John-o-logue: A case for pulling for Jimmy's "WSU Jackrabbits"
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It appears there is a sizable contingency of South Dakota State fans who are rooting for former Jackrabbits Mark Gronowski and Griffin Wilde. In fact, few would arguable that a decent chunk of SDSU fans on allocate time on Saturdays just for Gronowski's Iowa Hawkeyes and Wilde's Northwestern Wildcats. Likely, there were smiles and fist pumps and hollers coming from all over South Dakota when Gronowski made his heroic 67-yard gallop that led to the Hawkeyes' dramatic win over Penn State. Likely, plenty of Jacks fans take pleasure in Wilde breaking free on Big Ten defenses with highlight reel catches — enough to put him among the league's top 10 receivers in catches and yards despite being a part of a lowly-ranked offense (coordinated by former SDSU offensive coordinator Zach Lujan). And yet, there appears to be nowhere near the same love, pride, or even interest for the Washington State Cougars, coached by Jimmy Rogers and his entire staff that led SDSU to a national title in 2023 and semifinal berth in 2024. In fact, there appears to be a healthy amount of contempt for them. Not from all Jacks fans, but a not-small portion of them. The "WSU Jacks," as some around here call them, have 15 former SDSU players, several who start regularly. They are 4-4 playing a weird schedule that includes two games out of the final four against Oregon State, the only other team currently in the Pac 12. Yes, a Happy Hour with John Gaskins poll saw there is a faction of Jacks fans who are rooting for the Cougars and therefore take pride in their dragging then-No. 4 Ole Miss and then-No. 18 Virginia to the final bell in back-to-back weeks. But the poll suggests more SDSU fans either were not cheering them on or didn't care. Gronowski and Wilde — not to mention Northwestern offensive lineman Evan Beertsen and Illinois tight end Davin Stoffel — all could be Jackrabbits right now, but aren't because they accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars (in Gronowski's case, over a million) to play and prove themselves at the highest level of the college game. Rogers and staff did that, too. The players that came with them likely did so for either more NIL money or their allegiance to the coaches who recruited them to SDSU, or both. So why all the love for the Jacks in the Big 10 and a whole lot less love for those on the Palouse in the Pac 12? Happy Hour host John Gaskins examines and gives his opinion on this curious case of fandom.
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