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Poll says South Carolina football fans among the nation’s booziest. See where they rank

The University of South Carolina fan holding a beer. 1/2/20
The University of South Carolina fan holding a beer. 1/2/20 tglantz@thestate.com

There’s an old joke that Columbia is a “drinking town with a football problem.” Now a new poll seems to cement that legacy.

Sports betting website Vegas Insider recently surveyed 2,000 college football fans across the U.S. and found that the University of South Carolina’s fans are the 15th “booziest” in the nation. The poll found that Gamecocks fans have about 3.3 drinks per game and spend about $30 on booze per game, on average.

The University of Nebraska finished atop the survey, at 4.5 drinks per game, while the University of Minnesota was second at 4 drinks per game.

South Carolina’s longtime gridiron rivals, Clemson University, weren’t listed in the top 25 of the survey.

The poll reportedly in November contacted 2,004 self-reporting college football fans from around the country who were over the age of 21. Half of respondents were male and and half were female. The average age of respondents was 31, per Vegas Insider.

Only two Southeastern Conference fanbases finished higher than South Carolina on the “booziest” list: LSU was 4th, and Alabama was 9th.

The Gamecocks football team finished 6-6 in 2021. South Carolina fans will get a chance to take the party to Charlotte later this month, as the Gamecocks are set to play North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30 at Bank of America Stadium.

This story was originally published December 6, 2021 at 12:50 PM.

Chris Trainor
The State
Chris Trainor is a retail reporter for The State and has been working for newspapers in South Carolina for more than 21 years, including previous stops at the (Greenwood) Index-Journal and the (Columbia) Free Times. He is the winner of a host of South Carolina Press Association awards, including honors in column writing, government beat reporting, profile writing, food writing, business beat reporting, election coverage, social media and more.
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