The latest Discover Fan Loyalty Poll deals with all things Thanksgiving. While many people look forward to the turkey and stuffing and potatoes and pie, nearly as many look forward to watching football with touchdowns and sacks and upsets and surprises. Personally, I look forward to both, and would have an extremely difficult time choosing one or the other. For the college football fans surveyed in the Week five Discover Fan Loyalty Poll, they were forced to select one over the other, and the results may surprise you. A few Week 14 upsets may surprise you as well, but that does not mean that you should shy away from picking a few from certain Thanksgiving weekend games while you also pick at the leftovers from your Thanksgiving feats on Thursday.
- My views are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Discover Products Inc. and its affiliates.
The latest results from the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll 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! After all, I know that I would!
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.
The question is, will either of these games on turkey day result in an upset or a great game to pick against the spread? Well, you’ll just have to keep reading to find out…
* 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.
These games that will take place over Thanksgiving weekend will have plenty of meaning for many teams as it relates to earning an invitation to play in a bowl game or advancing to the conference championship game. Some games will have much more of a meaning for one team over the others, but you must keep in mind that the Thanksgiving weekend is loaded with rivalry games. Even when one team is rolling while the other is sinking, you can’t forget to factor in the rivalry.
With that being said, here are some games I like in terms of the point spreads currently being offered, as well as how the games could result in an upset, either ATS or flat out with a win by the underdog.
* Home team in all CAPS
THURSDAY:
TEXAS LONGHORNS (-5) over Texas Tech Red Raiders – Texas wins and covers spread
MISSISSIPPI STATE (+3.5) over Ole Miss Rebels – Mississippi State wins or covers spread
FRIDAY:
Iowa Hawkeyes (+3) over NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS – Iowa wins or covers spread
Miami Hurricanes (-3) over PITT PANTHERS – Miami win and covers spread
Washington State Cougars (+14.5) over WASHINGTON HUSKIES – Wash. St. wins or covers spread
SATURDAY:
Duke Blue Devils (+5.5) over NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS – Duke wins or covers spread
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (-3) over UCONN HUSKIES – Rutgers wins and covers spread
Boston College (-3) over SYRACUSE ORANGE – BC wins and covers spread
Tennessee Volunteers (-4) over KENTUCKY WILDCATS – Tennessee wins and covers spread
Clemson Tigers (+4) over SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS – Clemson wins or covers spread
Agree? Disagree? Have some upset picks of your own? Feel free to share them with the rest of us! Whichever teams you root for this weekend, just remember to be thankful for what you have. It may not be as much as others, or even as much as you feel you deserve, but it may still be more than what some have. Happy Thanksgiving!
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
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues the Discover card, America’s cash rewards pioneer, and offers home loans, private student loans, personal loans, home equity loans, checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit and money market accounts through its direct banking business. It operates the Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation’s leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance in more than 185 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.discover.com/company.
