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Fan Index Week 2: The top 10 college football fan bases in America

College Football Fan Index presented by Degree is a cumulative data-based ranking of America’s most engaged fan bases for the 2014 season, as determined by social media activity and online polling. Read on for this week’s results, and come back Thursdays for each new Fan Index.

The Fan Index Week 2 top 10

Kirby Lee

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

1. USC (295,204 social mentions, 237 voting points)

It’s been a tumultuous stretch for USC fans, who have been forced to endure Josh Shaw concocting a story about saving his nephew and the departure of running back Anthony Brown, who accused coach Steve Sarkisian of racism. The Trojans, however, managed to keep it together last week, rolling over Fresno State 52-13. Stanford is on tap this week. Should be a doozy.

2. Tennessee (82,475 social mentions, 575 voting points) — Vols fans are thrilled about Tennessee’s opening win over Utah State, but must cope with offensive tackle Jacob Gilliam’s season-ending injury.

3. Texas A&M (188,385 social mentions, 243 voting points) — The Aggies not only discovered that their new QB — “Kenny Trill!” — is a great replacement for “Johnny Football” but they’re fans took home tons of free furniture to boot.

4. Michigan  (74,976 social mentions, 764 voting points) — Wolverines fans exhaled deeply after getting revenge on Appalachian State, but Notre Dame’s on tap.

5. Oregon (70,824 social mentions, 1,177 voting points) — Ducks fans are already amped for Saturday, when Oregon hosts Michigan State. Should be a great matchup.

6. Notre Dame (81,515 social mentions, 548 voting points) — Exciting news for Notre Dame: The Irish will play a two-game series with Ohio State in 2022-23. Also, this guy’s yard is awesome.

7. Alabama (229,267 social mentions, 161 voting points) — Here’s Paul Finebaum, capturing the angst of Alabama fans after Week 1:

8. Oklahoma (60,652 social mentions, 393 voting points) — Sure, the Sooners only beat Louisiana Tech, but their defense is already in midseason form.

9. Florida State (196,989 social mentions, 123 voting points)Jameis Winston’s incredible TD run hasn’t gotten old yet, but these two Seminoles fans could use a new act.

10. Ohio State (59,063 social mentions, 466 voting points) — Buckeyes fans can breathe easy after freshman QB J.T. Barrett threw a pair of touchdown passes in his college debut.

Interesting takeaways: Tennessee and Texas A&M — and not Alabama! — are the SEC’s top teams in this week’s Fan Index. Ohio State, last week’s champ, dropped to No. 10, while rival Michigan remained in the top five. Nebraska just missed the top 10, despite this viral photo of a young Huskers fan.

For the full Fan Index, teams 1-128, visit the Fan Index home page.

Week 2 poll results: best fight songs

Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

1. Georgia Tech, “Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech” (13% of the vote)

“Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech” prevailed over some heavy hitters. The song’s victory proves some college football fans have a sense of humor. After all, this is an anthem written from the perspective of a narrator who says that if he had a son, he’d instruct him to yell “‘To hell with Georgia,’ like his daddy used to do.”

Week 2 poll runners-up: Tennessee, “Rocky Top” (11%); Michigan, “The Victors” (11%); Notre Dame, “Victory March” (8%), Oklahoma, “Boomer Sooner” (8%)

Interesting takeaways: People really love the classic fight songs. Stunningly, East Carolina pulled in 6% of the vote. Here’s the Pirates’ fight song, “E.C. Victory.”

Previous poll results: Week 1, best uniforms

Week 3 topic: best tailgates

Check back in with Fan Index on Monday to see our top 10 tailgates in the country and vote for your own. Until then, support your school on social media, like a good fan should.

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