Here’s a slow Saturday question for you.
How many different P4 teams have you seen play in person?
Quick count for me is around 40. Throw in some G6 teams, it’s way more from my days at Georgia Southern, too.
Now, as a bonus question, which opposing team had the nicest/best fans?
Hands down: Wisconsin. The 1998 Outback Bowl was a fun time and a nice group of people. I could say the same, if I’m being honest, about Notre Dame and Purdue fans, too. Decent folks.
How about you?
I got 80 counting through that list, but I’m not 100% certain it’s accurate. A few were “I think they came to Sanford for a paycheck game one time” schools, and I imagine I forgot seeing one or two that were the same category. What’s funny is I remember distinctly that I haven’t seen Central Michigan because I watched the Knowshon leap live on TV while at Florida before the Gators/Hurricanes game.
Of those -80, I’ve seen 23 play a a game in their home stadium.
Forgot nicest fans…
Probably Missouri in 2012. They were naively polite. They’ve gotten a little more used to the conference, but they’re still a really strange cultural fit.
Honorable mentions: agree with Notre Dame. I wouldn’t have been nearly as polite if someone bought up half the seats in Sanford. They were plenty nice at the Sugar Bowl a couple of years ago as well, though that was a strange atmosphere.
Army and Navy both are in a completely different category but both are extremely hospitable. Highly recommend anyone to go see a game at a service academy (and/or Army/Navy, but that’s a much tougher ticket).
Hawaii fans were precious. They weren’t rude about it, but really thought they could hang. After the game, they didn’t seem to care that they had been exposed as a fraud and were just enjoying the weirdness of New Orleans. I enjoyed watching it through their eyes.
I may be the only one to say this, but Baton Rouge is by far my favorite road trip. Once you get used to the ribbing from LSU fans, you won’t have a more fun interaction with an opposing fan and you’ll eat better at many of their tailgates than any restaurant in Louisiana. Baseball might be even more fun in that town.
I was at Mizzou in 2012 as well with my family. Their first SEC game. It was wild. We had a bunch of people randomly walk up and welcome us to their town, so excited to be part of the SEC.
Just a crazy experience — it was great!
We went to that one too. They had no idea what they were getting into. Most were shocked how many Georgia fans were arriving.
We went to Missouri in 2012. Had a fan asked me if we always traveled with a big crowd. I said yes (they played Alabama the next week) but the Bama fans will be arriving by Wednesday. He couldn’t believe me.
The day after the Rose Bowl, we were having Mimosas with brunch. An OK couple sent two over to us.
Notre dame, Missouri and Colorado minus the students.
Awful. I did that walk of shame through the campus after Caleb King fumbled at the end of the game. Colorado students were awful during the game and heaped abuse on the Georgia fans after the game. Just an awful experience.
Note Dame for sure!
OkSt a close #2.
I think I got to 38 if I counted correctly.
Nicest fans … I guess since I don’t go to a bunch of road games, I’ll have to go with NC State. They are knowledgeable but know their place. They love their team and hate anything Carolina blue.
I may have told this story here before. When I lived in the Triangle, the first time I went to an NC State game was in 2002 to see them play Florida State (a friend had NCSU season tickets) the Saturday after Michael Johnson at Auburn. I wore a red shirt with no logo with a red Georgia cap with a Power G on it. A guy who was sitting behind us saw it and said something to the effect of “Don’t judge us. You know what real football looks like.”
Somewhere in the low 30s for me, and hands down Notre Dame fans. Welcoming, generous, and magnanimous in defeat.
I landed on 45, but feel it is probably more because I can’t recall all the Cupcake games I’ve seen in Athens and Boulder.
I’ll have to agree with the above sentiment about Colorado student fans since I was one in the early 90’s. We were pretty bad then too. Also very little football knowledge. That surprised me when I got out there in 1989. I assumed since the Broncos we had a solid tradition of winning that football fans out there would be more educated on the game, but remember thinking what a bunch of idiots were around me during my first season there.
I’ll say Nebraska for the nicest fans I’ve encountered. When Colorado finally beat them for the first time in forever and we stormed the field my freshman year the visiting Nebraska fans stayed in the stands and applauded for us finally beating them. They also treated us well when we visited Lincoln.
My best guess is 57 that includes some Georgia Southern and a few random games by others too. Nicest fans clear choice Notre Dame. Followed by Missouri and Perdue.
Nicest fans have to be Iowa St &, oddly enough, Texas A&M.