1. Virginia Tech
2. Pitt
3. Notre Dame
4. Louisville
5. Penn State/Ohio State

Ohio State
Kentucky
Xavier
Ohio State
Ohio State

(08-21-2013 08:09 PM)Billy Free Wrote:  1. LSU
2. Alabama
3.Ole Miss
4. Miss State
5.Louisville(Mostly jealous of their success, it's a law as a USM fan to despise them though)
Honorable Mentions: ECU, Tulane and Memphis, their arrogance on these boards after their AAC invites has completely turned me away from ever being a fan again. This is coming from a guy whose Granddad played at Tulane, and had a cousin and really good friend be starting QBs at Memphis, plus my former boss Vince Mcmahon is an ECU alum.

Preach it

1.Tennessee 2.Kensucky 3. Tennessee 4. Kensucky 5. tie between Kensucky and Tennessee

(08-21-2013 04:10 PM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  

(08-21-2013 04:04 PM)TerryD Wrote:  

(08-21-2013 03:47 PM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  

(08-21-2013 01:46 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(08-21-2013 12:30 PM)JRsec Wrote:  When it comes to SEC play I pull for everyone that plays Bama. I root for nobody outside of the conference against a conference team. Bammers are like the cousin you want to catch away from the rest of the family so you can beat the crap out of them. But if an outsider jumps on them you beat the crap out of the outsider and then lay into your cousin again for causing you the trouble. SEC is family. The rest aren't. The pecking order is real simple Blunderbuss. If they are SEC that's who you pull for. If it is a Southern ACC team playing a team from another region of the country you pull for the Southern ACC team. If it is any team from the South playing a team from another region you pull for the team from the South. There are teams in the South however that aren't really Southern: Duke, Miami, and Texas come to mind. I may or may not pull for them while playing a team from another region depending upon who it is they are playing. West Virginia is borderline but we accept them because they sure aren't Northern. Does that help you out any?

Yeah, that makes sense to me and falls in line w/ my impression of SEC fans. I have NCSU friends and family that would root for Communist China over UNC. As for me personally it's ECU first and as far everybody else I couldn't care less with the exception of UNC. I have a deep hatred for those folks.

As people down here are fond of saying, Southern is an ethnicity. Clay Travis had an interesting take on it. He married a gal from Michigan, and the first time he visited her family up there, he was asked where his family was from. His answer was "The South". Her parents laughed and said, "No, I mean where is your family from?" Clay honestly didn't know what else they could mean. They then answered each side of their family was a certain European decent (i.e. Italian, German, British). Apparently, midwest and northern families still hold ties to European or other roots much more than Southerners. I'm sure that is a big reason why JR's explanation above makes perfect sense to me and the rest of the Southerners on here. That is part of why you'll see quite a bit of passion for North Carolina and Virginia to be represented in the SEC; we feel they are family in many regards.

Yep. If anyone asks me where I am from, I say "I grew up near Pittsburgh."

If anyone asks where my family is from, I will likely answer that or say "Ireland".

There is no states rights identification or regional identification involved.

Down here in Louisiana, there are businesses called "Southern Siding" or "Southern Fence Company" or "Louisiana Tire".

Growing up, I don't ever recall seeing a business called "Northern Siding" or "Pennsylvania Tire".

It is a regional thing and, thirty years later, still fairly bizarre to me.

That is definitely our best and worst quality, Terry. It leads to blind loyalty, which sometimes is needed, and other times is foolish. I'd love to spend more time in Baton Rouge and get over to Lafayette. Like most, I've experienced New Orleans quite a bit, but I hear the heart of the state is your area. I plan to come hungry when I visit!

The food is indeed terrific. Let me know if you ever make it over this way.

1. Tennessee
2. Auburn
3. Louisville
4. LSU
5. Louisiana-Lafayette

(08-21-2013 05:26 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(08-21-2013 03:47 PM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  As people down here are fond of saying, Southern is an ethnicity. Clay Travis had an interesting take on it. He married a gal from Michigan, and the first time he visited her family up there, he was asked where his family was from. His answer was "The South". Her parents laughed and said, "No, I mean where is your family from?" Clay honestly didn't know what else they could mean. They then answered each side of their family was a certain European decent (i.e. Italian, German, British). Apparently, midwest and northern families still hold ties to European or other roots much more than Southerners. I'm sure that is a big reason why JR's explanation above makes perfect sense to me and the rest of the Southerners on here. That is part of why you'll see quite a bit of passion for North Carolina and Virginia to be represented in the SEC; we feel they are family in many regards.

Great post and so true. personally I consider myself an American (specifically a southern one). Any claims to some country across the Atlantic seems pretty ridiculous, especially considering I'm the 9th generation American (actually pre-America) in my family. Our geneology goes back to the early 1700's as living in VA or NC, mostly in one county.

Never understood the claiming Irish, French, Italian or what not. My family is either English or Irish, I honestly have no idea. We haven't been able trace our line that far back outside of the US.

....and here I am in Canada.

My grandparents were born/raised in Ireland. My Dad was the first generation born in the United States.

My American "roots" are only one generation deep. My Irish ancestry is perhaps 100 generations deep. DNA testing has confirmed that.

I am a dual citizen of the USA and the Republic of Ireland. I have both American and Irish passports.

I just came back from my second trip to Ireland since June, 2011.

My wife and I are seriously thinking of relocating there when I retire.

But, the idea of state and regional identification is much stronger in the South than elsewhere, in my opinion.

I never have developed state or regional identification in my fifty six years, so it is an interesting phenomenon to me.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

(08-21-2013 07:34 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  1.Florida
2.Tennessee/ Yech (aka Georgia Tech)
3. Auburn/Texas
4.Notre Dame (sorry TerryD, but I love when your team goes down)
5. Ole Miss/UCLA

Lol, no problem man. I don't mind. You cannot be an ND fan and have a thin skin.

1. Texas
2. Texas A&M
3. Alabama (wife and mother in law are vols fans)
4. Rice, i really want to hate them for all the BS they've done to UH but all i can do now is laugh at how far they've fallen

(08-21-2013 09:51 PM)FuzzyHasek Wrote:  1. Texas
2. Texas A&M
3. Alabama (wife and mother in law are vols fans)
4. Rice, i really want to hate them for all the BS they've done to UH but all i can do now is laugh at how far they've fallen

What has Rice done to Houston? Most faults are self inflicted.

1) Oregon
2) USC Trojans
3) Notre Dame
4) Alabama
5) Army ( I was in the Navy )

(08-21-2013 03:52 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(08-21-2013 03:47 PM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  

(08-21-2013 01:46 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(08-21-2013 12:30 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(08-21-2013 12:10 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  Yet you'd root for them in a National Championship, correct?

When it comes to SEC play I pull for everyone that plays Bama. I root for nobody outside of the conference against a conference team. Bammers are like the cousin you want to catch away from the rest of the family so you can beat the crap out of them. But if an outsider jumps on them you beat the crap out of the outsider and then lay into your cousin again for causing you the trouble. SEC is family. The rest aren't. The pecking order is real simple Blunderbuss. If they are SEC that's who you pull for. If it is a Southern ACC team playing a team from another region of the country you pull for the Southern ACC team. If it is any team from the South playing a team from another region you pull for the team from the South. There are teams in the South however that aren't really Southern: Duke, Miami, and Texas come to mind. I may or may not pull for them while playing a team from another region depending upon who it is they are playing. West Virginia is borderline but we accept them because they sure aren't Northern. Does that help you out any?

Yeah, that makes sense to me and falls in line w/ my impression of SEC fans. I have NCSU friends and family that would root for Communist China over UNC. As for me personally it's ECU first and as far everybody else I couldn't care less with the exception of UNC. I have a deep hatred for those folks.

As people down here are fond of saying, Southern is an ethnicity. Clay Travis had an interesting take on it. He married a gal from Michigan, and the first time he visited her family up there, he was asked where his family was from. His answer was "The South". Her parents laughed and said, "No, I mean where is your family from?" Clay honestly didn't know what else they could mean. They then answered each side of their family was a certain European decent (i.e. Italian, German, British). Apparently, midwest and northern families still hold ties to European or other roots much more than Southerners. I'm sure that is a big reason why JR's explanation above makes perfect sense to me and the rest of the Southerners on here. That is part of why you'll see quite a bit of passion for North Carolina and Virginia to be represented in the SEC; we feel they are family in many regards.

I have a great historical passion for Virginia, but I fear they have been a bedroom community for Washington D.C. for so long that they have been warped. They may be relations, but I'm not sure if we spent any time around them that we would want to claim them anymore. The state of North Carolina in my opinion is still quite Southern just a different iteration of it, like Louisiana, but different.

Historically, Virginia has always been considered "Southern" but that is no longer the case IMO. And it isn't just the Northern Virginia suburbs that no longer feel "Southern"--but other parts of the state as well. I've lived in all parts of Virginia---Richmond, Petersburg, Reston, Alexandria, Blacksburg, Charlottesville, Big Stone Gap, Hampton and the only parts of the state that have a real "Southern" feel today are the more rural areas south of the James River. Most of the state would be better classified as "Mid-Atlantic".

Although Virginia Tech is located in the southwestern part of the state, a very large percentage of our student body comes from Northern Virginia and not surprisingly that area has the largest concentration of VT alumni--about 35,000. We are a "Mid-Atlantic" school in a "Mid-Atlantic" state and that's why I've always felt Virginia Tech belongs in the ACC and not the SEC.

(08-21-2013 09:53 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  

(08-21-2013 09:51 PM)FuzzyHasek Wrote:  1. Texas
2. Texas A&M
3. Alabama (wife and mother in law are vols fans)
4. Rice, i really want to hate them for all the BS they've done to UH but all i can do now is laugh at how far they've fallen

What has Rice done to Houston? Most faults are self inflicted.

that's post SWC, Rice screwed us often in the Pre SWC years

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=215&f=2814&t=6886671

(08-21-2013 08:09 PM)Billy Free Wrote:  1. LSU
2. Alabama
3.Ole Miss
4. Miss State
5.Louisville(Mostly jealous of their success, it's a law as a USM fan to despise them though)
Honorable Mentions: ECU, Tulane and Memphis, their arrogance on these boards after their AAC invites has completely turned me away from ever being a fan again. This is coming from a guy whose Granddad played at Tulane, and had a cousin and really good friend be starting QBs at Memphis, plus my former boss Vince Mcmahon is an ECU alum.

Please tell me you wrestled! .... or probably something more realistic like marketing/accounting.

(08-21-2013 11:33 PM)ncbeta Wrote:  

(08-21-2013 08:09 PM)Billy Free Wrote:  1. LSU
2. Alabama
3.Ole Miss
4. Miss State
5.Louisville(Mostly jealous of their success, it's a law as a USM fan to despise them though)
Honorable Mentions: ECU, Tulane and Memphis, their arrogance on these boards after their AAC invites has completely turned me away from ever being a fan again. This is coming from a guy whose Granddad played at Tulane, and had a cousin and really good friend be starting QBs at Memphis, plus my former boss Vince Mcmahon is an ECU alum.

Please tell me you wrestled! .... or probably something more realistic like marketing/accounting.

Haha I was in the production department for over two years. I also was involved in a few creative decisions as well.

(08-21-2013 11:36 PM)Billy Free Wrote:  

(08-21-2013 11:33 PM)ncbeta Wrote:  

(08-21-2013 08:09 PM)Billy Free Wrote:  1. LSU
2. Alabama
3.Ole Miss
4. Miss State
5.Louisville(Mostly jealous of their success, it's a law as a USM fan to despise them though)
Honorable Mentions: ECU, Tulane and Memphis, their arrogance on these boards after their AAC invites has completely turned me away from ever being a fan again. This is coming from a guy whose Granddad played at Tulane, and had a cousin and really good friend be starting QBs at Memphis, plus my former boss Vince Mcmahon is an ECU alum.

Please tell me you wrestled! .... or probably something more realistic like marketing/accounting.

Haha I was in the production department for over two years. I also was involved in a few creative decisions as well.

sounds like a fun job

1. Tennessee -- I really hold no strong dislike for anyone else in the SEC.
2. Louisville -- Longtime USM rival who caught every break (admittedly made some of their own), but I almost always pull for them to lose.
3. Arkansas -- oops, forgot about the piggies. This goes back to my childhood and the rivalry against Texas in the SWC.
4. Syracuse -- again, goes back to childhood years in PA, but harder to pull against them when Marrone was there.
5. USF -- felt like they took the spot in the Big East that should have gone to USM. Still haven't done anything.

UConn gets dishonorable mention for acting like they are sure things to join a P5 conference when they are lucky to be on the fringes IMO. I acknowledge their basketball accomplishments, but I really don't care much about that. A lot of bluster coming from a school that has done little in football.
Memphis would have been on the list until recently, but I have softened on them some. Boise, UCF and ECU are doing their best to replace someone on the list.

(08-21-2013 09:29 PM)TerryD Wrote:  My grandparents were born/raised in Ireland. My Dad was the first generation born in the United States.

My American "roots" are only one generation deep. My Irish ancestry is perhaps 100 generations deep. DNA testing has confirmed that.

I am a dual citizen of the USA and the Republic of Ireland. I have both American and Irish passports.

I just came back from my second trip to Ireland since June, 2011.

My wife and I are seriously thinking of relocating there when I retire.

But, the idea of state and regional identification is much stronger in the South than elsewhere, in my opinion.

I never have developed state or regional identification in my fifty six years, so it is an interesting phenomenon to me.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

In your case, it makes perfect sense to identify with Ireland.

(08-21-2013 09:53 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  

(08-21-2013 09:51 PM)FuzzyHasek Wrote:  1. Texas
2. Texas A&M
3. Alabama (wife and mother in law are vols fans)
4. Rice, i really want to hate them for all the BS they've done to UH but all i can do now is laugh at how far they've fallen

What has Rice done to Houston? Most faults are self inflicted.

Rice was the main reason (no not the only one) that it took so long for us to get into the SWC. They pulled a bait and switch one year with their vote.

"Oh yeah we want you. We got your back...." Come voting day the deciding vote turned out to be Rice and guess how that went.

There is also the whole Rice Stadium thing. It was built for both programs to use but between the scheduling issues that they kept creating year in and year out (making it very difficult to finalize our schedule) and the opening of the Astrodome we just told them where to stick it and went there.

As recent as this year we could not announce our final home game this year because they pulled the same ticky tack BS for the Cincy game. We didn't get that game locked down (at Rice) until about 2 weeks ago. Word is they didn't want us to use their locker rooms. They wanted us to bus the team over in uniform (but Cincy would have been ok). That is just the one issue for this year I did hear I heard there were others (unreasonable monetary requests, etc.)

I didn't list Rice in my top 5 but they would make #6.

1. Florida
2. Florida
3. Florida
4. Florida
5. Florida