Week four of the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll asked college football fans if they would go back to relive one more day in college if they were granted the opportunity. The majority said that they would jump at the chance, although the poll still showed that a fair amount would pass up the opportunity, saying that they have put their college days behind them. When it comes to Week 13 of the college football season, nobody know for sure which games fans will relive for ages, although, if you take a look at some of the spreads, there certainly appear to be a decent number of games fans can exploit from Wednesday night right through the closing hours on Saturday.
- My views are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Discover Products Inc. and its affiliates.
We will get to those games shortly, but first, take a look at the complete results from the latest Discover Fan Loyalty Poll. The latest poll asked college football fans across the country whether or not they would go back to relive one more day in college if they were granted the opportunity. Overall, the majority said that they would jump at the chance at 56 percent, while another 40 percent admitted that they have placed their college days behind them, opting to decline the opportunity. On which side do you fall in this debate? Would you return for one more day in college, or are you much more satisfied in your life as it is today? I guess what it boils down to is, would you stay or would you go? I hope you appreciate the humor here, and do not take it as a knock against the old song to which this is a reference.
Breaking down the poll results further revealed that women were more likely to go back to school for one more day than men, with results of 60 percent to 54 percent. The poll also found that Pac-12 fans would wish to relive a day of college most, at 61 percent, followed by Big 12 fans at 60 percent and Big Ten fans at 58 percent. Looking at the Week 13 schedule, there may be games to exploit involving teams from all three of these conferences. You will have to continue reading to find out which ones may appear on this list, as well as whether or not you favorite team could be involved in one of them, on one end or the other.
Check out the infographic below, as well as more results from the latest Discover Fan Loyalty Poll, including just how far some fans have gone to show their school spirit.
When it comes to school spirit and supporting your favorite team, most college football fans don’t resort to body art, face painting or possible thievery to show school spirit. The vast majority, 79 percent, have never done any of these things. However, 17 percent of fans have gone to the extreme by:
- Getting a tattoo related to your team, 3 percent
- Painting body parts, 3 percent
- Coloring your hair, 3 percent
- Stolen the rival team’s mascot, 1 percent
- You have done more than one of these, 4 percent
- You’ve done much crazier, c’mon!, 3 percent
What is the craziest thing that you have done to show your school spirit? If you have ever done any of these things in the past, then clearly, you are a true fan. If you have never partaken in any of these traditions, would you ever consider doing it in the future? What if you were attending one of the following games listed for Week 13? Would you go a little crazier if you knew that your team needed every ounce of support possible to escape with a big win as we inch closer and closer toward the end of the 2013 regular season? Weigh in with a comment below.
* Discover Products Inc. sent me a Gift Card for participating as a Blogger in the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll program
While my record at picking college football games against the spread is well above the .500 mark, I must still caution that these picks are for entertainment purposes. They are my opinions, and not a guarantee of which games will be locks to exploit against the spread during Week 13 of the 2013 NCAA Football season. I just thought that I should throw that out to all of you. Now, onto my picks!
* Northern Illinois Huskies (-3) at Toledo Rockets – The Huskies are undefeated and ranked No. 16 in Week 13 of the BCS Standings. They are only a three point favorite against a team with three losses, albeit in a road game. Toledo is no slouch, as two of its losses came in the first two games of the season against the Florida Gators and Missouri Tigers of the SEC. Still, the Rockets have played in some games that should not have been that close. The Huskies are fighting for a possible BCS Bowl Game. Home or away, NIU is the bet here with Jordan Lynch.
* Michigan State Spartans (-7.5) at Northwestern Wildcats – It has been a long time since Northwestern was in the discussion for playing in a bowl game. It has also been seven weeks since they won a game. The Spartans are fighting for a potential spot in the Rose Bowl or another BCS Bowl game. Am I missing something here? A touchdown favorite even on the road does not seem like a lot for the No. 13 team in the country. Bet Sparty here.
* Duke Blue Devils (-6) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons – I don’t get this one either. Wake is simply not a good football team. Duke is a week away from being ranked in the Top 25 of the BCS Standings and is also closing in on an appearance in the ACC Championship Game against the Florida State Seminoles. Home or away, Duke is clearly the superior team, and a gift giving up just six points.
* Mississippi State Bulldogs (-2.5) at Arkansas Razorbacks – The ‘Dogs and ‘Hogs both have losing records. The difference is that Mississippi State has played some good teams tough, while Arkansas barely shows up to play. It is tough betting on a game involving two bad teams, but Arkansas appears to be that much worse to me, despite the fact that they are at home in this one.
* Wisconsin Badgers (-16) at Minnesota Golden Gophers – How is the No. 19 team in the BCS Standings favored by 16 points on the road against the No. 25 team in the country, who also happens to reside in the same conference? What am I missing with this one? The Gophers are playing well. Even if they cannot pull off the upset, they should at least be able to cover the spread.
* BYU Cougars (-1) at Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Despite a winning record, I’m not sure Notre Dame gets a bid to any bowl game this season. Honestly, I’m not sure that they even deserve one. A loss at home to BYU will further prove my case against the Irish, while the Cougars are a better team with a stellar defense. I like BYU to take this one on the road, and clearly the low spread will not play a factor.
Agree? Disagree? Feel free to weigh in with your own games to exploit in Week 13, or let us know with the games on this list with which you feel I may actually get right.
What do you think about how things could shake out over the course of the final three weeks of the 2013 college football season? As we have seen on more than one occasion, anything can happen in the NCAA. That is why we will all watch with a careful eye to see just how different things could look after each weekend from here until the bowl games are announced.
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.
About Discover
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