The 2013-2014 college football bowl season officially kicks off this afternoon, with four games on the slate. With a total of 35 bowl games in all, there is plenty to be thankful for this Holiday season. And, with Christmas less than five days away, many fans are preparing to hand out and receive gifts of all sorts. My gift to all of our loyal readers is my free picks for all 35 bowl games against the spread. Of course, this is for entertainment purposes, although I have done quite well in picking college football games throughout this past season. And, while I give you my picks for a Christmas gift, many fans who were surveyed in the latest Discover Fan Loyalty Poll said that they would skip passing out presents if they could receive a certain gift for themselves the first week in January.
- My views are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Discover Products Inc. and its affiliates.
Week seven of the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll also asked college football fans questions that determined whether they are more naughty or nice as the Christmas season approaches. Thankfully, it turns out that more of them lean strongly toward the nice side, although there are still a fair share of fans who have quite a naughty streak, even during the most wonderful time of the year.
While the sentiment around this time is that it is better to give than to receive, when a national title is on the line, 30 percent of college football fans believe the opposite to be true, as they would opt to not give out any Christmas presents, choosing to instead relish in their favorite college football team winning the final BCS Championship.
I wonder how many of that 30 percent is made up of fans of either the Florida State Seminoles or Auburn Tigers, as their fans do not have to dream up such a scenario, with these two teams meeting for the BCS Championship in Pasadena on January 6. They may be much closer to taking a title than passing out presents.
While 30 percent may sound like a lot, it is heart-warming to see that 61 percent of college football fans surveyed in the latest Discover Fan Loyalty Poll still said that they would rather play Santa than Scrooge and still give Christmas presents to loved ones instead of having their favorite team win the national championship.
Maybe some of that number is comprised of Alabama Crimson Tide fans, who have already seen their team win a few titles over the past four years. It is refreshing to see that some people still put others’ feelings over their own desires, even if the result is a national championship crystal ball trophy.
Speaking of other heart-warming results, especially around Christmas, the Week seven results from the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll also revealed that fans really do love a good underdog. That is, as long as that underdog is not playing against their favorite team.
When their favorite team isn’t playing, the vast majority – 77 percent of fans – root for the underdog, compared to just 10 percent who cheer on the dominant team. The remaining 13 percent were unsure. Perhaps they root for a tie. They just can’t bare to see either team go home a loser.
* Discover Products Inc. sent me a Gift Card for participating as a Blogger in the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll program
When asked which side fans would rather coach, 83 percent of them said that it would be a dream to coach their favorite team in an attempt to lead them to victory. What better feeling than to be a part of the Gatorade bath showered upon you by your players leading up to the final seconds of a big win?
Well, I am glad that you asked, because 9 percent of fans have a slightly different view.
When asked the same question, only with a different response, 9 percent of college football fans said that they would rather be on the opposing team’s sideline so that they can sabotage that team’s chances against their favorite squad.
Hey, I guess we should be happy that it is only 9 percent. The other 83 percent are trying to the right thing. Although. is there a huge difference if the end result is still the same? I guess those people would say that a win is a win, no matter how it is achieved.
In the final Discover Fan Loyalty Poll, 30 percent of fans who were surveyed selected Florida State as the best team in the country right now. The Seminoles are set to take on Auburn in the BCS National Championship on Jan. 6, 2014. Alabama, which held the top spot for the past six consecutive polls, dropped to third. The remaining rankings broke down as follows:
- Auburn, 24 percent
- Alabama, 15 percent
- Michigan State, 7 percent
- Stanford, 4 percent
That part all makes sense, as the ‘Noles are a 7.5 point favorite over the Tigers. They are considered the top team by most throughout the world of college football, including every poll as well as the latest Discover Fan Loyalty Poll.
So, how can more people be picking Auburn to win than Florida State?
When asked which team will win the BCS Championship Game, 50 percent of all fans favored Auburn, compared to 44 percent who were on Florida State’s side. So while more people feel as if Florida State may be the better team, the must be picking Auburn based either on personal preference or that lady luck is on the side of the Tigers more so than the Seminoles.
Which side do you tend to lean toward as the BCS Championship Game approaches? Do you anticipate the favored Seminoles holding the crystal ball trophy high after winning the title? Or, do you feel as if nothing can stop the Tigers after their improbable run over the past month or so? Feel free to weigh in with your responses below.
Now, as promised, I will give you my picks for all 35 bowl games, including the five BCS Bowl Games. After checking out my picks, make sure to find out how you can be a part of the most socially interactive Discover Orange Bowl in NCAA Football history.
* My Picks Italicized And In Bold...
12/21 New Mexico Bowl Washington State -5 Colorado State
12/21 Las Vegas Bowl USC -6.5 Fresno State
12/21 Potato Bowl Buffalo -1 San Diego State
12/21 New Orleans Bowl Tulane -2.5 UL-Lafayette
12/23 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl East Carolina -14 Ohio
12/24 Hawaii Bowl Oregon State -3 Boise State
12/26 Little Caesar’s Bowl Bowling Green -5.5 Pittsburgh
12/26 Poinsettia Bowl Northern Illinois -2.5 Utah State
12/27 Military Bowl Marshall -2.5 Maryland
12/27 Texas Bowl Minnesota -5 Syracuse
12/27 Fight Hunger Bowl Washington -3 BYU
12/28 Pinstripe Bowl Notre Dame -15 Rutgers
12/28 Belk Bowl North Carolina -3 Cincinnati
12/28 Russell Athletic Bowl Louisville -3.5 Miami
12/28 Buffalo Wings Bowl Kansas State -3.5 Michigan
12/30 Armed Forces Bowl Navy -6 Middle Tennessee St.
12/30 Music City Bowl Ole Miss -3 Georgia Tech
12/30 Alamo Bowl Oregon -14 Texas
12/30 Holiday Bowl Arizona State -14.5 Texas Tech
12/31 AdvoCare V100 Bowl Arizona -7.5 Boston College
12/31 Sun Bowl UCLA -7.5 Virginia Tech
12/31 Liberty Bowl Mississippi State -7 Rice
12/31 Chick-fil-A Bowl Texas A&M -13 Duke
1/1 Gator Bowl Georgia -9.5 Nebraska
1/1 Heart Of Dallas Bowl North Texas -6.5 UNLV
1/1 Outback Bowl LSU -8 Iowa
1/1 Capital One Bowl South Carolina -1.5 Wisconsin
1/1 Rose Bowl Stanford -4.5 Michigan State
1/1 Fiesta Bowl Baylor -17 Central Florida
1/2 Sugar Bowl Alabama -16 Oklahoma
1/3 Cotton Bowl Missouri -1.5 Oklahoma State
1/3 Orange Bowl Ohio State -2.5 Clemson
1/4 Compass Bowl Vanderbilt -3 Houston
1/5 GoDaddy Bowl Ball State -9.5 Arkansas State
1/6 BCS Championship Florida State -7.5 Auburn
Well, there you have it. My complete picks for all 35 bowl games from the 2013-2014 college football postseason. Keep in mind that I do not proclaim to be an expert. I just feel that I know more than the average fan. Ha! Just kidding. My picks are purely based on which team I feel will win or cover the spread. They are in no way guarantees. To each their own, as everyone should come up with their own picks for each game, and I can’t wait for many of these huge games to begin!
Speaking of other big games that will place a huge emphasis on a big win, the 2014 Discover Orange Bowl features a matchup that could go down as an instant classic. The Ohio State Buckeyes and Clemson Tigers will square off in Miami on January 3, with a BCS Bowl Game victory at stake. While the game should be a great one on the field, it will also go down as the most socially interactive contest off of the gridiron.
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!
The Discover Orange Bowl should be a great game, just like so many of the other 34 bowl games this college football postseason. Fans everywhere view this as the most wonderful time of the year, and with good reason. Whether you would rather receive a title or pass out presents or cheer for the underdog or the favorite, we can all be sure of one thing.
So, are you rooting for Florida State or Auburn? Ohio State or Clemson? What about in the 33 other bowl games? Favorites or underdogs? Make sure to weigh in below with your responses!
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.
