Favorite Non I-AA College

[TexasTerror]

Ralph may flip a lid on this one...but what's your favorite non I-AA football playing school? And what's the story behind the love?

It seems with the just recently completed NFL draft and some other recent discussions (BCS, nomenclature names, from no football to I-A), there has been a lot of discussion that has hinted at whom some of your favorite teams...

My favorite non I-AA football playing schools are Rice University and UConn.

Grew up going to Rice games as my mom worked with a player's mother. This player was a role model to me growing up. He would always make sure to high-five me on his way through the fans (as Rice fans lineup before the game on the field) and even came to my house several times after games. He gave me all his Rice shirts and I used to wear'em each day.

Also like UConn because I grew up with Emeka Okafor. I followed UConn religiously when Emeka went there, even reading the Hartford Courant (all the way from Texas). Following Emeka got me hooked on the UConn program which seems to have some great leadership in place, as well as an up and coming football team that had a good brand of football.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

These teams i pull for equally in their respective sports
Temple of course
Notre Dame, born into it and i love my Irish
Syracuse- i've become i huge 'Cuse bball fan since i first visited the Dome in '98.
Gonzaga- Had them beating Stanford in '99 tourney and ever since i've been on the bandwagon...

Other teams i like to see do well
Clemson- a random team i picked up when i was a little kid
Michigan- if i wasn't an ND football fan i'd be a Michigan fan
Oklahoma- i like Stoops and my friends a Texas fan.

Hate
Florida State- ever since '93 Free Shoe U, renegade program...
Penn State- if you like ND in PA you must hate the Lions, i get so sick of them
Ohio State- FSU north

[SU Jag]

The Golden Tigers of Tuskegee!:nod:

[89Hen]

UVA. Have season tix. Mrs89 is a Wahoo. :nod:

[Tod]

Notre Dame and Washington, but just a bit. I usually pick my favorite I-A teams toward the end of December.

[Ivytalk]

Michigan, from which my partner graduated.

Rice, from which my sister graduated.

Vanderbilt, just for the hell of it.

[griz37]

Gotta agree w/Ivytalk on this one. Go Blue! I have been a Michigan fan since age 5. I fell in love w/their helmets & have been a hardcore Wolverine ever since. Have tons of books, clothes, pictures, posters, anything having to do w/the Maize & Blue. Truth be told I am probably a bigger Michigan fan than Griz fan.

The one team I hate is Notre Dame. I grew up in a very Irish-Catholic town so of course pretty much every but me is a golden domer.

[MR. CHICKEN]

PENN STATE.....JOE PA.......SAW 'EM CRUSH GEORGIA TECH IN UH KICK-OFF CLASSIC...AT GIANTS STADIUM.......SAW 'EM WAFFLE VIRGINIA UH COUPLE YEARS AGO......AT PENN STATE!......THEY WERE THE BEAST IN THE EAST....LIKE FO' EVERAH!.........:bow:........BRAWK!

[kardplayer]

I'm a "fair-weather" I-A fan. I decided 2 seasons ago that I'd supplement my Lehigh viewing by going to 1 I-A game each year and root for the home team all year - and so far the wife is on board.

2004 - Army vs. Air Force @ West Point
One of the coolest sporting events I've been to. The game ball and coin for the coin toss were parachuted in. A military helicopter flew through below stadium level. At halftime, a B-52 flew overhead and they honored the West Point grads who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Wow.
Rooting for Army the rest of the year was tough though...

2005 - Texas/Oklahoma in Dallas - seats on the Texas side
Texas wins for the first time in 5 years, goes on to win the BCS title. 4 year old had a great time at the Texas State fair after the game. That made up for 2004 in a big big way.

2006 - Boston College vs. Virginia Tech - Chestnut Hill
We'll see...

[rokamortis]

Virginia Tech - Go Hokies!

I also have casual interest in University of Washington and University of Colorado.

[Marcus Garvey]

Arizona and Arizona State. In football, I prefer the Wildcats. In basketball, I prefer the Sun Devils.

I grew up a rabid Penn St. fan, but over the course of a decade+ living away from PA has caused my love for the Lions to wane.

[BlackSaturday]

WVU--parents and brother are alum, grew up going to the games.

[darussian12]

the illini just cause its where i have lived the longest outside russia and there is no NCAA team there so ive "grown" up hearing about them constantly and still follow them just not as much since i follow my school but still read up a thing or two each football and basketball season.

[DuckDuckGriz]

Is no one going to show a fellow AGS poster some love? Can't I get ANYONE to jump on board? (btw what were Ralph's feelings of me going to a I-A)

other than THE MIGHTY DUCKS OF OREGON...my fav teams have always been:

Notre Dame - wanted to go there since I was little.
Washington State - I guess you could say my hate of the Huskies started early. Plus I always liked Wazzu.
Grew up liking Oregon State because my dad went there and I thought they were cool. I can't really talk about them anymore.

Teams I hate:
Washington
Texas
Georgia

[Mr. C]

I grew up in Fresno, CA, so I am a life-long Fresno State fan. Also got my sheepskin from Fresno State. My family originally was from Oklahoma, so we rooted for Oklahoma during football season. I covered UC Santa Barbara basketball for five years, so I still have a soft spot for the Gauchos. I tend to root for underdogs during the NCAA basketball tournament. Gonzaga basketball is another favorite, because I like their style of play. When I was a kid, I used to see a lot of Grambling games on TV and liked the Tigers a lot.

On the dislike side, growing up in California, you either love or hate USC. I can't stand the Trojans. Also grew up hating Notre Dame. Living now in North Carolina, I have developed a strong dislike for the arrogance of both Duke and UNC-Chapal Hill.

[Cocky]

Pittsburgh State

[AppGuy04]

Most of you know I'm an NC State undergrad, so GO WOLFPACK, GO SIDNEY!!!

[wannabegaucho]

Strong like: UC Santa Barbara and Southern California

Minor like: Minnesota, Northwestern, New Mexico

[bandl]

I don't have any strong ties towards any non I-AA football teams, but I do enjoy watching and rooting for the following teams:

Penn State (my GF went there)
Michigan
Tulane (several connections there)
Virginia Tech (sometimes...their thuggish ways recently are turning me off)

Teams that I always root against:
UVA
Florida State
Miami
Ohio State
Texas
UVA

[MYTAPPY]

Go WAKE!!
My Dad was a Wake grad, so I grew up a Demon Deacon fan and still root like hell for them, even in football(unless they play App in the Black and Gold Bowl).

Others I cheer for:

NC State (my brother went there)
UNCW (vacation at Wrightsville Beach)
Charlotte (took A class there)
Indiana (girlfriend went there)
South Carolina (best friend went there)
LSU (family went there)

I do love the ACC, but was raised in an ABC house (Anybody But Carolina).
Others I despise: The Ohio State
Clemson
Florida State
etc......

[TheValleyRaider]

For BBall, and most other sports that I follow to some degree, it's gotta be the Tar Heels.

To a lesser degree I'm also a fan of Army's football team (slim pickin's there though).

[grizband]

My dad and some of my aunts attended Notre Dame, so I grew up loving them. I wanted to attend Notre Dame, but ended up going to Montana (I dind't think I could get in, but looking back, I probably could have). My little brother will graduate from Notre Dame in two weeks, which we are all excited about. ND football is second only to Griz football in my house.
For hockey, I started to follow Minnesota this year, thanks to my roommate from Minnesota.

[Cap'n Cat]

Eastern Michigan. Perennial underdog/doormats.

[RabidRabbit]

Wisc. Badgers - If not for Udub, I wouldn't be alive, plus for years such the Big 10 doormat, good to see them back into mix, and even winning occasionally. Besides, they were SDSU's first D-1, big 10 loser (womens basketball) since move up in 2003.

Auburn - Especially in 2004. Worked disaster (hurricane Ivan) in AL. Auburn gets no/lil respect, even in AL. Roll tide everywhere xpumpukex

[GaSouthern]

NAVY / Southern Miss / BSU / Clemson / North Texas / Ole Miss / South Carolina

I just watch these teams when Georgia Southern does not have a game.

[Ivytalk]

Eastern Michigan. Perennial underdog/doormats.

And home of the legendary "Ypsilanti P*nis.":D

[HiHiYikas]

I have developed a strong dislike for the arrogance of both Duke and UNC-Chapal Hill.
Same here. So go Deacs.

I do find myself rooting for Carolina in a UNC-Duke game. Coach K has just been so effectively villainized. I know he doesn't really eat babies, but he is in one of those awful American Express ads. In the end, isn't that just as bad?

It is altogether impossible to stay within NC state lines and back a better college football team than ASU.

[SuperJon]

I'm a Tar Heel born and a Tar Heel bred and when I die I'll be a Tar Heel dead.

Funny thing is I live 15 minutes from Wake's campus.

I will admit, when Duncan was at Wake, I pulled for them just because he's my favorite player ever.

[blur2005]

All I have to say is: WAHOO WA! As you may have figured out, I'm a student at UVA, so the fact I'm a Cavaliers fan shouldn't surprise anyone. But I've cheered for JMU (my dad is a prof there, plus the Burg has been my home my whole life) and UVA forever.

Other teams I like
South Carolina
Georgia
Michigan

Teams I don't like that much
Ohio State
Miami

Teams I absolutely despise
Florida State (though I did cheer for them against the team below in the ACC championship game)

and of course

VIRGINIA TECH...I just want to go ahead and thank Marcus Vick and Jimmy Williams for making Tech look worse than it already does on paper and in reality.

[catamount man]

I-A teams I root for:
OREGON
OHIO STATE
CLEMSON
SOUTH CAROLINA
NOTRE DAME

More often than not, however, I find myself supporting more and more small college programs over the I-A teams. Other than WCU and the entire SoCon, I try to keep up with Division II football on a weekly basis, even checking the score tickers online. NAIA's Mid-South Conference football is good to follow as well. Western North Carolina now has 3 college football teams for folks to support, and while I am Catamount to the core, I always hope Mars Hill wins their games, and with Brevard starting football, I hope that they will have success as well. Anything to help the WNC football scene.

GO CATAMOUNTS!!!

[UNH 40]

I love Army. I love the tradition and meaning of each game to there players. I also love that fact that their players get it done in the classroom as well as on the field. I would guess that 80-90% of college football players in this country could not deal with the demands that a cadet has to deal with on a daily basis and then go play football on top of it. The same goes for all of the service academies. Even though they have struggle for a while I still love the way that they go about the business and play the game hard.

[TxState_GO_CATS!]

Teams I Root For:
AUBURN
The Ohio State University
Michigan St.
Louisville
USC
Washington
TCU
UTEP

Teams I Hate:
TEXAS

[ATrain]

Teams I Love:
Virginia Tech

Teams I Dislike:
Florida State, Maryland

Teams I Hate:
Texas, LSU, WVU

Goes WAY beyond hating:
UVA and Miami

[gokats85]

Teams I root for:

Texas A&M - I grew up in College Station, my parents were employed and retired from TAMU; there's no better place than Kyle Field on a Saturday afternoon.

LSU & Florida State - worked sideline camera at Tiger and Doak Campbell Stadiums, enjoyed every minute.

Rice - The football may not be much but the MOB (Marching Owl Band) makes up for it!

Teams I don't root for:

Texas
Texas Tech
Alabama
Florida
Notre Dame

[carney2]

Penn State - Received a Master's degree there back when the cutting edge for computers required batch processing with Hollerith cards. I had season tix many years ago. I was a charter member of the "Joe Must Go" Club, but have been shown the error of my ways.

Notre Dame - If you've never been to a football weekend (the whole weekend, not just game day Saturday afternoon) in South Bend, then you only think that you've been to a college footall game. Do it someday before you die. (My father, a confirmed Notre Dame hater, is rolling in his grave.)

Pittsburgh - Pitt AND Penn State? No way! Yes, way. I grew up a Pitt fan and still attend at least one game every year.

California - No known reason; just latched on to them many years ago.

[bodoyle]

Die Hard Notre Dame here. South Side Irish Chicago. I have been programmed to love the IRISH!

Here come the Irish....of Notre Dame! :):)

I go to atleast 2 games a year (family connections, I don't have the money for the tickets - way too expensive). the game is great, the students make it a great atmosphere, but not a huge fan of the alumni - way too elitest for me.

[bonarae]

UCLA - #1 in team championships of all time and my favorite team in softball and men's basketball
Stanford - high standing in the Directors' Cup (#1 for the past 3 or 4 years), my favorite team in women's basketball
California (I call them CalBerkeley to prevent confusion with UCLA or UC Davis) - my favorite team in I-A football
Minnesota - my favorite team in hockey and Big 10 football

Favorite NAIA team : Carroll College

[Frosty The Snowbuff]

1-A Team I like:

Colorado Buffaloes --- Plays anyone, anytime, anywhere. Basically, I grew up rooting for them and I stuck with them ever since

Team I respect but Dislike -- Nebraska (Cost CU Numerous shots at titles)

Team I hate with a Passion --- That little team in Fort Collins (Colorado State).

[ncbears]

Team I hate with a Passion --- That little team in Fort Collins (Colorado State).


:hurray: :hurray: :hurray:

I hate CSU too. Greeley and UNC are a 30 miles apart and I can't stand the lambs of Fart Collins.

[Freightliner]

UVA. Have season tix. Mrs89 is a Wahoo. :nod:

Im about the same

Texas Tech Red Raiders here.

Why? Love the city of Lubbock, love the Campus, the game atmosphere, and most of all...wife is a Tech Alum.

[Go...gate]

Excellent question! Picked nine of each.

I-A's I root for: Notre Dame, Army, Navy, Penn State, Rutgers, Southern California, Vanderbilt, Rice, Northwestern.

I-A's I root against: Boston College, Air Force, Michigan, Miami, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Florida State and Stanford.