With the 2013-2014 college football bowl season less than a week away, many fans will be getting ready to say good-bye to some of their favorite players over the past few years, as they prepare to enter the 2014 NFL Draft. While some will hold out hope that the underclassmen will return for another season or two, the harsh reality is that it is simply too hard to pass up guaranteed millions at the next level to return to school for another year or two. With that being said, the upcoming bowl games are the final chance for certain 2014 NFL Draft prospects to shine, as they know that the whole world will be watching. Many bowl games will feature some top talent, but I have my eye on the top 5 college football bowl games this postseason that feature the most draft prospects for the 2014 NFL Draft. Spoiler alert: Not all of them are BCS Bowl Games.
- My views are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Discover Products Inc. and its affiliates.
Before we check out the five bowl games with the most 2104 NFL Draft prospects, 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 Clemson or Ohio State? 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
When you take a look at the 2013-2014 NCAA Football bowl season, most focus on the five BCS Bowl Games when marking their calendars. While all of these games have players who will be playing in the NFL in 2014 and beyond, they are not necessarily the only ones loaded with future draft prospects. With that being said, take a look at the five college football bowl games from this postseason that could produce the most players taken in the 2014 NFL Draft:
5. Rose Bowl – Michigan State Spartans vs. Stanford Cardinal
Top Spartans Draft Prospects: Darqueze Dennard (CB), Shilique Calhoun (DE), Max Bullough (LB), Isaiah Lewis (CB)
Top Cardinal Draft Prospects: Trent Murphy (DE), David Yankey (OG), Shayne Skov (LB), Josh Mauro (DE), Tyler Gaffney, (RB)
4. Sugar Bowl – Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Oklahoma Sooners
Top Crimson Tide Draft Prospects: Cyrus Kouandjio (OT), C.J. Mosely (LB), Hasean Clinton-Dix FS), A.J. McCarron (QB), Adrian Hubbard (LB), Anthony Steen (OG), Ed Stinson (DE), Deion Belue (CB)
Top Sooners Draft Prospects: Aaron Colvin (CB), Gabe Ikard (C), Jalen Saunders (WR)
3. Outback Bowl – LSU Tigers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes
Top Tigers Draft Prospects: La’el Collins (OT), Ego Ferguson (DT), Jarvis Landry (WR), Odell Beckham Jr. (WR), Anthony Johnson (DT), Zach Mettenberger (QB), Jeremy Hill (RB), Craig Loston (SS), Lamin Barrow (LB), J.C. Copeland (FB)
Top Hawkeyes Draft Prospects: C.J. Fiederowicz (TE), Christian Kirksey (LB)
2. Orange Bowl – Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Clemson Tigers
Top Buckeyes Draft Prospects: Ryan Shazier (LB), Bradley Roby (CB), Jake Mewhort (OT), Carlos Hyde (RB), Corey Linsley (C)
Top Tigers Draft Prospects: Sammy Watkins (WR), Vic Beasley (DE), Tajh Boyd (QB), Brandon Thomas (OG), Martavis Bryant (WR)
1. BCS Championship Game – Florida State Seminoles vs. Auburn Tigers
Top Seminoles Draft Prospects: Cameron Irving (OT), Lamarcus Joyner (CB), Timmy Jernigan (DT), Terrence Brooks (FS), Christian Jones (LB), Telvin Smith (LB), Bryan Stork (C), James Wilder Jr. (RB)
Top Tigers Draft Prospects: Tre Mason (RB), Dee Ford (LB), Chris Davis (CB), Jay Prosch (FB)
It is worth mentioning a couple of things as it concerns this list. First, not all of these players have declared themselves eligible for the 2014 NFL Draft. They are all players who can enter, yet not all of them have. You will not see a player such as Jameis Winston, even though the FSU QB is the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner, as he is not eligible for the 2014 NFL Draft. Also, for those who are upset that I left the Chick-fil-A Bowl off of this list, despite the fact that the Texas A&M Aggies could very well have three or four players selected in the first round alone of the 2014 NFL Draft, they can thank their opponents. No disrespect to the Duke Blue Devils, but they are hardly loaded with draft-level prospects next Spring. Sorry.
While all of these bowl games will feature some of the top players in the country who could all be playing in the NFL next season, there is only one that features a huge social media campaign.
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.
