While the 2013 college football season enters the Week 15 slate of games, highlighted by five key conference championship contests, are there any more upsets lurking before the BCS Bowl Game matchups are announced on Sunday? After closely following all of the top teams throughout the entire season and carefully studying this weekend’s conference championship games, I can see at least one upset pick to shake things up even further during the final season of the BCS. After what we have all lived through throughout the entire tenure of the BCS system, how could the final one not end with more controversy? I am sure that many college football fans will join me in saying that they are more than thankful for 2014, when a four-team playoff system will finally be in place.
- My views are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Discover Products Inc. and its affiliates.
Speaking of being thankful, the latest results of the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll are in, and college football fans – to no great surprise – are thankful for great food and fantastic football. The order on that may vary depending on which fan you ask. With so many critical games on tap that will decide the champions of the major college football conferences this weekend, some fans will be more thankful than others when it comes to their favorite teams, while others will be seeking the comfort of their favorite foods once they find out that their team is not going to a BCS Bowl Game. Some already discovered that over Thanksgiving weekend during all of the intense rivalry games. Others may figure it out when their team takes the field to play for the conference championship in Week 15.
But before we get to the five huge conference championship games this weekend that will officially shape this postseason’s BCS Bowl Games as well as the 30 others, take a look at the latest results from the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll. The Week five poll asked college football fans whether or not they would give up their seat at the dinner table this past Thursday in exchange for free tickets at the 50-yard-line to watch their favorite team play. Overall, 42 percent of the fans surveyed said that they would rather pass on turkey than pass the pie around the table, opting to accept the free tickets to watch their favorite team play. While that number is high, the majority – at 55 percent – said that they agree with the sentiment that home is where the heart is, and that even free tickets at midfield to watch their favorite college football team play would not be enough to get them to skip Thanksgiving dinner with their family.
It seems that while turkey and football go together, just don’t make fans choose one over the other. The majority will try to find a way to thoroughly enjoy the best of both worlds! After all, I know that I would! But, if push came to shove a few days ago, which event would you have selected? Free football tickets or food with the family?I have to admit that had I known ahead of time about some of the fantastic finishes from this past weekend, especially if any of Saturday’s games had been played on Thanksgiving, I may have been tempted to take the tickets and pass on the pumpkin pie!
When breaking the data down by conference, fans of an SEC or American Athletic Conference team were most likely to take the free tickets, at 46 percent, which is three percentage points higher than the average fan. On the flip side, fans of Pac-12 teams said that they would not skip the traditional Thanksgiving Day festivities, as 60 percent would pass up the tickets in favor of spending the day with family. This past Thanksgiving, only fans of four teams would have had to have made that decision, as the only two college football games played this past Thursday featured the Mississippi State Bulldogs pulling off an overtime upset against the Ole Miss Rebels to win the Egg Bowl, and the Texas Longhorns knocking off the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Both of these games did have bowl implications, but neither will have any ramifications on any of the five BCS Bowl Games.
* Discover Products Inc. sent me a Gift Card for participating as a Blogger in the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll program
What about when it came to the dinner menu on Thanksgiving? This is obviously more of a personal preference, with many people having such different tastes. In the longstanding debate over which Thanksgiving dinner staple people cannot live without, college football fans weighed in and it was discovered that turkey sits squarely on top, proving that the debate may not be as close as some may feel. Turkey took the top billing with 48 percent, followed by stuffing at 20 percent, pie at 9 percent, mashed potatoes at 7 percent and cranberry sauce at 2 percent. Surprisingly, 12 percent said that another item of food is No. 1 in their hearts. While stuffing and pie were once again the top two must-haves on my Thanksgiving dinner plate, I would love to know what of the rest of you would say – especially the 12 percent who did not choose any of the top five food items as their No. 1 choice. Once again, feel free to weigh in with your own responses below.
With only a handful of games on tap during Week 15, the five conference championship contests while decide which teams will play in the five BCS Bowl Games. No spots have officially been decided entering this weekend, so everything is still up in the air. With so many different scenarios still possible, it would be nearly impossible to break down every single one. Instead, I will simply take a look at the huge conference championship games and pick the winners of each, including at least one major upset guaranteed to shift the balance of power prior to the announcement of this season’s BCS Bowl Games.
MAC Championship: Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Bowling Green Falcons – This one starts us off on Friday night, with Jordan Lynch looking to make one final case for this season’s Heisman Trophy as well as leading the Huskies to an undefeated season and a possible spot in a BCS Bowl Game. Unfortunately for him, neither will be easy. The Falcons are a talented team, and are just a 3.5 point underdog in a neutral stadium in Detroit. I love what Lynch has been able to do, and would ultimately bet that Northern Illinois comes out on top in this game, although I would not be at all surprised if Bowling Green pulls of the upset.
PAC-12 Championship: Stanford Cardinal vs. Arizona State Sun Devils – The only conference championship game to actually feature a home team, the Sun Devils will play for the Pac-12 title on their home field, thus giving them a slight advantage. Arizona State is a 3 point favorite over Stanford, although I still like the Cardinal on the road. Stanford owns a home victory over Arizona State earlier this season, although the Sun Devils have been the hotter team as of late.
SEC Championship: Missouri Tigers vs. Auburn Tigers – Believe it or not, this may be the first SEC Championship Game in a long time that does not produce a team to play for the BCS Championship. Coming off of a huge Iron Bowl victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn is a 2.5 point favorite over Missouri, who had to defeat the Ole Miss Rebels and Texas A&M Aggies in back-to-back weeks just to stave off the South Carolina Gamecocks to get to Atlanta. An Auburn win could get them past one of the top two teams in the BCS Standings and into the national championship game, but what if Missouri wins? Do they not deserve consideration to play in Pasadena on January 6? I think the answer is yes, and I see Mizzou pulling off this upset and shaking things up even more leading up to the BCS Bowl Game announcements.
Big 10 Championship: Michigan State Spartans vs. Ohio State Buckeyes – Finally, Ohio State plays a top 10 team. In fact, no other opponent of the Buckeyes this season is currently even ranked in the top 20 in the latest BCS Standings. The Spartans may not always play like a top 10 team, but they will easily be the best team – at least on paper – that the Buckeyes have faced all season long in what has been another down season for the Big 10. Entering the day as a 5.5 point favorite, Ohio State is still the better team. Playing in Indianapolis should not favor one team more than the other, so I would bet the Buckeyes, if for no other reason that it will make things more difficult on the BCS.
ACC Championship: Duke Blue Devils vs. Florida State Seminoles – The biggest mismatch in ever aspect, the Seminoles are a 29.5 point favorite over the surprise Blue Devils. While that may be a bit high even for Florida State, they should win this game with great ease. Whether they cover the spread remains to be seen, but if you are just looking for a winner, go with the ‘Noles. The ACC is also not nearly as deep as the SEC or even Big 12, making this one the most lopsided game in terms of the point spread.
It is also worth noting that the Big 12 does not have a conference championship game, as it only includes 10 teams and there is a 12-team minimum, the winner of the regular season receives an automatic bid to a BCS Bowl Game. With three teams entering Week 15 with one loss, the Oklahoma State Cowboys will win the Big 12 with a win over the Oklahoma Sooners at home in the Bedlam Bowl on Saturday. A Cowboys’ loss opens the door for the winner of the Baylor Bears and Texas Longhorns matchup. Oklahoma State is favored by 10.5 points over Oklahoma, while Baylor is a 13.5 point favorite at home against Texas. The spreads may be high in both, but both favored teams will win the games.
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.
Sorry, Auburn is winning! Then there will be many debates on whether a one loss sec, who has played 4 top 25 teams (including the once #1), should be in the NCG or a 12-0 team who has played only one top 25 team. Well you know my answer.
Personally, I agree that the SEC Champ should represent in the BCS Championship Game, and would rank them higher than FSU or OSU. I even feel as if Oklahoma State could beat FSU or OSU. ACC and Big 10 are both weaker than the SEC and Big 12.