Every year about this time, college football fans ask the question, “Is it okay to root for rival x and conference foe y? Or should I just hope for immediate death to their season?”
It’s a dirty feeling knowing your subconscious might be saying “Go Huskies” or “Go Beavs” when they go up against a team representing another conference.
But you need those wins to keep the national profile high for the whole league. Or do you? Depends on your point of view. Fans take about three different approaches to the non-conference portion of the schedule.
1. Huskies? Beavers? Trojans? Are you effing kidding me? I’d rather have seen the Germans win World War II!
You are the self-loving type. Others are meaningless, even those related to you. When there’s one piece of bread left at the table, you take it and don’t think twice. You are worried about one team and one team only. The rest are mere annoyances that happen to share the same conference. When any of them win, you lose.
2. SEC sucks, Big 10 sucks, Big 12 sucks, ACC sucks, Big East…Who plays in the Big East? Yeah, they suck, too.
You are a team player. You can put aside your undying hatred for the betterment of the “family.” However, you’re not necessarily unselfish because deep down, even if you root for your rival, you still kinda’ crack a smile when they lose. Admit it, you do.
3. Go Pac-10! 24-6 every year!
You like compromise and you mostly care about others, but anytime someone trips and falls, you still get a good laugh. Generally, you’re rooting against your rivals and for everyone else. It keeps the conference’s national profile high and your rivals self-esteem low. A perfect balance. You can be a little disingenuous because basically, you act like a team player, but really, you’re just happy your rivals lost.
As for Off The Pond, well, I take a decidedly loving stance. All Pac-10 teams are friends here. Yep, even the Huskies and Beavs. Matchups like last year’s Civil War are way more fun than watching them lose every week (or so I say).
Of course, if Oregon is losing, then I just hope everyone else burns.
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I feel a come to Jesus sermon about to happen. Go DUCKS. We are excited !!!
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I think you’re basically correct here but there is one more scenario. There’s a certain type of Ducks Fan you’ll find rooting against the BeavTrash, the Fuskies, and Diet Stoops and the Arizona Wildpuss.
I would also think that Cal deserves some hatred but it seems like most of that is directed toward Tedford.
I’ll tell you what though, I’m not sure I can abide the Ducks Fan that finds themselves rooting for BeavTrash more than once every few years. That my friend is a slippery slope. As Lord Beverage sometimes says, “I’d like to see the BeavTrash and the Fuskies play in a perpetual 0-0 tie till the end of time.”
I agree.
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And then there are people like me.
I root for the Huskies to go 0-12 (unless they play Notre Dame) and for the Beavs to win any game but the Civil War. The Beavs are the little brother that I don’t want anyone beating up but me.
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Yeah, there’s a few others out there. I hit the center of the bell curve, though. Although, the ala carte fan should be represented. Some fans pick and choose who they root for throughout the season.
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