A lot has been said about the SEC Chant over the years and the phenomenon that when SEC teams play teams in other conferences they tend to support SEC teams, even possibly their biggest rivals. I think it's gotten to a point when opposing teams beat SEC teams they taunt them by doing the SEC Chant (I heard Oklahoma fans did it during the Cotton Bowl).

On one hand it does get annoying. I found it especially annoying in men's basketball during the years Kentucky would win national championships and everyone else in the conference would lose in the 1st or 2nd round and the rest of the conference would act like they won the national championship. But I do get the fact that when a team in the conference does well it makes the conference look good and it is reasonable to root for other teams in the conference in the NCAA Tournament and the College Football Playoff. Clemson has made the ACC a relevant player in football. Without them, the ACC the last few seasons is the Pathetic 12.

The question I have for ACC Nation is how do you feel about conference loyalty, how much will you root for other conference opponents in bowl games/College Football Playoff/NCAA Tournament?

My home conference is the Big Ten and I feel they are more of my conference than most people because I have degrees from two conference universities (very few people can say that). So I tend to root for other Big Ten schools more than others do. It also helps that neither Illinois nor Penn State doesn't really have a bitter rival the level of Ohio State and Michigan. I'm sure if I were an Ohio State fan or alum I wouldn't be rooting for Michigan no matter what and vice versa or it would be a lot harder to. There are also other schools I cheer for more than others. Ohio State is the Big Ten's flag bearer so I cheer for them more than others. For ACC football, that would be Clemson. It makes more sense for ACC fans to cheer for Clemson to win the Sugar Bowl than for North Carolina to win the Orange Bowl. I really want OSU to win today (no offense ACC Nation) and don't really care if Northwestern does. In the SEC, many SEC have big rivals out of conference so it's easier to cheer for other SEC teams. Florida's biggest rival, according to KnowRivalry.com, isn't an SEC team, it's Florida State. South Carolina's biggest rival isn't an SEC team, it's Clemson. Then again Georgia's biggest rival is Florida (they don't take Georgia Tech as seriously).

So what's your take on ACC Conference loyalty?

I pull for everyone except UNC.

A survey of 10,000 “fans”. Sounds legit.

I root for every ACC team OOC unless it would directly (negatively) affect my team.

I do not pull for ACC teams unless a win by them directly benefits Clemson because anything positive for a school that we compete against is bad for Clemson in the long run.

(01-01-2021 04:38 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  I do not pull for ACC teams unless a win by them directly benefits Clemson because anything positive for a school that we compete against is bad for Clemson in the long run.

That's awfully Russian of you.

Whether to root for other ACC teams depends on the circumstance and sport.

For example, I can’t root for UNC nor Duke during the basketball regular season (regardless of who they play). Yet, I will definitely cheer for other ACC teams in non-conference play.

Given the Cavaliers’ weak results in football during the past decade, I’m much more likely to support the ACC team in all non-conference play.

One of my favorite Dean Smith quotes (paraphrasing) "I want us to win all our games and everyone else to win at home. We would be in first place and everyone else would be tied for 2nd."

Louisville has always been an underdog. That’s why most of us have a chip on our shoulder. We are however loyal to The ACC for rescuing us. Most Louisville fans I know root for ACC teams particularly Florida State, Clemson, and Syracuse, along with Notre Dame, all who openly supported UofL joining The ACC.

In the Bluegrass State Kentucky fans root for every SEC team. That forces Louisville fans to root for ACC teams when they face UK or other SEC schools. I especially enjoy rooting for Duke and UNC when they play UK. Kentucky fans hate The Blue Devils and Tarheels almost as much as they hate Louisville. That gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that. When UK loses that makes it even better.

Definitely root for the ACC.

Probably because the clowns down the road cling so much to SEC success as if they had any part of it themselves -- which 90% of the time they don't. And if you haven't picked up on this from my previous posts, I find the blue bellies to be on the very annoying side of the spectrum.

But also because I genuinely feel good to be in this conference. Beats the HELL out of the Big XII, which looked like a potential landing spot for some time.

Having said that .. there are some peeps that are beginning to wear me out ... so I'm not heart broken to see them come up short.

For the most part, I would prefer ACC teams to win nearly all non-conference games.

I voted 'yes' root for all but I'm having a real hard time rooting for UNC vs. Texas A&M right now. Even though the ACC is 0-5 in bowls.

(01-02-2021 10:35 PM)ChrisLords Wrote:  I voted 'yes' root for all but I'm having a real hard time rooting for UNC vs. Texas A&M right now. Even though the ACC is 0-5 in bowls.

I'm pulling for UNC in the Orange Bowl.
Then tomorrow I'm pulling for the NCAA to put them on probation.

(01-02-2021 10:42 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(01-02-2021 10:35 PM)ChrisLords Wrote:  I voted 'yes' root for all but I'm having a real hard time rooting for UNC vs. Texas A&M right now. Even though the ACC is 0-5 in bowls.

I'm pulling for UNC in the Orange Bowl.
Then tomorrow I'm pulling for the NCAA to put them on probation.

What, more false charges ?

Pulled for every one of them in the Bowl games. Not sure if I gave Them bad luck. Damn, I was rooting hard for State to beat Kentucky as well as Our 2020 Member Notre Dame to beat Bama.
I have great respect for several schools in the ACC I have had direct connections too. Louisville, Syracuse, Miami, Florida State

(01-03-2021 05:13 PM)CardFan1 Wrote:  Pulled for every one of them in the Bowl games. Not sure if I gave Them bad luck. Damn, I was rooting hard for State to beat Kentucky as well as Our 2020 Member Notre Dame to beat Bama.
I have great respect for several schools in the ACC I have had direct connections too. Louisville, Syracuse, Miami, Florida State

Cardfan

Where you been man? Good to hear from you.

At times I was pulling for Carolina, but then came to my senses.

Like State, UNC chokes games like this and I know that after watching these past 50 years. Bobby Ross, Danny Ford, Dabo, Bowden until he got old, and Lou Holtz are the only ACC football coaches that I remember consistently putting away a better school at the end of a game. This was an achelies heal for Mack Brown, Steve Spurrier, Dick Sheridan, and Dick Crum.

Notice I am talking about putting away a better team, not putting away schools that are inferior to you.

(01-03-2021 08:11 PM)cuseroc Wrote:  

(01-03-2021 05:13 PM)CardFan1 Wrote:  Pulled for every one of them in the Bowl games. Not sure if I gave Them bad luck. Damn, I was rooting hard for State to beat Kentucky as well as Our 2020 Member Notre Dame to beat Bama.
I have great respect for several schools in the ACC I have had direct connections too. Louisville, Syracuse, Miami, Florida State

Cardfan

Where you been man? Good to hear from you.

I've been wondering too...glad you're back.

Hopefully we can meet up again next summer.