After the inevitable conclusion to the whole Mack Brown-Texas Longhorns saga came out this past Saturday, the speculation as to who will succeed him has been running rampant. The rumor mill is churning out some pretty big names, as the Texas job comes with one of the highest profiles possible. Brown won just one national championship in Austin, which is something that the Longhorns will hope to build upon with a new head coach, as they want more than an eight-win season and an appearance in the Alamo Bowl. At Texas, nothing short of a national championship is acceptable, meaning that the new head coach will have some pretty high expectations upon his arrival.
Of course, would anyone really want it any other way?
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With such a prominent opening such as the current one at Texas, many names are currently being linked to the job. Some of these current head coaches are preparing for their bowl game over the next few weeks. While nothing has been official, seven current coaches will be leading their teams in bowl games during the upcoming 2013-2014 college football bowl season, and they are hearing their names mentioned more than most others as possible candidates to take over as the next head coach of the Texas Longhorns.
Before we check out the seven head coaches who could lead their team to a bowl win over the next few weeks and then accept the head coaching job at Texas, 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 Ohio State Buckeyes? I know that they are hoping that Dabo Swinney and Urban Meyer will not be tempted to jump ship. They shouldn’t worry, however, as neither makes my final list of seven.
For those Alabama Crimson Tide fans reading this article, fear not, as Nick Saban is not on the list either. He is not going anywhere. Why would he?
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
While Brown is out, Texas will not have a difficult time finding a successor willing to leave his current team to take over the Longhorns. It is a highly coveted position, and will likely have a plethora of candidates. Here are seven who will be coaching their current teams in a bowl game this postseason, but who may be doing so for the final time at their current program.
* Jimbo Fisher, Florida State Seminoles – Leave a young team playing for the final BCS Championship with a returning Heisman Trophy candidate for at least one more season? I doubt it will happen, although there is always a possibility when it comes to Texas.
* Jim Mora Jr., UCLA Bruins – After leading UCLA to an appearance in the Sun Bowl, Mora will hear his name mentioned over and over as it relates to Texas. He would be an excellent hire for the Longhorns. Of course, it doesn’t mean that he wants to leave the Bruins.
* David Shaw, Stanford Cardinal – Another year, another Rose Bowl for Shaw at Stanford. He has said time and time again that he has no desire to leave the Cardinal. Could the Longhorns make him change his stance?
* James Franklin, Vanderbilt Commodores – This makes sense. Good coach. Tough conference. Never going to pass the big boys in the SEC in terms of top recruits. Could change that at Texas in the Big 12.
* Art Briles, Baylor Bears – Another wise move. Briles has worked his wonders at Baylor, but the Bears may not be able to maintain their elite status in the Big 12. He would be a great choice.
* Charlie Strong, Louisville Cardinals – This one could come down to one decision. If Teddy Bridgewater leaves and enters the 2014 NFL Draft, Strong may seriously consider leaving Louisville for a bigger and perhaps better job.
* Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State Cowboys – We have been hearing this one for years now. If Gundy declines the chance to take over at Texas, then we can stop mentioning his name when it comes to college football head coaching openings. This move would make the most sense for him, but he may have no intention of leaving Oklahoma State. This will be the biggest test to that theory.
Agree? Disagree? Have another head coach in mind who would be a great fit at Texas and may be a legitimate candidate to leave his current program? Feel free to leave a comment below.
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!
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.
