For some people, fandom is a way of life, a religion, an exertion of allegiance which is both borne of pride, but also a source of it. They deliver the gospel, even if that’s as simple as two contrasting colors and a couple of chants and choreographed hand gestures. And they are always “we,” as in “we won again!”

Those people are insane.

Even as an Ohio State alumnus, I check in and out of Buckeye fandom like one would a suburban Mariott. And similar to how one is asked at the desk upon check-in, my interests could be summarized with a question of “Football or non-football?” Why football, please.

Two straight BCS title games? Sweet. That 2007 Final Four? Meh. Football players busted for free body ink? Tats life! Blaine Wilson in the Olympics? Zzzz…

This is all just to save the trouble of those who would ask How ’bout dem Buckeyes? And to save me from replying, “What about ‘em?” While it’s nice to see the team post a strong showing, it means nothing. There’s no drama in college basketball, especially in the Big Ten, who seems to send every team to the NCAA tournament every year anyway.

Surely there is a difference in achieving a 1-seed as opposed to a 5-seed. But “my” team is getting in, even if “I’m” not totally with “us” just yet. Until then, “they” can keep watching Ohio State win games that mean very little, while I count down the days until the end of football, curled up in a king-sized bed, waiting for the front desk to call me when it’s time to fill out a bracket.

Three days after being named the consensus No. 1 team in America, the Kentucky Wildcats lost their very next game. Kentucky and their very young squad headed to Columbia, SC, where they were met with hostile aggression and exuberant defense. One might have thought that John Calipari had just written a disparaging blog post about Haiti. The Wildcats also were met by Devan Downey, whose 30 points help push the South Carolina Gamecocks over the newest No. 1, 68-62.

“This is what happens when you have young guys who think we’re are going to win at the last minutes of the game,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said.

“Those guys are very talented,” Downey said of the Wildcats. “But they’re also freshmen and this was a hostile environment.” –Y! Sports.

It was Downey’s fourth 30-point game in his last six outings. Also, Michigan State barely beat Michigan, and Kansas State did same with Baylor. We’re still about five weeks from the redundant conference tournaments, so let’s just come back to college basketball then, or until someone gets arrested. Cool? Cool.