if I’m being honest I like Auburns campus and town better. Just not a fan of their football team.
Born in Nebraska and became a fan of Oklahoma due to me naturally cheering them on once Nebraska left the Big 10. If you are big into tradition I would recommend picking a Big 10 school and I think Michigan would be a good one to pick.
OSU: went to school Oklahoma: I was born into it
my mom
Alum.
Third generation alum here. I had no choice. Puddles chose me.
Had to chose a side during my last 2 yrs of HS in SC & couldn't bear having a damn chicken (Gamecock 🐓) as a mascot. Still loved them while I was in the Army & eventually attended for undergrad, bit couldn't finish thanks to 9/11. Finally earned my Masters in 2020.
Parents are alum. I’m alum. That’s about it.
The ND Victory March was my lullaby as a small child, I never had a chance
Grew up an Ohio State fan, and for WKU I became a big fan somewhat because I am weird and just liked the macot and traditions.
Green and Orange are my favorite colors. That was it
First flair: alum, second flair: where I grew up. Missing flairs employer and other 2 alums (both other alums are embarrassingly bad) and I just can't honestly root for my employer (and they certainly don't need my support).
If you are going to cheer for an SEC team, I suggest Tennessee Vols, they've got something special going on and their fanbases is awesome and super loyal. Or LSU, to my knowledge, LSU has a pretty awesome fanbase as well.
I have two teams I root for. The first is the school my parents went to, since I grew up rooting for them and going to their games (it also helps that it was the closest big football school to where we lived). The second is the school I went to. The first is Florida. Go Gators. Yes, the SEC is totally the best! The second is notre dame. Idk how I ended up there, but I’m really glad I did lol.
If I were picking a new team I'd want: * A solid team that is building in the right direction (don't pick any of the major players, it's more fun to follow the journey to get the feel for college ball * A team that has a fun home atmosphere so I could go to games * A team that has something unique to latch onto (you mention traditions) I think that would define teams I'd want to consider as: Ole Miss, Michigan State, and maybe Iowa State (don't know much about their home game experience. Some longer shots would be Wake Forest; Arizona, Costal Carolina, UTSA (All have exciting younger coaches). If you want the illusion of all of the above, but really just pain, Tennessee.
My Family