Big 12 hate meter: From Texas to Iowa State

[Lzen]

Big 12 hate meter: From Texas to Iowa State
July 29, 2008 1:18 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin
Every Big 12 team has a rival that inspires hatred. It's just the nature of competitive athletics, and particularly football.
While the conference offices have made a sportsmanship mandate a prominent part of pregame activities across the Big 12, fans don't always think that way.
With that in mind, here's an unofficial Big 12 conference hate meter, with the most despised rival first and the others in descending order.
1. Texas -- Everything's bigger and better in Texas, or so they say. But what's not to hate about the Longhorns for the rest of the Big 12 -- their traditional dominance, unmatched facilities, deep talent pool and even their mascot?
2. Oklahoma -- Opponents don't like seeing the same team winning. And after running roughshod over the Big Eight for 50 years and continuing their wild stampede through the Big 12, rivals have long been tired of the Sooners' historic supremacy.
3. Colorado -- Opposing fans see their supporters as every Rocky Mountain stereotype -- tree-loving, granola-munching, hybrid-driving Greeners. And it's even worse when they are winning with some regularity.
4. Kansas -- Their fans have always been accused of being the conference's smuggest during basketball season. Their recent football success is spreading that haughtiness into a 12-month-a-year attitude, rivals say.
5. Missouri -- Once the program woke up under Gary Pinkel, a new generation of fans are acting like they invented football, according to some adversarial fans. And it will get even worse if they finally win a Big 12 title.
6. Kansas State -- Traditional losers became national powers overnight when Bill Snyder was coaching them. That ascension came a little too quickly to many rivals.
7. Oklahoma State -- Boone Pickens' deep pockets and Mike Gundy's rants aren't the best selling points for a Big 12 wannabe power.
8. Texas A&M -- Their military traditions are the bedrock of support for the school's former students. But the collies, cannons and male cheerleaders are considered borderline strange by opposing fans.
9. Nebraska -- Their historical domination always was tempered by their fans. Vanquished foes always receive polite applause as they leave Memorial Stadium. But a return to dominance under Bo Pelini could shoot them up the hate meter -- particularly if he has a few hot-headed moments like his postgame dust-up with Bill Snyder a few years ago.
10. Texas Tech -- If you believe most of what you read on rival message boards, Mike Leach might be one of the Big 12's most popular coaches because of his well-chronicled idiosyncrasies. It will be interesting to see if that support holds if the Red Raiders fulfill hype and develop into BCS challengers this season.
11. Baylor -- Old Southwest Conference foes still remember the days of Mike Singletary and Walter Abercrombie when Grant Teaff built an enduring, powerful program. But those days are far removed from the present as Big 12 rivals now perceive them merely as permanent South Division cellar-dwellers.
12. Iowa State -- Rooting against the Cyclones is like booing Santa Claus or Lassie. The Cyclones were a popular choice for many Big 12 fans during Dan McCarney's near misses in 2004 and 2005 -- particularly because the Cyclones haven't won a conference title since sharing the Missouri Valley Conference crown in 1912.

[Frazod]

On a national level, Nebraska should be ranked higher than Kansas or Missouri.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by frazod

On a national level, Nebraska should be ranked higher than Kansas or Missouri.

No doubt. I'd switch NU and CU.

[markk]

as if calling KU fans smug were merely an accusation...

[kepp]

1. Kansas
2. Nebraska
3. Texas
4. Oklahoma
5. Texas Tech
6. Texas A&M
7. Kansas State
8. Oklahoma State
9. Colorado
10. Iowa State
11. Baylor
12. Missouri - I'm a Mizzou fan so where else was I going to put them?

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by kepp

1. Kansas
2. Nebraska
3. Texas
4. Oklahoma
5. Texas Tech
6. Texas A&M
7. Kansas State
8. Oklahoma State
9. Colorado
10. Iowa State
11. Baylor
12. Missouri - I'm a Mizzou fan so where else was I going to put them?

I don't think you understand Texas/Oklahoma or Oklahoma/Nebraska.

[BigVE]

Being a Kansas fan on a predominantly mizzou board i would put mizzou at the top of the list JUST because of most the fans from this board. Nobody I like to see lose more than mizzou. For me, K-state is number two then CU. All the rest...no worries.

[SBK]

There are no fans on planet earth that are as bad as Nebraska fans. Not all of them, but there's a lot of horrible ones.

[BigVE]

Originally Posted by SBK

There are no fans on planet earth that are as bad as Nebraska fans. Not all of them, but there's a lot of horrible ones.

I used to feel that way but SO MANY years of sucking and getting some absolute beat-downs have mellowed most of the ones I know.

[SBK]

Originally Posted by BigVE

I used to feel that way but SO MANY years of sucking and getting some absolute beat-downs have mellowed most of the ones I know.

I've been away from the midwest for awhile, so I don't know the "new" fans. The only fans that were ever close to as bad were Iowa fans. Back when they sucked, they'd be coming off a 1-10 season and I'd listen to moron after moron tell me how they had an outside shot, or even a great chance, to play for the national title the next year. Then once they got good, they all pretend like the Iowa State game doesn't matter (after they get whipped of course). Ferentz has been owned by Iowa State, but the fans will tell you it's Iowa State's superbowl, or how it doesn't matter, even though they'll go on and on before the game about how big it is, after they lose it's suddenly no big deal. Idiots.

It'd be kind of fun to listen to it now, I'm sure they'd tell you the recruits that picked other schools instead of Iowa, with off the field trouble being one of the reasons, that the kids are going to suck anyway or something. I can hear it now, Iowa is perfect, and only loses games and players that don't matter.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by SBK

There are no fans on planet earth that are as bad as Nebraska fans. Not all of them, but there's a lot of horrible ones.

The following exerpt is from The Lost Continent, by Bill Bryson (who is originally from Iowa).

"For a long time I couldn't decide whether the original settlers in Nebraska were insane or just stupid, and then I saw a stadium full of University of Nebraska football fans in action on a Saturday and realized that they must have been both. I may be a decade or so out of touch here but when I left America, the University of Nebraska didn't so much play football as engage in weekly ritual slaughters. They were always racking up scores of 58-3 against hapless opponents. Most schools, when they get a decent lead, will send in a squad of skinny freshmen in unsoiled uniforms to let them run around a bit and get dirty and, above all, to give the losers a sporting change to make the score respectable. It's called fair play. Not Nebraska. The University of Nebraska would send in flamethrowers if it were allowed. Watching Nebraska play football every week was like watching hyenas tearing open a gazelle. It was unseemly. It was unsporting. And of course the fans could never get enough of it. To sit among them with the score 66-0 and watch them bray for more blood is a distinctly unnerving experience, particularly when you consider that a lot of these people must work at the Strategic Air Command in Omaha. If Iowa State ever upset Nebraska, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they nuked Ames. All of these thoughts percolated through my mind on this particular morning and frankly left me troubled."

I'd say that pretty much sums it up.

[KC_Connection]

I'm back for another football season!

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by frazod

On a national level, Nebraska should be ranked higher than Kansas or Missouri.

I don't know why it would be higher on a national level, outside of the conference no one really gives two shits about Nebraska either way. OTOH, I can understand some anger issues with the old Big 8 conference foes.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by SBK

There are no fans on planet earth that are as bad as Nebraska fans. Not all of them, but there's a lot of horrible ones.

I didn't think we were that bad...until I got an internet connection. I'm truly embarrassed by the majority of them.

[Mr. Arrowhead]

Nebraska has the best fans in the big 12 hands down, especially when you consider loyal and respectable.