College Football: 10 Rules To Being a Big Ten Fan

Big Ten football is bigger than ever with twelve teams, now that Nebraska has added themselves to the conference. Interest in the Big Ten is growing to all-time highs, and that makes it a great time to introduce new fans to the 10 rules for being a Big Ten football fan.

In fact, the middle of the season is a good time to give many current and long time Big Ten fans a refresher course, as some of these maxims have been lost at times this season.

These rules are 100 percent guaranteed to be simpler than the NCAA compliance rulebook, which is good news if you happen to be a Buckeye fan. And so we begin...

1. Hate "The" Ohio State Buckeyes

You will not find many Big Ten fans feeling sorry for the hard times upon which Ohio State finds itself this season. That has a lot to do with winning six straight conference titles and dominating the competition in the past decade.

Ohio State also has the only national championship in the conference in the past decade and holds that over other Big Ten teams. However, the entire Big Ten also has Ohio State to thank for the relatively poor reputation the conference received after two blowout losses in the 2007 and 2008 BCS Championship games.

Considering that the players, and even the coach, appeared to believe they were above NCAA rules, Big Ten fans must hate the Buckeyes. No feeling sorry for the self-made mess in Columbus.

Also, some may argue that Ohio State fans do not have to follow this rule. That is incorrect. Buckeye fans can hate how the Buckeyes make them feel every weekend they lose, or they could hate how every win seems to be a nail-biter, or they could hate how the current regime of players pulled the entire university through the mud.

Yes, indeed, when your own fans hate you as much as they love you, it must be true. Big Ten fans must hate The Ohio State Buckeyes (but don't forget the "The").

2. Wear Something Crazy on Saturday

These overalls are not just for farming. They are for cheering on the Hawkeyes on Saturday!

And these overalls may not even be close to the worst fashion gaffes you see at every Big Ten stadium on game day. For those who enjoy people watching, Big Ten game day is better than perhaps anything outside an amusement park.

You could wear something terribly ugly and laughable in all other settings of life, but on game day, it looks great if it is the home team's colors. Nothing says "team spirit" like wearing something your mother would not be caught dead in.

Unless, of course, she is a Big Ten football fan. Then she probably has something even more terrible on as she joins you on game day.

3. Be Nice to Nebraska (For Now)

Although Big Ten fans sometimes do not play well with other Big Ten fans, on the whole, the Midwestern hospitality generally is the rule of the day. Especially with unusual or uncommon opponents, fan behavior is strongly encouraged to be respectful to others.

As such, Nebraska is the new kid on the block, and their fans should be treated graciously for the first couple of seasons. Nebraska fans treat opposing fans well in Lincoln, so there is no reason not to extend the hand of courtesy to the Cornhuskers who bring so much excitement to the Big Ten conference.

Before long, those Cornhuskers will earn the scorn reserved for conference rivals. Until then, take it easy on our new friends/enemies.

4. Google Joe Paterno Every Week

Joe Paterno looks like your grandfather. That is no coincidence—he probably coached your grandfather in football.

However, Paterno is no grumpy old man. Quite the contrary, Joe gets fired up every Friday night and Saturday as much as the wildest Penn State coed.  It may be a surprise to new Big Ten fans, but Joe Paterno is an endless stream of good quotes and quality video.

If you need a good pick-me-up laugh, just go back through the archives of Joe leading cheers at Friday night rallies. The man is a living legend, so keep your eyes on him every week and enjoy the final years of his career.

5. Make Pilgrammages to Every Big Ten Stadium

No matter which team you follow, seeing games from some of the biggest and most historic venues in college football is a huge benefit to Big Ten fans. If all the games you see are at the home stadium, then you truly are missing out on over half the fun of Big Ten football.

The majesty of walking into Michigan Stadium and seeing just how far down into the ground that stadium goes is breathtaking the first time. Similarly, Ohio Stadium and Beaver Stadium will blow fans away with their size and grandiose traditions.

Even the smaller schools have stadiums with history. The Memorial Stadiums in Champaign and Bloomington are relics of a bygone architectural era, and both stadiums have kept their style, even with renovations. The new masterpiece is TCF Bank Stadium, which is so nice that the Minnesota Vikings played there last year.

OK fine, so the snow collapse of the Metrodome might have had something to do with that. But still, even the newest Big Ten stadium is worth making a drive across Big Ten country.

6. Learn and Live the Traditions

Wisconsin is the current crown jewel of the Big Ten football landscape, and Madison has become a cannot miss game day experience in the last 20 years. The highlight of a game in Madison is the "Jump Around" at the end of the third quarter, when all the fans in the stadium and some of the players jump up and down to House of Pain and shake the foundations of Camp Randall Stadium.

But Wisconsin is not the only place with great tradition. At Ohio State, the marching band is the pride of the university and fires up the crowd with Script Ohio during games and a Skull Session prior to games.

Purdue brings on the Boilermaker Special and the biggest drum you will ever see. Nebraska raises the volume to another level in Memorial Stadium with the Tunnel Walk. And Penn State fans regularly white out the entire stadium to intimidate opposing teams.

Respect the traditions and enjoy them.

7. Defend the Division Names

Magic Johnson is one of many legends that have started their professional lives in Big Ten uniforms. For any Big Ten fan that has stumbled upon a commercial break this season, the mantra behind naming the football division's legends and leaders should be painfully blunt and clear.

More specifically, the Big Ten honors the legends of the past while building the leaders of the future.

No, that's not a cheesy political advertisement. That is the marketing ploy invented by Jim Delany and the Big Ten conference to make themselves sound more important. Spread the gospel as to why the Big Ten is the greatest set of universities and athletic programs ever using this simple rallying point.

Just kidding. You should defend these division names just to be devil's advocate in fun tailgate arguments. But, otherwise, lambaste them like everyone else and hope that the Big Ten drops them for something else more sensible in the future.

It could be worse. They could be called Stars and Stripes.

8. Love the Big Ten Network for What It Is: Indiana/Purdue Season Tickets

Let's face it: the biggest games of the season will always be on major network television or cable television. Despite the heavy acceptance of the Big Ten network on television service providers in the Midwest, the remainder of the country expects to see the biggest games from each conference on the more established networks.

Although each team is obligated to play one game televised by BTN, the true reality is that some teams like Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State would be televised on other networks every weekend no matter if BTN existed.

However, finding a television set to see the latest Indiana or Purdue game could be a difficult task before BTN. Now every Big Ten game that does not get aired somewhere else ends up on the Big Ten Network, which allows fans of every Big Ten team to watch every game their favorite team plays.

This is a boon to Indiana and Purdue fans, as they had to buy season tickets to ensure such coverage before. You still might want to mute the commercial breaks or else you may truly become a disciple of those awful division names.

Disclaimer: The talk shows on BTN throughout the week focused solely on Big Ten football is a great fix between game days.

9. Tailgating Is a Necessity

For long term Big Ten football fans and followers, such as my family, game day is more an excuse to break out the good food and the grills to fellowship with friends than a chance to watch football. Yes the football is great, but chowing on some unhealthy food and quenching thirst before a big game is well worth showing up early.

Once a fan finds a regular tailgate or makes their own, there is even more motivation to show up every game day. More Big Ten football is better, so, clearly, every Big Ten football fan should tailgate as much as possible.

When traveling to road cities, check out the tailgating scene. You never know when you might find the biggest turkey legs west of the Mississippi (Iowa City, for the record). Most opposing fans are willing to share a hot dog and a cold beverage to meet some new fans, thereby opening up more opportunities to tailgate in other cities.

10. Win or Lose, Cherish Every Game Day

Although some of the advice on previous slides has been crass at times, I cannot stress enough how important it is to cherish these Saturdays every season. Not to get all weepy-eyed, but you simply never know when you will not be able to watch college football anymore.

Life is truly what one makes of it, and experiencing the emotional highs and lows that come with being a fan in the Big Ten conference is the spice that makes life memorable and worth living. Whether you have a great job that pays a lot of money or a terrible job that suffers to pay the bills, Saturday is a time for enjoying life and friendly competition.

Never lose sight of that. Every school may not have a crystal football or even many Big Ten championship trophies in the athletic department, but that does not mean that those schools have failed to make life better for their fans.

In sum, enjoy Big Ten football or get out of town!

Let me know if you have any other rules to add to the rulebook for Big Ten fans. Thanks for reading!