The Missouri Tigers and Oklahoma State Cowboys will face off in the AT&T Cotton Bowl in Arlington on January 3, 2014. While it may not be a BCS Bowl game, the Cotton Bowl carries with it a tremendous amount of prestige. Add in the fact that the Tigers and Cowboys could have actually been playing in the BCS Championship Game had things gone just a bit differently over the final weekend of the season, and we could have quite a contest in the new year between two teams who know each other quite well from their days in the Big 12 conference.
- 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 the Cotton Bowl between the Tigers and Cowboys on January 3, take a look at the latest results from the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll. The latest Discover Fan Loyalty Poll revealed that overall, one-third of college football fans across the country use social media while they watch their favorite team play. Breaking down the numbers further show that 50 percent use it to cheer on their team, while 7 percent do so to comment on the opposing team. A small number, just 2 percent, criticize their own team on social media. Thirty-one percent do all three when they log on.
Is this true of fans of the Clemson Tigers or the Ohio State Buckeyes? Keep reading to find out how you can voice your opinion on which team will win the big game in Miami on January 3. Thanks to Discover, college football fans are going to get the opportunity to show just how active they are on social media, especially when it comes to this season’s Orange Bowl. Keep reading to find out how you can join the party!
Of those who do use social media throughout their favorite team’s game, 38 percent of men and 32 percent of women use social media to taunt their friends. Millennials are most likely to take to social media while watching their team play, as 56 percent log on during the game, but other age groups don’t lag far behind. Check out those numbers as well as some more fun facts from the latest survey below:
- 40-49, 40 percent
- 30-39, 38 percent
- 50-64, 26 percent
- 65 or older, 17 percent
- 66 percent of women use social media to cheer on their team, compared to 36 percent of men
- 18 percent of women log on to social media in order to criticize their team, cheer on their team, or comment on the opposing team, compared to 43 percent of men who do all three
- 32 percent of women use social media to taunt their friends, while 38 percent of men dish it out online
* Discover Products Inc. sent me a Gift Card for participating as a Blogger in the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll program
Entering conference championship weekend, the Tigers and Cowboys were both ranked in the top six of the BCS Standings, with both holding out hope for an outside chance to receive an invitation to play in the BCS Championship Game. Sure, quite a few things would have had to have happened in order for Missouri ad Oklahoma State to get to Pasadena, but it was a small possibility. Of course, with both losing their final game of the season, that dream was squashed, with the Tigers and Cowboys being forced to settle for a berth in this season’s Cotton Bowl, presented by AT&T. It is not exactly a bad consolation prize for either program.
Missouri and Oklahoma State are both capable of putting up points in a hurry, yet both also enter the Cotton Bowl with underrated defenses.
The Tigers rely more on their ground game behind Henry Josey and his 1,066 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Missouri finished the season as the 17th best rushing team in the country. Quarterback James Franklin put up solid numbers as well in 2013, but he missed four games with an injury. Aside from a loss in the SEC Championship Game against the Auburn Tigers, Missouri’s only loss came to the South Carolina Gamecocks without Franklin under center. They were still able to finish as the 16th best team in the nation in points per game scored on offense.
The Cowboys can run the ball at times, but are more of an aerial assault type of team. They have had difficulty settling on just one quarterback, although Clint Chelf appears to have cemented himself as the starter. Oklahoma State ranked one spot ahead of Missouri in points per game scored, although that translated to a difference of less than one point per game. Both faced some excellent teams this past season.
And while the Tigers and Cowboys are known for their high-octane offenses, they can both play defense as well. Oklahoma State ranked 14th in America in terms of fewest points allowed per game at 20, while Missouri finished 29th, allowing 22.5 per contest.
Looking at the numbers, there is little reason to believe that this will not be an extremely close contest, and it i anybody’s best guess as to which team will come out on top.
With that being said, there is no doubt that fans will be looking forward to this season’s AT&T Cotton Bowl between the Tigers and Cowboys in Arlington, and with good reason. But, we have to get back to the Discover Orange Bowl and the social media campaign with which it comes. This is historical in terms of the large part that fans can play in voicing their opinion in a major college football bowl game!
Leading up to the official announcement of the Discover Orange Bowl matchup, fans everywhere were able to let the world know which team was the most deserving to play in Miami on January 3, 2014. Fans with rooting interests for various teams all weighed in to let the committee know that they would support their favorite team in this season’s Discover Orange Bowl. While the response was overwhelming, that was only Phase One!
Phase Two is about choosing sides. Are you pulling for #Clemson? Are you hoping for one more big game from Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins? Or, are you rooting for the #Buckeyes? Would you like to see Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde put up plenty of points after coming up short in the Big 10 Championship Game? The vote is in your hands!
The Discover Orange Bowl wants to know which side you are on when it comes to the big game in Miami on January 3. Are you rooting for the team from Death Valley to travel south and claim another victim in the new year? If so, make sure to visit http://www.discoverorangebowl.com/ and tweet your support for the Tigers, using the hashtag #Clemson as well as #DiscoverOrangeBowl. But, if you are rooting for Ohio State to win its first bowl game under Urban Meyer, then use the hashtag #Buckeyes, as well as the #DiscoverOrangeBowl from the website and in your tweets. In fact, feel free to upload images to the site and go crazy by showing your support for #Clemson or the #Buckeyes on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
After you vote, feel free to keep the discussion going by tweeting #Clemson or #Buckeyes, remembering to use the hashtag #DiscoverOrangeBowl. Through an interactive social media dashboard at http://www.discoverorangebowl.com/, both Clemson and Ohio State fans can monitor just how socially active their fan base is through a real-time conversation meter that builds based on volume of messages fans send with team specific hashtags/keywords or #DiscoverOrangeBowl. Now that we know the two participants in the big game, it will be interesting to see which school’s fan base will be more active through social media!
So, how active are you on social media? Whether you are rooting for #Clemson or the #Buckeyes, or even just looking for a great game between the two, regardless of which team winds up on top, make sure to voice your opinion during the college football bowl season. Is your team one of the 70 who will be playing in one of 35 bowl games in December or January? Better yet, did your team get invited to play in one of the final five BCS Bowl Games? If so, how will you be using social media during the big game? If you have a strong rooting interest in the #DiscoverOrangeBowl, then I think you know what you need to do to show your school spirit and undying support for either #Clemson or the #Buckeyes!
So, while we are all excited to watch the Tigers tangle with the Cowboys in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, make sure to go and vote on which team you will feel will win this season’s Orange Bowl in Miami, brought to you by Discover. It promises to be a great game, as well as a great experience for college football fans everywhere!
Discover has been an incredible sponsor for college football throughout the entire season. Aside from their participation with the Orange Bowl, they also are in charge of the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll, which asks college football fans across the country all sorts of entertaining questions related to their favorite college football team. You can follow Discover on Twitter and Facebook and make sure you use the hashtag #FanLoyaltyPoll!
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.
