The latest edition of the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll is out. A third of college football fans would rather have a national title than to give out presents. I'm going to assume that a lot of those were Auburn and Florida State fans. This isn't a bad strategy. If your team wins the title, next Christmas (or whatever holiday is appropriate) you could give out championship rings. Boom.
Speaking of Auburn and Florida State, 50% of the people polled are cheering on Auburn to win the BCS National Championship compared to 44% for the Seminoles. I don't find this very surprising because Auburn has been incredibly fun to watch. As someone who loved Charlie Ward, Warrick Dunn, William Floyd, Peter Warrick and so on, I'm rooting for the Noles. I've been quite vocal I think they'll win big.
Another of the questions pertained to coaching. Would you rather coach your team to victory or would you rather sabotage your rival? The response to this one was not surprising in the least. 83% of people polled said that they would coach their favorite team. I know that I would coach Cincinnati instead of sabotaging Miami or USF or North Carolina. I could see the dark side if your favorite team was playing the rival. Calling flea flickers every play, making up weird plays like a halfback pass where he runs backwards 24 yards, turns right, throws to the quarterback who is 5 yards behind him, for a screen pass, and pulling a Nick Sabin by kicking 57 yard field goals. I'm too competitive to pick willingly losing. It seems that I'm not the only one. Plus, when I won, I would want to be doused in Gatorade and carried off the field. I would give a tearful locker room speech where "We did this one for the city of Cincinnati, we did this one for the University, but men, more importantly, we did this for each other," and everyone would cheer and it would be on the highlight reels.
There was a third question in the mix. It's quite relevant to bowl season. Who do you root for, the underdog or the favorite? 77% of those polled said the underdog. 10% went with the dominant team. The rest were unsure. This is pretty rock solid reasoning all around. It depends on the matchup would be my answer. So I'm in that 13% of unsure.
The whole release is after the jump.
BAH, HUMBUG: ONE-THIRD OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL FANS WOULD RATHER RECEIVE A CHAMPIONSHIP THAN GIVE GIFTS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
Alabama’s Reign Ends: Fans Choose Florida State as Best Team, Auburn to Win it All
Riverwoods, IL, Dec. 19, 2013 – It’s better to give than to receive, unless you’re part of the 30 percent of college football fans who say they’d rather receive a BCS National Championship victory for their favorite team than give gifts to their loved ones.
On the flip side, 61 percent of fans embrace more holiday cheer and would rather hand out gifts than become a Scrooge for victory, according to the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll. Eight percent could not decide between giving gifts or winning the title.
From Couch to Coach: Majority of Fans Want a Chance on the Sidelines
Perhaps one of the best gifts an avid college football fan could receive would be the opportunity to coach their favorite team. The overwhelming majority of fans, 83 percent, said they would want to coach their team to victory, compared to 9 percent of fans who would rather get on the opposite side to sabotage their rival team’s chances.
The holiday season may be warming fans’ hearts, as many fans love a good old underdog to win. When their favorite team isn’t playing, a large 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.
Fans Drop Alabama, Pick Florida State for Best Team in the Country
In the final Discover Fan Loyalty Poll, 30 percent of fans 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
Auburn Receives Vote of Confidence
However, when it comes to which team fans think will win the National Championship, 50 percent of all fans favored Auburn, with 44 percent on Florida State’s side.
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.
Media Contacts:
Matt Towson
Discover
Alyssa Siegele
Discover
I am a paid brand Blogger for Discover Products Inc. My views are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Discover Products Inc. and its affiliates.
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