Week five of the 2013 Discover Fan Loyalty Poll is about how thankful college football fans are for football and food this Thanksgiving. As we enter the Week 14 Thanksgiving rivalry weekend of the college football season, many teams are still jockeying for position within their conference as well as attempting to better position themselves for a prestigious bowl game. While that may be what certain teams are doing, others feature coaches who may fighting for their jobs. Of course, with that being said, some of them should be thankful this holiday season to still have a job after how their team has performed up until this point.
- My views are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Discover Products Inc. and its affiliates.
Before we take a look at some coaches who have looked more like turkeys entering this Thanksgiving weekend, check out the latest results from the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll.
The latest results from the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll also dealt with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, and how college football fans across the country view food, their family and their favorite football team. The Week five topics related to Thanksgiving, asking college football fans whether or not they would give up their seat at the dinner table this Thursday in exchange for free tickets at the 50-yard-line to watch their favorite team play. Overall, 42 percent of the fans surveyed said that they would rather pass on turkey than pass the pie around the table, opting to accept the free tickets to watch their favorite team play. While that number is high, the majority – at 55 percent – said that they agree with the sentiment that home is where the heart is, and that even free tickets at midfield to watch their favorite college football team play would not be enough to get them to skip Thanksgiving dinner with their family.
It seems that while turkey and football go together, just don’t make fans choose one over the other. The majority will try to find a way to thoroughly enjoy the best of both worlds!
When breaking the data down by conference, fans of an SEC or American Athletic Conference team were most likely to take the free tickets, at 46 percent, which is three percentage points higher than the average fan. On the flip side, fans of Pac-12 teams said that they would not skip the traditional Thanksgiving Day festivities, as 60 percent would pass up the tickets in favor of spending the day with family. This Thanksgiving, only fans of four teams would have to make that decision, as the only two college football games scheduled are the Ole Miss Rebels traveling to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Texas Longhorns hosting the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Both of these games will have bowl implications, but neither will have any ramifications on any of the five BCS Bowl Games.
Fans were asked to decide between Thanksgiving dinner and attending the big game. Coaches and players do not have that choice, although I can envision a few coaches who will not have that problem around this time next year, and they are fortunate to still be coaching this weekend, to tell you the truth.
* Discover Products Inc. sent me a Gift Card for participating as a Blogger in the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll program
What about when it comes to the dinner menu on Thanksgiving? This is certainly more of a personal preference, with many people having such different tastes. In the longstanding debate over which Thanksgiving dinner staple people cannot live without, college football fans weighed in and turkey sits squarely on top, proving that the debate may not be as close as some may feel. Turkey takes the top billing with 48 percent, followed by stuffing at 20 percent, pie at 9 percent, mashed potatoes at 7 percent and cranberry sauce at 2 percent. Surprisingly, 12 percent said that another item of food is No. 1 in their hearts. While stuffing and pie and the top two musts on my Thanksgiving dinner plate, I would love to know what of the rest of you would say – especially the 12 percent who did not choose any of the top five food items as their No. 1 choice. Once again, feel free to weigh in with your own responses below.
College football head coaches are always hungry for wins, but the 2013 season has left some feeling famished. Here are five CFB head coaches who should be thankful to still be employed this Thanksgiving, but they should not get too comfortable or buy expensive holiday gifts, for they may not have a job past the calendar year.
5. Bo Pelini, Nebraska Cornhuskers – While an overall record of 8-3, including a 5-2 mark may be good enough for some, it will not cut it at Nebraska for Pelini. After failing to close out any games against top teams and once again falling out of the Top 25, Pelini has lost the support of much of the ‘Huskers faithful, especially after ranting against them after a game. Win or lose in the postseason, Pelini could easily join his brother on the unemployment line to start 2014.
4. Brady Hoke, Michigan Wolverines – I don’t see Michigan firing Hoke after what has been a disappointing season in Ann Arbor, although a win over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday would go a long way toward securing his job for at least one more season. The Wolverines will go to a bowl game this postseason, although not the one that anyone in the state was hoping for after a strong 2012 season.
3. Mike London, Virginia Cavaliers – In his fourth season and not making the program and better, London may be in trouble. With some very bad losses in ACC games that were never even close, Virginia will miss out on a bowl game once again this season. He has the support, but it may soon not be enough to save his job.
2. Mack Brown, Texas Longhorns – At 7-3 overall and 6-1 in Big 12 play, Brown should be safe, right? Especially after beating the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Rivalry earlier in the year. Wrong. Brown has turned things around after a lousy start, but the expectations are always higher in Texas. If the ‘Horns feel they could coax a big name down to the Lone Star State, it may be enough to push Brown out the door.
1. Will Muschamp, Florida Gators – I don’t care if the school has already said that Muschamp will return to coach the gators in 2014. Florida just lost a game to FCS school Georgia Southern. They are 4-7 and will miss out on going to a bowl game for the first time in 22 years. They were also ranked in the Top 10 in the preseason polls. That is simply too much to justify keeping Muschamp for another year. He will be a good head coach one day, but this was too big of a start for him. He goes after the Gators get blown out by the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday in the team’s final game of 2013.
Agree? Disagree? Do you see think these coaches deserve one more season to prove they can win, or has their time come? Are there any other coaches who you feel could be coaching their final game of the season this Thanksgiving weekend? Weigh in below.
Make sure that you stay tuned to Boston Super Blog for all of the latest polls and results from the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll. We have got you covered throughout the remainder of the 2013 college football season, leading all the way up to the BCS Championship Game! Make sure to Like Discover on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!
The Discover Fan Loyalty Poll is conducted twice a month by Rasmussen Reports, a nationally recognized leader in polling, who gathers sentiment by phone from 1500 college football fans who follow games at least once per week on television, radio, in person or online. The Poll leads up to the 2014 Discover Orange Bowl. Discover’s commitment to college football includes relationships with ESPN and Notre Dame Football on NBC.
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