Second Favorite Big Ten Team?

Submitted by GoWolverines16 on

It's a simple question that I don't think has been discussed on the forum. Do you have a team outside of Michigan that you root for in the Big Ten?

I'd have to go with Penn State. It has the second best stadium in the Big Ten and how could root against someone like Joe Pa? However, there fans can get a little annoying, but I like PSU.

Section 1

April 25th, 2010 at 2:35 PM ^

stock market.

"Michigan's Scout Team" = +1 for you sir.

I won't neg the original post (PSU; ugh), simply because the original question served up the opportunity for you to answer "Michigan's scout team." And that's enough for one day.

My answer, if some spoilsport insists that we can't pick "Michigan's scout team." Is this: the University of Chicago Maroons.

Screw Joe Paterno and Penn State. Joe Paterno can't bring Amos Alonzo Stagg's coffee. Whaever they call that shipwreck of a stadium in Bumfuk Pennsylvania, Stagg Field is better. They ran the freaking Manhattan Project and did nuclear fission there.

It is actually a nauseating thought to me; my "next favorite Big Ten team." It is like trying to decide my favorite Free Press columnist, or my favorite country within the Axis of Evil. Like, "who do you like better; the German Waffen SS, or the the Japanese Imperial Navy Kamikaze pilots?"

Zone Left

April 25th, 2010 at 12:01 AM ^

I kind of like watching Northwestern manufacture wins against more talented teams--but that team has been Michigan too often for my tastes.

Can I say Indiana just because they don't beat Michigan?

Keeeeurt

April 25th, 2010 at 12:06 AM ^

Any team that's playing OSU and if that team happens to be little brother than I'm rooting for the meteor that is heading towards the stadium.

maizenbluenc

April 25th, 2010 at 8:12 AM ^

seems convenient that newsome decommitted and tate committed - same with the beave and denard. couple that with the usa baseball player i hosted at my house two years ago who knows newsome, and who's father told me kevin is a good kid from a good family, but not a michigan caliber passer ... well i just think it was a mutual decommit.

Vasav

April 25th, 2010 at 12:20 AM ^

And this is coming from a Jersey boy, who's friends are Penn State fans.

I've gotta say Wiscy, great stadium, great town, fans are intense but not too obnoxious. Have enough tradition to be serious but enough struggles to still be kind of an underdog.

aaamichfan

April 25th, 2010 at 11:50 AM ^

Wisconsin is my second favorite also, for the same reasons you have said. Although they are also stripping some of the fun traditions away in Madison as they have done in Ann Arbor, it is still a great college town and Wisconsin fans are obnoxious but not overly so.

Edward Khil

April 25th, 2010 at 12:18 PM ^

I took my then-fiance to my sister's place outside Madison 4 years back. The capital building looks great. State Street is great. But as we walked to/from the stadium, every time we rounded a corner another mob of students would see us and chant, "A--holes! A--holes!" As one mob faded off in one direction, another would appear.

All this while my 10 year-old niece was walking with us.

And we lost.

Wes Mantooth

April 25th, 2010 at 12:22 AM ^

Definitely Northwestern. My sister went there and I live in Chicago so I've spent a bunch of time in Evanston. It's a cool town and the fans are pretty classy. That and they're not really much of a threat in most sports.

goblue1327

April 25th, 2010 at 12:25 AM ^

I'm from Minnesota so I guess I would have to say the Gophers, plus their teams have done less to annoy me then most other B10 teams, except for damn Gary Russell in 05.

Block IVI

April 25th, 2010 at 1:24 AM ^

I've always liked Iowa as well. They consistently play smart, fundamentals based football. They slowly suffocate teams out of games by managing the clock and field position very well. I always feel like they win by kicking 5 field goals and winning 15-14.

Also, while I don't really like Penn State or JoePa, the night game whiteouts in happy valley are pretty cool/intimidating to look at.

sheepman

April 25th, 2010 at 12:38 AM ^

Iowa no doubt. Every Iowa fan I have met has been cool and fun to talk to about football.
Great Stadium, coach seems like a stand up guy, cool helmets.

AND - almost every one of them say Michigan is their second favorite B10 team. Not sure why.

Monocle Smile

April 25th, 2010 at 1:13 AM ^

Iowa: Least annoying fan base, tons of NFL talent, Kirk Ferentz is a boss.

Penn State: Next-best Big Ten team at crippling SEC assholes. And Joe Pa looks like my late grandfather.

Seth

April 25th, 2010 at 1:17 AM ^

I sometimes get dragged to Michigan State games.

Mom says I have to support Lil Bro, but sometimes, like when the little prick just drew with permanent marker all over my door, I'd rather just be the one kicking his ass.

Translation: sometimes I root for MSU in a this-is-my-family kind of way, but other times when they've pissed me off recently, I secretly wish to see them suffer.

I probably would have gone to Wisconsin had I not gotten into Michigan, and Madison's beautiful -- great sailing too. So as far as a true 2nd favorite: probably the Badgers. A badger's like a Wolverine anyway.

Slinginsam

April 25th, 2010 at 1:25 AM ^

Madison is the best town in the Big Ten after Ann Arbor. Their teams are never great, but, man, they are a very tough opponent to beat.

Pyscho, drunk fans(yeah, we could use some of'em at The Big House). Most drunk I ever got was at the 2005 Michigan-Wisconsin loss; which I still say we should have won, and got robbed by the officials.

DoubleMs

April 25th, 2010 at 2:47 AM ^

I disagree. Drunk fans annoy the hell out of me. Nothing is worse than some girl's drunk boyfriend elbowing his way into the seat beside you in row 12, when he's supposed to be in row 80, and then throwing up at your feet.

jtmc33

April 25th, 2010 at 1:28 AM ^

Northwestern. I have a lot of respect for Fitzgerald, and NW in general is the ultimate underdog. It's great when they knock off OSU or MSU.

Monocle Smile

April 25th, 2010 at 1:58 AM ^

Is the school I have the hardest time rooting for in any situation. I like supporting the Big Ten most of the time, even when it's Ohio State in their bowl game. Marginally.

I live on the border of Detroit and I have more friends from high school at Michigan State right now than Michigan, including my sister. They talk so much shit about so many things that don't really matter and they make themselves up to be more relevant than they are constantly. After the hockey debacle against Miami, instead of receiving a "too bad," I received a load of "you didn't deserve to be there in the first place and the refs handed you both games at Munn to get you to the CCHA finals." Then they claimed the no-goal was a fair call.

Flash forward to March Madness...
MSU wins like 32532 of their games by a point or two. Against Butler, they are defeated by this same narrow margin. Their luck runs out.

Not a minute after the buzzer, every last State basketball fan on Facebook begins ranting about how shitty the officiating was during the entire game and how State should have won by a blowout. I really can't stand this sort of arrogance and brass neck, especially when most of the pretentious bullshit they throw out is completely undeserved.

When a Michigan fan displays arrogance, I get a little irritated. I mean, Michigan is a storied school and has accomplished a ridiculous amount of stuff, and there's reason for arrogance, but I still don't like it.

When a Michigan State fan displays arrogance, I just get pissed off because it's all smoke and not even a spark of fire.