In the world of college football there are numerous storied rivalries. Many culminate in regular showdowns such as The Big Game, Red River Rivalry, Iron Bowl, Civil War and others. I’m still rooting for Cascade Clash for the annual clash between Oregon and Washington.
In the era of social media, fans of the various schools often take their vitriol online where they can semi anonymously argue the minutia of officiating bias, PFF ratings, and whether or not that was a catch/fumble/touchdown. Most of the time
this takes the form of attempts at cherry-picking stats to prove while one QB will go higher in the draft. Occasionally its an all out verbal brawl, complete with epithets, profanity and brags about how good someone was back in high school.
The College Football Playoff seems to amplify the conflict. Who got hosed by being left out. Who is only in because of their “brand”. It seemed like Notre Dame and the ACC were about to go full “meet me in the parking lot” for a while there.
And then there is James Madison University. The JMU Dukes went 12-1 this season winning the Sun Belt Conference and finishing the season ranked 24th. They join Group of 6 fellow Tulane in the CFP by virtue of the 5 highest ranked conference champions receiving auto-bids. They are set to take on the Oregon Ducks in Autzen Stadium in the first round.
The banter between Duck Nation and the JMU faithful has been…. amusing.
National media pundits have the Ducks heavily favored in the matchup, but JMU has already won the twitter battle.
The good-natured banter has been heartwarming as between the fans. There is something about a team with a good sense of humor about themselves that makes you almost feel bad for how lopsided the game could get.
No matter what happens in the game tomorrow, JMU has earned their seat at the table. If not among the college football elite, at least among the coolest fans on the internet.
If you feel like suffering through watching Alabama and Oklahoma (again), feel free to let us know in the comments which team you think likely has better fans online.
