College football’s foulest-mouthed fanbase revealed, and the winner may surprise you

There are plenty of ways for a college football fanbase to finish No. 1. This is probably not the ranking Mississippi State supporters wanted to win.

A new study has named Mississippi State fans the foulest-mouthed in college football, narrowly beating an SEC rival for the top spot. The Bulldogs received a perfect 10.00 “Vulgarity Score,” finishing just ahead of Arkansas at 9.97.

The study conducted by Covers analyzed thousands of Reddit posts associated with every FBS program. Researchers examined the frequency of profanity, the average number of swear words per comment, the use of angry or vulgar emojis and the overall negative sentiment of the posts.

When all four categories were combined and normalized on a scale from one to 10, Mississippi State stood alone at the top. That probably will not become a banner inside Davis Wade Stadium, but Bulldogs fans now own one of the most unusual titles in college football.

Mississippi State and Arkansas lead college football’s most vulgar fanbases

Mississippi State and Arkansas nearly tied for the unwanted championship. Only 0.03 points separated the two SEC programs.

Louisville placed third nationally with a score of 9.79, making the Cardinals the ACC’s most vulgar fanbase by a wide margin. Wyoming produced perhaps the biggest surprise by placing fourth at 9.71.

Jacksonville State completed the top five at 9.53.

The full top 10 included several programs that rarely appear together in any traditional college football ranking:

1. Mississippi State, 10.00

2. Arkansas, 9.97

3. Louisville, 9.79

4. Wyoming, 9.71

5. Jacksonville State, 9.53

6. San Diego State, 8.96

7. Purdue, 8.91

8. Texas Tech, 8.84

9. Arizona State, 8.69

10. Western Michigan, 8.60

The list was not dominated by traditional national powers. Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Georgia and Notre Dame all finished outside the top 10.

Purdue was the highest-rated Big Ten fanbase, placing seventh nationally. Texas Tech led the Big 12, while Louisville, Jacksonville State, Western Michigan and Wyoming topped their respective conferences.

Perhaps the funniest contrast existed inside the state of Mississippi.

While Mississippi State fans received a perfect 10.00, Ole Miss supporters posted a score of only 3.96. That made the Rebels the least vulgar fanbase in the entire SEC. If the Egg Bowl needed another source of bragging rights, it apparently has one now.

Big 12 edges SEC in conference profanity ranking

Mississippi State and Arkansas occupied the first two spots nationally, but the SEC did not win the overall conference competition. That distinction belonged to the Big 12.

The Big 12 produced an average Vulgarity Score of 6.80, narrowly beating the SEC’s 6.75. Texas Tech, Arizona State, Baylor and West Virginia all received scores above 8.00. The Big Ten placed third among the conferences with a 6.34 average. The Mountain West followed at 6.18, while independent programs combined for a 6.15 score.

The national average was 6.02. The ACC was the only Power Four conference to finish below that mark, posting a 5.50 average despite Louisville ranking third overall.

That was largely because four ACC programs appeared among the country’s 10 cleanest fanbases. Clemson ranked as the third-least vulgar fanbase nationally with a score of 2.00. Syracuse, NC State and Boston College also landed in the cleanest top 10.

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Sacramento State fans keep things unusually clean

Sacramento State finished at the opposite end of the study. The Hornets received a baseline score of 1.00, making their online supporters the least vulgar fanbase in college football. Louisiana followed at 1.38, with Clemson, Syracuse and Georgia State completing the cleanest top five.

BYU’s appearance at No. 8 among the least vulgar fanbases was less surprising. The Cougars received a score of 2.95 and finished well below every other Big 12 program.

The study offers an entertaining snapshot of how college football supporters behave online, but it comes with an important distinction. It measured Reddit posts, not every member of a fanbase or the language heard inside a stadium.

Still, Mississippi State fans may want to watch their words the next time they open a game-day thread.

The internet is apparently keeping score.

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