Not only are they fierce college football rivals, but Michigan and Ohio can’t even agree on which is the premiere fast-casual Mexican food chain.
Michiganders love Qdoba and Ohio residents fans love Chipotle, according to a new study conducted by purchase data platform Attain.
The University of Michigan and Ohio State University square off against each other this weekend, a college football rivalry so heated it’s often referred to as simply “the” rivalry. For the first time in years, both teams don’t enter the game vying for a spot in the college football playoff, as Michigan is having a down year and hoping to just make a bowl game. But Michigan has a chance to spoil Ohio State’s chances, which, given the animosity between the two programs, would be a season-saving victory for the Wolverines.
But the Michigan and Ohio State fan bases differ in more than just their preferred college football programs — they have starkly different shopping behaviors, as well, Attain discovered.
Attain analyzed the purchase preferences for consumers in Ohio and Michigan and found a number of notable differences between the states, some of which could provide inspiration for trash talk this Saturday.
Ohio State is expected to dominate the matchup, and if the Buckeyes do indeed jump out to a big lead, they can tell Michigan fans they need to hit the gym. Michigan residents under-index on spending on fitness centers, scoring a 72 on a 100-point scale, while Ohio residents score 111 on the category.
This might explain why Ohio residents are twice as likely as Michigan residents to buy Premier Protein protein shakes and powders. Michigan might be for lovers, but Ohio is for gains.
Ohio fans might be the more swole of the two fanbases, but Michigan appears to have stronger drinking muscles, which is all that really matters at the tailgate. Michigan residents buy nearly twice as much Jack Daniel’s whiskey as Ohio residents, and they buy more Coors Light, as well. In Michigan, the mountains are as blue as the jerseys.
Our nation is fractured enough, even without heated college football rivalries, so it’s important to recognize and celebrate what unites, as well.
As we’ve covered previously in The Outcome, McDonald’s is one of our nation’s last shared cultural institutions, appealing equally to people from red and blue states. Michigan and Ohio are no exception — they both over-index on McDonald’s. They both also buy Taco Bell, Burger King, KFC and Subway more than the average national consumer. There are still some marked differences in their fast food consumption, though. Michiganders buy 2.5 times more Little Caesar’s and almost three times more Jimmy John’s than their Ohioan counterparts.
Still, the ties that bind us are greater than the forces that divide us. For residents of Michigan and Ohio, that means a shared love for Totino’s pizza rolls, Fanta and felines (residents of both states scored above 200 on the index for Fancy Feast cat food). If nothing else, Michigan and OSU fans can bond over being cat daddies.
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