We’re halfway through the college football season, and it’s clear who is emerging as the best teams on the field. But which Big Ten teams are taking advantage of social media to rally their fans.
Here’s a look at the Big Ten football teams with the most followers on the three big social media platforms – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
All 14 teams have Twitter accounts devoted to their football teams, but some teams do not have Instagram or Facebook accounts specifically for football (their loss, at least in these rankings).
Here are the Big Ten social media rankings as of Oct. 15, 2015…
| Ranking | School/account | Followers Oct. 15, 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | 337,735 |
| 2 | Nebraska | 226,970 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 205,786 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 130,725 |
| 5 | Penn State | 126,407 |
| 6 | Michigan State | 115,341 |
| 7 | Iowa | 90,884 |
| 8 | Minnesota | 46,871 |
| 9 | Illinois | 42,377 |
| 10 | Rutgers | 40,703 |
| 11 | Purdue | 38,455 |
| 12 | Indiana | 22,267 |
| 13 | Maryland | 16,262 |
| 14 | Northwestern | 13,683 |
| Ranking | School/account | Facebook followers 10/15 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | 1,491,828 |
| 2 | Penn State | 629,047 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 618,214 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 389,390 |
| 5 | Illinois | 81,498 |
| 6 | Maryland | 73,779 |
| 7 | Rutgers | 60,558 |
| 8 | Minnesota | 60,014 |
| 9 | Iowa | 47,402 |
| 10 | Northwestern | 25,336 |
| 11 | Indiana | 24,152 |
| 12 | Nebraska | no official football account |
| 12 | Michigan State | no official football account |
| 12 | Purdue | no official football account |
| Ranking | School/account | Instagram followers 10/15 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State | 249,000 |
| 2 | Penn State | 73,900 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 55,100 |
| 4 | Iowa | 23,800 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | 22,400 |
| 6 | Rutgers | 14,200 |
| 7 | Maryland | 12,700 |
| 8 | Minnesota | 9,524 |
| 9 | Purdue | 7,729 |
| 10 | Indiana | 7,570 |
| 11 | Northwestern | 6,712 |
| 12 | Illinois | 3,585 |
| 13 | Michigan | no official football account |
| 13 | Michigan State | no official football account |
Big Ten social media leader
So which is the best Big Ten team on social media, based on the number of followers?
Michigan would be the leader, if only it had an Instagram account for the football team. Instead, Ohio State comes in first with a first place finish and two third-place finishes.
Penn State is second, followed by Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska and Iowa.
The worst Big Ten team at growing a football following on social media? Northwestern.