There is a thin line between love and hate in college football, as most teams that are loved tend to be hated by many, and teams that are hated are loved vehemently by their fans.
College Football has a ton of teams worth being mentioned as most loved, but three teams truly stick out and have valid reasons as to why they are so loved. The first team and most loved college football team is Notre Dame. While Notre Dame is hated by many, they are on the level of the Yankees, Cowboys, and Lakers, meaning the whole country follows them.
Notre Dame has a deal with NBC till 2025 showing a minimum of seven Notre Dame home football games a year. NBC has had Notre Dame football TV rights since 1991, and it makes sense as their fan base watches from all over the country. The Irish are one of the few teams, if not the only school that has their games aired every Saturday. Even when NBC doesn't air their game, other major networks will like ABC airing the Notre Dame Virginia game last Saturday. The Fighting Irish have a long history that connects between different generations. Being an Irish fan is almost passed down in families like an heirloom. Being the most loved team can also make you one of the most hated, but the Irish fans spread throughout the country making them truly one of the most loved teams.
The second team on this list is last year's National Champions Ohio State. While other schools in the Big Ten maybe strongly disagreeing with this statement, people follow Ohio State, and winning the National Championship with a third string quarterback in Cardale Jones pulls people to root for them. Michigan and Michigan State fans likely hate the Buckeyes, but their following is likely bigger then any school in the Big Ten. People like an underdog and when Ohio State took down dominant Alabama in the Sugar Bowl last year, one could sense a push of love for this program. Ohio State is on this list as most loved because Buckeye nation is every where, but if Ohio State wins another National Championship they could slide to hated team, because people tend to not like teams that win consistently, unless they are a winner picker or a true fan from the start.
The third most loved team in college football is the Oregon Ducks. The Ducks are so loved because they are fun to watch. They consistently have a high-powered offense and they move the ball all over the field. Last season Oregon had the most yards in college football with 8,205. Fans like to see scoring, and Oregon provides that every Saturday. There are Oregon fans across this country that don't have any connection with the Ducks whatsoever, but the excitement they bring to the field causes people to watch them and love them. Oregon is a hard school to hate unless you're Oregon State or another Pac 12 team. The Ducks are likely the most exciting team to watch on Saturdays and that's why they are so loved.
The flipside to most loved is most hated, and there are plenty of teams to choose from when weighing who should be most hated. Coming in at number one is the Alabama Crimson Tide. The hate for them is generated by their dominance in college football. They are consistently a top ten program, and that makes fans of other teams hate them. The Crimson Tide has a huge following and a loyal fan base, but there are likely more fans that hate Alabama then like them. All schools in the SEC dislike head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, and that's because they tend to be the favorites in the conference every season. Alabama loves their Crimson Tide, but not the entire state, as a good portion of the state hates them. Those fans are Auburn War Eagle fans, and their hatred for the Crimson Tide is strong. Alabama and Auburn play in the Iron Bowl on Nov. 28, and the hatred between these two programs will be clearly seen. Alabama is hated because of their success, and it shows that when a team becomes too dominant people start to root against them. No one likes to see the same National Champion year in and year out, and the Crimson Tide are always competing for one. Alabama won National Championships in 2009, 2011, and 2012. Every team in the SEC whether it is LSU, Auburn, Ole Miss, Miss. St, Florida wants to crush Alabama and that's because they know how good they are.
The second most hated team on the list is Texas. The Longhorns have not been a top team to watch the past couple season, and they have been rebuilding under Charlie Strong. Texas has fans across the country like many schools, and the Longhorn fans are passionate and stay with their school no matter what. The reason Texas makes it at number two is because they are the number one enemy in Texas. In the Big 12 Texas is seen as everyone's rival. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State both share a hatred for this school, and so do their fans. Every school in Texas wants to beat the Longhorns, whether it's TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor, or Texas A&M they all want to take down the Longhorns. It's almost as though the history of Texas makes them so hated. They have won four National Championships and the most recent was in 2005. Longhorn fans are throughout the country, but there seems to be more hatred for this program than love.
The third and last most hated program in college football is Florida State. Florida State has moved up this list in the past couple seasons, based on winning and their former quarterback Jameis Winston. The Seminoles have now had two consecutive quarterbacks that have gotten in trouble off the field. Winston got himself in trouble plenty of times down at Florida State, whether it was causing damage with a pellet gun or allegedly stealing crab legs or soda. The Seminoles followed Winston up with Everett Golson, who has not found himself in as much trouble as Winston in the past, but was suspended from Notre Dame for "poor academic judgment." Neither of the players seem like terrible people, but that they have just made poor choices. But with Winston and Golson being in the spotlight and getting praise, it tends to make people dislike them. The other reason people hate Florida State is their difficulty of schedule. Teams like Baylor and TCU were kept out of the playoffs even though they felt they had played a much tougher schedule. It's not Florida States' fault they are in a weaker conference, but people tend to hate the fact that they have an easier path to the playoffs. Also the Seminoles are seen as the enemy in the ACC, so programs like Clemson, Miami, Louisville, and Boston College all hate Florida State. Winning brings hatred and that can be seen in both Alabama and Florida State in the past decade.
As stated before there is a thin line between love and hate in college football, and the teams mentioned in this piece are both hated and loved by many. People tend to love underdogs, explosive offenses, and their heritage in college football. That is why Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Oregon make the top three of most loved teams on this list. On the other side dominance can lead to hatred, teams like Alabama and Florida State continue to dominate their conference causing everyone else to hate them. Texas is the odd one out, but it seems every school in Texas wants to beat the Longhorns because of their history, and that is why Texas is so hated. This list can change from season to season, as it all depends on what is going on currently, although it seems rare that TCU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, or Baylor will stop hating the Longhorns any time soon.
