Who Won the @NCAA_FB Twitter Championship? (Part 2)

Welcome back to the Twitter Championships. Yesterday, we laid the groundwork for the Twitter analysis of Championship weekend in College Football. We know who won each game on the gridiron but this two-part series looks at how each school and conference did in the arena of Twitter.

In Part 1, we reviewed the MAC, Pac-12, and Conference USA as we chronologically analyze all six championship games. In Part 2, we look at some of the “heavy-hitters.” The SEC, ACC, and Big Ten all hosted championship games during Saturday night primetime. A National Championship invitation was on the line in one game and prestigious bowl berths in the others. The stage was set for an eventful night on the field and on the timeline. Let’s take a look at the winners, losers, and hashtags…

Game: SEC Championship Game

Official Hashtag: #SECATL

Handles Involved: @AlabamaFTBL (Alabama), @WeRunThisState (Georgia), @SECSportsUpdate (SEC)

School Hashtags: None

Conference Champion: Alabama won what was called an “instant-classic” 32-28

Twitter Champion: The combined following for these three accounts outpaced any other competitors. @SECSportsUpdate had the largest following of any account analyzed with 97,402. Alabama’s following of 60,451 more than doubled that of their opponent, with 22,161. Klout shows that this game was as close in Twitter as it was on the field. Alabama’s Klout score of 69 is just enough to edge the Bulldogs’ 68. Noticeably absent from this game was the use of an official hashtag by either school. But with the incredible game, the passionate fans and the #SECATL making the most impressions of any of our official hashtags, the real winner was the SEC.

Game: ACC Championship Game

Official Hashtag: #ACCFCG

Handles involved: @FSU_Football (Florida State), @GTAthletics (Georgia Tech), @TheACCFootball (ACC)

School Hashtags: #Noles, #GaTech

Conference Champion: The heavy favorites Florida State won this one 21-15

Twitter Champion: Florida State, a traditional power in college football, has a following of 45,360. Georgia Tech doesn’t even have a football-specific Twitter account. Instead, the Yellow Jackets choose to combine all of their sports under one account. While this may seem to put them at a disadvantage in this Twitter competition, it appears they are doing more with less. While they have a much smaller following than Floriday State (21,291), they are doing a better job of interacting and engaging with those followers. Their Klout score only trails Florida State’s by two despite a difference of nearly 25,000 in number of followers. Upset alert: Georgia Tech wins this one.

Game: Big Ten Championship Game

Official Hashtag: #B1GFCG

Handles involved: @Huskers (Nebraska), @BadgerFootball (Wisconsin), @B1Gfootball (Big Ten)

School Hashtags: #Huskers, #Badgers

Conference Champion: The Badgers ran over, around, and through the Cornhuskers in a 70-31 victory.

Twitter Champion: This matchup involves two of the more engaged fan bases along with a conference that is known to do social media well. The average Klout score amongst the three entities was greater than 70, and the total following surpassed 137,000. Although the Nebraska football team didn’t see the results they wanted, the Cornhuskers can be proud of their social media presence. As the only verified account we analyzed, the Nebraska faithful proved they know more than just corn. It’s verified, Nebraska wins.

Congratulations to all of our champions - both on the field and on Twitter. All of these schools and conferences have displayed the power of engagement. When used properly, Twitter serves as an incredible enhancement to any live experience. These games leveraged that power and started conversations with fans and spectators to better connect with their most loyal supporters and casual observers.

There’s no need for a Hail Mary when you have properly quarterbacked the Twitter offense.

Don't forget to check out Part 1 of this post for the social media matchups in the MAC, Pac-12, and Conference USA.