Had the ball bounced differently for the South Carolina Gamecocks and Wisconsin Badgers in 2013, both teams could have been preparing to play in a BCS Bowl Game this postseason. Instead, the Gamecocks and Badgers are preparing to square off in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando on New Year’s Day. This is a game featuring two teams who were one bad loss away from at least playing in their respective conference championship games. South Carolina dropped a road game to the Tennessee Volunteers, while Wisconsin fell at home to the Penn State Nittany Lions late in the season. Both could have been in the SEC and Big 10 Championship contests had they won those games, especially since they were expected to do just that. Alas, fate can be cruel, although both should still be happy to be playing in one of the biggest non-BCS Bowls of the college football postseason.
- 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 Capital One Bowl between the Gamecocks and Badgers on January 1, 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
The Capital One Bowl features an intriguing matchup between two top 20 teams in the last BCS Standings. South Carolina comes in at No. 9, while Wisconsin finished at No. 19. If you look forward to watching premier running backs from the college football world, then this is the place to be to kick off the new year, as the Gamecocks and Badgers feature two outstanding backfields.
Thanks to Melvin Gordon, who was once considered a Heisman Trophy candidate, Wisconsin was able to rank No. 8 in the nation in rushing yards per game in 2013, piling up 283 yards per game on the ground. Of course, as good as Gordon was this season, James White also played a large part in the Badgers’ success on the ground in 2013. Gordon finished the season with 1,466 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, while White contributed 1,337 yards and 13 touchdowns of his own. It is no surprise that Wisconsin finished in the top 10 in rushing yards per game.
South Carolina relied on Mike Davis, who ran for 1,134 yards and 11 touchdowns this past season. But the Gamecocks also get some huge yards on the ground from quarterback Connor Shaw, who can beat you in the air or on the ground. While Shaw will have to win a game on neutral territory in this one, he will go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks in South Carolina history, having finished his career undefeated at home. He will look to get the ball to his No. 1 target, Bruce Ellington, early and often in order to help establish the pass to set up the run.
Both teams are also very excellent defensive teams. Wisconsin ranked 6th in the country in fewest points allowed per game, while South Carolina was 14th. The only difference is that the Gamecocks did it against teams from the SEC, while the Badgers played in what was a weaker Big 10. Still, this should be a solid game pitting two very similar teams.
With that being said, there is no doubt that fans will be looking forward to this season’s Capital One Bowl, 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 Gamecocks battle the Badgers on New Year’s Day in Orlando, 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.
