Which Football Teams are Illinoisans Rooting For?

By Reboot Illinois

The Bears (or “daaaa Bears”) kicked off their quest for a Super Bowl title this weekend. (And that wasn’t pretty.) College teams around the state started their season last weekend. The leaves may not be changing colors yet but the arrival of fall is in the air with football season in full swing. To celebrate the kickoff of the 2014-15 season, real estate blog Estately crunched some Facebook data and created some maps showing each state’s attitude toward professional and collegiate football teams.

More specifically, the maps show the favorite teams in each state in a couple of different categories. Here in Illinois, it should come as no surprise the favorite NFL team is the Monsters of the Midway. But the favorite college team might surprise you. Is it one of Illinois’ two Big Ten schools (Northwestern or Illinois) or is it the home of 2013 Heisman Trophy finalist Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois? And can the favorite college football team surpass the Bears as the favorite football team in the state?

It’s easy to see why the Bears are the favorite NFL team in the state...they are the only NFL team in the state. But which out-of-state NFL team is the favorite among Illinoisans? The answer will definitely surprise you.

Regardless, one thing is clear about Illinois. The state is ready for some football.

Autumn doesn’t only mean the start of football season. It also represents the start of the academic year for schools around the state, including these 11 colleges that were ranked among the best in the country by the Princeton Review.

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This article appears on all Patch Chicago sites. The views expressed in this post are those of Reboot Illinois and do not reflect those of Patch or its editors.