Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports
1:07PM EST October 11. 2012 - The
votes have been counted. The majority of college football fans would
rather sit next to Mitt Romney than President Obama at their team's
upcoming home game, according to the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll.
The
poll, which is conducted by Rasmussen Reports, found that 53 percent of
fans would elect to sit elbow to elbow with Romney while 42 percent
would choose Obama.
Obama did take home the key battleground of
the Big Ten, earning 52 percent of the vote among fans of that
conference; Romney earned 43 percent of the Big Ten's vote.
Perhaps
Romney's weak showing in Big Ten country can be explained by his lack
of support among college football fans in the state of Ohio.
On
May 5, 2011, Romney told a crowd at the University of Michigan that he
"has been a Michigan and a Wolverine fan for a long, long time."
MICHIGAN FAN: Romney roots for the Wolverines
His
statement was used in a campaign ad sponsored by the Ohio Democratic
Party that ran in last Friday's edition of The Lantern, Ohio State's
student newspaper. It's tough for a Michigan man to win in Ohio.
But
Romney owned the rest of the automatic qualifiers, defeating Obama
among fans from the SEC, Pac-12 (where he received 59 percent of the
vote), Big East, Big 12 and ACC.
Romney also topped Obama in
another category: Which presidential candidate would you rather have buy
a round of drinks for the crowd at your team's next home game?
Fifty
percent of respondents chose Romney while 39 percent selected Obama.
Even the Big Ten chose Romney, but not with a majority vote: 48 percent
for Romney, 42 percent for Obama.
You know what's the correct
answer to the question of which candidate you rather have buy a round of
drinks? Both. All of the above. Either one. It's a free round of
drinks. Don't turn it down.
USA TODAY