re: Which college teams have the most sidewalk fans.

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who is making the rules?

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THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIERARCHY OF ALLEGIANCE:
Who should I root for?, explained
1. Your undergraduate alma mater - This should be the first and foremost team you root for, above all others. The only exception is if you attend/ed an institution that does not field a football team. Should that institution start up a football team, it automatically becomes your first team. It is your alma mater, for god's sake.

2. (really 1.5) Your employer - If you currently work for an instutition that fields a football program, you may pull for them as much as you pull for your alma mater. You should especially support your employer while on campus in a professional capacity, or while attending your employer's sporting events. If it comes down to employer vs. alma mater, the proper course is to take a public stance of neutrality while privately rooting for your alma mater.

3. Your graduate school (if applicable) - If you attended grad school, you may root for them, but always behind your undergraduate program.

4. Your parents' alma mater or favorite team - This goes double if both parents attended the same college, as that institution is at least partially responsible for your very existence. If both parents pull for rival teams, call a family therapist. If your parents served in the military, you may put the relevant service academy here, even if your parents didn't actually go there.

5. Your spouse's alma mater or favorite team - Never go to bed angry.

6. Your siblings' or close friends' alma maters - That's almost as good as if you yourself attended, especially if they can hook you up with tickets.

7. The dominant football power in your area growing up/the underdog football power in your area growing up - This is basically cultural osmosis. You're from Michigan? You're gonna grow up with Michigan or Sparty. You just ARE. NOTE: If your alma mater is a direct rival of the dominant football power, you are required to side with your alma mater in any and all possible scenarios.

8. Service Academies/Perennial Underdogs - Some folks put the service academies around here as a show of patriotism or support for the military or whatever. That's cool, just be aware that the lion's share of the military doesn't give a wet fart about the service academies' football programs. Other folks put a consistent no-hope squad on their allegiance list. You can do that too, but it doesn't really count.

9. Whatever. - If you've made it this far down, you can basically put whoever you like here, as far as I'm concerned. Most decent folks will have no more than three teams they pull for. You wanna root for your fifth grade teacher next door neighbor's favorite team? Yeah, okay, whatever, I guess.

AVOID: Ironic enjoyment - Pulling for a team as a joke. College football is not a joke.

AVOID: Bandwagoneering - Oregon, Bama, whoever's winning right now because you're a loser and you just latch on, remora-like, to the team most likely to make you feel like you matter.

REMEMBER: WHEN IN DOUBT, ALMA MATER ABOVE ALL OTHERS.

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