September 14, 2012 · 7:11 AM

The Montana Project, sixth update

To bring everyone up to speed, Hoppy was able to find the 100th sports fan from Montana last weekend.  His work is in post-production, so to speak, and we should have a finished product on display soon.

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33 responses to “The Montana Project, sixth update”

  1. Macallanlover
    September 14, 2012 at 8:28 AM

    So it took two weeks to find 100 fans in Montana sports bars that could meet the criteria of “casual CFB fan”. And this when wearing a bright red helmet on your head and willing to talk with everyone who could communicate? Now that is all you need to know about the significance of Montana relative to CFB. I like them in so many ways, but this is alarming, especially if you had any financial interest in sports bars (unless you carried the Outdoors Network.).

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  2. JG Shellnutt
    September 14, 2012 at 9:04 AM

    Was in St Louis last weekend and had a waitress at the IHOP ‘boo’ me as I came in with my Georgia G shirt on. I got a little excited at first, thinking that these Missouri folks are already on board with trash talking and hazing visiting fans.
    I couldn’t help but think about the Montana project, though, when she said “Green Bay sucks! I’m from Chicago, Go Bears!”
    I let her know the shirt is for the University of Georgia and that we were coming through town on our way for the Missouri game. She was confused and shocked that someone would travel to see a college football game.
    I have to admit, my worldview broadened a bit that day and I realized that the world is even more different from the Southeast than I already knew it to be.
    I am interested in seeing the results of the Montana project – but not as hopeful (smug) as I had been previously.

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    • Gravidy
      September 14, 2012 at 9:20 AM

      While I agree that the Montana results might not be as awesome as some of us would like, I think your particular anecdote says more about the waitress, St. Louis, and the stature of the Mizzou football team within its own state than Georgia’s logo.

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      • gastr1
        September 14, 2012 at 11:17 AM

        Unfortunately my experience in parts nearby, but not the same state, is consistent with JG’s. People are not as into college sports outside the south (and Texas). Not even close.

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        • Gravidy
          September 14, 2012 at 11:54 AM

          I agree with you. But the point of all this Montana stuff is how recognizable UGA’s logo is relative to other college logos in places where college football isn’t king – specifically Montana, in this case.

          My only point was the fact that JG’s waitress didn’t recognize his Georgia shirt may be more attributable to:

          1) the waitress not being a college football fan
          2) college football not being big in St. Louis
          3) the Mizzou football team not being particularly big in St. Louis

          The third item on that list is the most interesting to me. Judging the popularity of the Mizzou football team in St. Louis based upon the reaction of one waitress probably isn’t fair. But I wonder how popular Mizzou football is among the average sports fans in St. Louis. I would think any Mizzou fan would be aware of the game against UGA and would recognize the UGA logo, even if they couldn’t do it before Mizzou joined the SEC.

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          • BMan
            September 14, 2012 at 1:01 PM

            The Montana project was to find 100 average CFB fans. This St. Louis waitress wouldn’t fit into that category. She’s from Chicago, and only knows the Bears hate the Packers. And probably that she can’t seem to drop those last 10 pounds.

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          • Cojones
            September 14, 2012 at 2:16 PM

            I’ve consulted in the area and went to a sports bar in the mall owned by a St Louis baseball player. One small corner had about 15 UGA/LSU fans watching our game, but a hugh crowd was building (easily estimated to over a hundred) behind us for the kickoff of the Mizzoun game. They were very loud and enthusiastic. After our game I joined them and they knew fully about UGA/LSU in their conversations. Mole hill = mountain comes to mind with the waitress.

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          • gastr1
            September 15, 2012 at 12:13 AM

            “But I wonder how popular Mizzou football is among the average sports fans in St. Louis”–

            The answer is, not very. I don’t think…those people are way into baseball. Football in general runs second to everything “Cards.” Factor in that MIssouri’s never really been any good, and you have just the recipe for apathy toward State U.

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    • Russ
      September 14, 2012 at 9:22 AM

      When I first moved to Houston, I was shocked when people asked my if I was a Packer fan. I couldn’t believe that the red and black colors didn’t give them a big clue. Anyway, it did open my eyes a little bit, though I still think most fans out here know who the Dawgs are. Even moreso since the Aggies joined the SEC.

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      • stoopnagle
        September 14, 2012 at 5:31 PM

        Or you, know, the Ags got Ginger Ninja’d in S’port.

        Honestly, I grew up hard-core Oilers fan in Houston (trust me, I know what you’re thinking. Please don’t pity me. I only want to be accepted as I am.) and didn’t get the CFB thing until a) came to UGA and b) got screwed by Bud Adams’ greed (not in that order).

        Even then, I don’t get people that travel for NFL games.

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        • Russ
          September 14, 2012 at 10:57 PM

          While I’m ragging on Houston (actually I like it here a lot), they have a strange idea what a sports bar is. I went to one to find the Georgia game once, and while the bar had 15+ huge TVs, plus a bunch of small ones around, ever single one showed the same Aggie game. I can get that 7 or 8 of the TVs would show it, but every last one of them? I moved from Florida and in Orlando, you could get every game being played (this was back before small satellites and such), and it was a great atmosphere. Of course, now that you can get every game on TV or the internet, I don’t go to sportsbars anymore.

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    • Puffdawg
      September 14, 2012 at 9:31 AM

      For I while I suspected the same thing, JG, but then to put it in perspective you have to remember the test is for “average college football fans.” Guarantee that girl aint’ an average college football fan.

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    • 81Dog
      September 14, 2012 at 3:45 PM

      did you ask her if she was red/green color blind?

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  3. Siskey
    September 14, 2012 at 9:39 AM

    I have encountered the same thing albeit vicariously through one of my friends. My buddy Craig is from Wisconsin. While we were in the Marines together I used to brag to him about the superiority of southern women, the lost cost of booze in Athens and the great experience that is Georgia Bulldog Football. In 2009 I got him to fly down for the Auburn game where he got to experience it all firsthand. He had been to a few UW games when his brother went to school there so he was familiar with tailgating but he was unprepared for sundresses with cowboy boots and our hate of our rivals.
    His trip made him a UGA fan and now back in Pittsville, Wisconsin he is often asked “where he got that red Packers hat?”

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  4. Brian
    September 14, 2012 at 12:00 PM

    http://www.collegefootball.ap.org/hendersondailynews/poll
    Check out these voters ballots, 15 out of 70 voters left UGA out of the top 25. Adam Zucker, Doug Doughty, Brent Axe, Carrie Anderson, Chris Murray, Harry Plumer, Jeremy Sampson, Jimmy Burch, Joe Walljasper, John Shinn, Kirk Bohls, Kyle Ringo, Pete Diprimio, Ray Ratto, Rob Long. Seeing if Senator if you take that data and run with it (Mumme poll). What is even more mind blowing is some of them have Arkansas ranked and other one loss teams that dont look good. Are these voters waiting for the season to play out or just biased?

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  5. rugbydawg79
    September 14, 2012 at 1:52 PM

    If we keep winning and are unbeaten heading into the cocktail party,beat fla and keep winning we won’t have to worry about biased folk–one game at a time my brothers–and I totally disagree with Buck–let Gurley have maybe 12 carries this weekend–we got bigger fish to fry down the road

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  6. Macallanlover
    September 14, 2012 at 2:03 PM

    Have you seen Sagarin this year? We are currently 17th behind baylor, Stanford, Texas Tech, Az State, ND, etc. And that is uop about a dozen spots from last week when Mizzou was well ahead of us. And you guys like this “pretend” BCS stuff rather than a playoff. Polls have these idiots behind them. Just win the conference, we don’t need their kind of support to achieve support. Win on the field, that’s all.

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    • Cojones
      September 14, 2012 at 2:35 PM

      Mac, you, Puff, Scorp, AHD and a few other notables are expressing it for me. You guys are keeping me from blogging and have become heroes to Blutarsky and others for accomplishing that feat.

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    • JG Shellnutt
      September 14, 2012 at 3:49 PM

      …unless you are an undefeated Auburn who never started the season ranked high enough and was shut out of the MNC after going undefeated in the SEC. As much as you hate it, sometimes winning out isn’t important enough to get you to the big dance if the polls are not in your favor.

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