The free agent fan

By Ryan Noonan Sports Central Columnist

Who do you root for in college football every Saturday afternoon during the fall? What sort of allegiances do you hold when the young men age 18-23 take the field? How did you come to hold this loyalty? What led you put on that gray sweatshirt and scream and curse for a bunch of college kids? I only ask because my alma mater doesn't have a football team. No, I had to go to a school that prides itself on its -- gulp -- soccer team. But I refuse to be distracted by that fact, so we'll save that for another column. Today, I want to know how some people can get so infatuated with the teams they love, or the teams they love to hate.

Right now, I am kind of stuck out of luck. If you had asked me going into college, "What team do you root for?" I would have said Notre Dame. (But I wouldn't have corrected your ending a sentence with a preposition, shame on you.) It was like a rule in our house, either cheer for Notre Dame or cook your own dinner. I was a loyal follower of the Golden Domes, rarely missing a game.

Then a strange thing happened over the course of four years. People stopped caring about the Fighting Irish. I mean, if there was one team you could always count on getting an emotional reaction about, it would be Notre Dame. College football fans either loved them or hated them, there was no in-between.

But things aren't the same in South Bend. Notre Dame no longer shows up in the top five anymore. They don't strike fear into opponents like they used to. They no longer evoke those passionate, emotional outbursts from fans. Quite simply, Notre Dame has lost its college football magic, for now.

I would root for Kansas if I thought it would do me any good. When it comes to college basketball, if Roy Williams' boys are on television, there is a good chance I won't be doing anything else. There have been people that refused to sit in the same room with me if the Jayhawks are playing, something about me being "too emotional." Whatever the heck that means. But KU football is worthless. They're usually happy if they win five games and keep it close against Nebraska. I don't mind rooting for losers, with college football, it's hard to get that fire.

Let me clear up another point. When it comes to college football, I have no problem with calling myself a fair-weather fan. In every other sport, I have my live-and-die favorites, but with college football, I retain the right to choose to root for or against anyone.

With that being said, I do root against two teams on a regular basis. If Nebraska or Kansas State is on the field, you can be absolutely sure I am rooting for the other guys. Nothing irks me more than Kansas State fans. Ten years ago, you couldn't pay someone to admit they followed K-State football. Now in the Midwest, everyone seems to love the colors purple and white.

Only slightly less annoying than K-State fans are Nebraska fans. It's like there is an entire state of people with nothing better to do than to immerse themselves in college football. Seriously, folks, if you're going to put big corn stalks on top of your heads, do it in the privacy of your own home. I am all for fan support and showing your team loyalties, but corn on top of your head is not the way to do it.

As you can tell, most of my passions stick to the Midwest. However, I do usually root against Florida State, Miami, USC, Michigan, and until it became no fun, Penn State. Not all the time, but the majority. I wish I could tell you why I root against these teams, I have no idea.

This leads me back to my original question. How does one pick a favorite if he (or she) has no team to latch onto? I suppose I could get a Master's Degree and pick a graduate school with a good college football team. Yes, I have thought about it. Yes, I am considering professional help. No, I'm not going to do it.

I suppose I can consider myself a college football fan free agent. I can shop my loyalties around to the most attractive team. I need a team who's going to put in a good season year in and year out. They don't need to contend for a title every year, but once every four or five years would be nice. They need to have either a cool mascot or colors I won't be embarrassed to put on during the fall. Most importantly, they need to give me a reason to cheer for them.

So somebody, give me some help here. Point me in the direction of a college football program I can put my heart into. And if you're a Nebraska fan, please, no bashing this column until you've at least taken the corn off the top of your head.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.