As a Buckeye fan who is not an alumni - although both of my parents are - who grew up in California, and now lives in Texas - I likely don't run into many fans of other Big 10 programs as most fans on this site. This past weekend I was in Indianapolis for some concerts that drew people all over the country, particularly the Big 10 footprint & want to share my interesting (at least in my own mind) experiences.
First night of concert I wore an Ohio State shirt & was sitting next to a couple who husband went to Indiana, wife went to Purdue and live in South Bend. We started talking football / basketball, and I asked them to rank the most annoying fanbase between Ohio State, Michigan and ND - while conceding they probably weren't fans of any of the three. To my surprise, both were in consensus - 1). Michigan, 2). ND, 3). Ohio State.
After the concert, went to a bar, and I was ordering drinks for me and my buddy, a guy told the bartender he wanted to order me a 'wolverine' since Michigan beat Ohio State's ass this year. I laughed and let him know that's be cool, since he only gets to do that once a decade - and he laughed. His s/o, sitting between me and him, then decided to tell me that my mother was a wh*re. I shared with her, how could that be, when my mother isn't alive (which is true)...her response was that her point still stands. Took some self control to just walk away. I know all fan bases - including our own - have some fans that aren't great, but not surprising Michigan fans seem to have so much more.
I know - cool story, bro, but as a Californian / Texan, I don't run into other Big 10 fans that much.
Cheers!