'We love a girl that watches football': Teams react to Olandria's 'Love Island USA' moment
On the dating reality series, Olandria of Decatur, Alabama, gushed about her love for sports while talking to fellow islander Nicolas "Nic" Vansteenberghe, stating that she's a fan of Auburn University's football team.
"I love college football season. Saturdays, I'll literally just be at home watching college football. I'm not even kidding," Olandria stated.
"We love a girl that watches football," Nic responded.
The duo, coined by fans as "NicOlandria" became favorites during their time in the Fijian villa. The show captured how they're relationship blossomed from platonic to romantic while navigating their other connections.
Post-show, Nic and Olandria stated in recent interviews that they focused on getting to know each other better.
"I'm hopefully going to go to Decatur and visit some of Olandria's family," Nic told the "Chicks in the Office" podcast. "It's just so fun, all the opportunities that have arisen to us, and we're going to go to some college football games."
Obsessed with 'Love Island?': Watch these 5 shows next
College football teams shout out Olandria
Nic and Olandria's reach goes far beyond their fandom. Brands, news publications, and sports teams have mentioned them and given them a shoutout in their online content.
This week, Olandria's sports conversation is at the center of both Auburn and Ohio State's social media promotional videos for the upcoming football season. Both teams tagged her in their captions.
In the original clip, Nic asked Olandria if she was a Bama fan (referring to the University of Alabama), Olandria quickly responded that she was an Auburn fan. Nic responded with "What?!" as she explained that, "it's something about underdogs that give me chills." Auburn has taken on the underdog role over the years as they have won fewer national championships than Alabama. The two have one of the fiercest rivals in college football known as the Iron Bowl. Alabama leads the series with more wins however, Auburn has pulled out some notable victories over their in-state competitor including the iconic 2013 game known as Kick Six.
"One season ends…the best one begins," the caption of the Auburn video stated.
"Olandria said what we were all thinking," Ohio State wrote.
Olandria won't have to wait long for her football fix. According to the NCAA, the 2025 college football season begins on August 23.
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Big Ten stadiums rankings: Which college football stadiums finished first?
From the Horseshoe through Beaver Stadium, jumbo-size Michigan Stadium, the Rose Bowl and three different Memorial Stadiums, Big Ten football venues rank among the most iconic in the Bowl Subdivision. But none are as uninviting as Ohio State's Ohio Stadium. For decades, the Horseshoe has hosted memorable national champions and helped maintain the Buckeyes' place among the sport's most dominant programs. There's the annual 'White Out' game at Penn State. Michigan's record-setting capacity. The beauty of Pasadena at dusk. The unforgettable atmospheres at schools such as Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and more. From top to bottom, it's hard to top the history and tradition found at these Big Ten venues. In terms of pure intimidation, though, there's a very clear group at the top (and bottom). Here's how USA TODAY Sports ranks Big Ten home fields from nastiest to kindest for visitors: 1. Ohio Stadium, Ohio State Trips to the Horseshoe are basically a guaranteed loss for teams in and out of the Big Ten, unless you're Michigan. (The Wolverines have taken two in a row at home in the series.) Since the stadium opened in 1922, Ohio State has posted a mark of 478-115-20, including a remarkable 55-3 record (94.9%) since 2016. The Buckeyes have turned the 'Shoe into maybe the most hostile locale in the sport. 2. Beaver Stadium, Penn State 'White Out' games are among the most unique home-field sights in college football: Nittany Lions faithful across the board dress up in white tops to provide visitors with an unsettling, eye-popping backdrop. Combined with the deafening roar provided by 100,000-plus fans, this makes Beaver Stadium one of the elite settings in the Bowl Subdivision. PART OF PLAN?: NCAA settlement for college sports already faces challenges PLAYOFF PROBLEM?: Why committee could be tested by two SEC teams 3. Autzen Stadium, Oregon Autzen became a house of horrors for opponents in the late 1990s before reaching a peak during the Chip Kelly era, when the Ducks rolled off a 21-game winning streak before an epic loss to Southern California in 2011. Oregon has lost just once at home since hiring Dan Lanning in 2022 and gone unbeaten the past two years. 4. Michigan Stadium, Michigan The largest venue by capacity in college sports? Check. But that's selling Michigan Stadium short: This is the largest stadium by total seating in the Western Hemisphere and the third-largest in the world. It may not be the loudest in the conference, but it might be the most iconic. 5. Husky Stadium, Washington There are few scenes in college football more aesthetically pleasing than a packed, rocking-and-rolling Husky Stadium with sailboats dotting Lake Washington – what locals call 'sailgating.' Historically, Husky Stadium has been seen as maybe the loudest spot in the FBS when things are going right for Washington. 6. Kinnick Stadium, Iowa In addition to goosing Iowa's Big Ten chances – the Hawkeyes are 22-6 at home since 2021 – Kinnick is home to the best new tradition in the sport: Since 2017, players and fans turn at the end of the first quarter and wave to the patients at Stead Family Children's Hospital. 'The Hawkeye Wave' is already an indelible part of the college football fabric. SPECIAL PLACE: Inside the unique Iowa wave tradition 7. Camp Randall Stadium, Wisconsin At the end of the third quarter, Wisconsin fans will 'Jump Around' to the 1992 House of Pain classic of the same name. The tradition started in 1998, took a very brief, highly controversial, one-game hiatus in 2003 and became a rallying cry during the Badgers' development into a Big Ten powerhouse under former coaches Barry Alvarez and Bret Bielema. 8. Memorial Stadium, Nebraska A decided lack of success at home in recent years dunks the Cornhuskers down this list. But when Nebraska is playing well, Memorial Stadium provides one of the best home-field advantages in college football. And even when the program is struggling, Memorial Stadium's deep wealth of history captures your attention and is sure to be sold out. 9. L.A. Memorial Coliseum, Southern California The Coliseum's art-deco-influenced design speaks to the venue's extensive history as the host not just for USC football but also multiple Olympic Games, the Super Bowl, NFL regular-season games and more. While it can be hit or miss, the Coliseum ratches up the intensity for opponents such as Notre Dame or rival UCLA. 10. Spartan Stadium, Michigan State Spartan Stadium hosted one of the defining matchups of the 20th century during the famous (or infamous) 10-10 tie against Notre Dame in 1966. More recently, Michigan Stadkum turned in a dominant run at home under former coach Mark Dantonio, though that edge has diminished this decade with the program's downturn. 11. Huntington Bank Stadium, Minnesota The newest stadium in the Big Ten (for now, as we'll see), Huntington Bank Stadium's capacity of just over 50,000 makes it one of the coziest venues in the conference. The open-air site will also turn frigid and occasionally snowy later in the year, though that doesn't stop locals from enjoying a Dilly Bar in the cold temps. 12. Memorial Stadium, Illinois After suffering a major dip in attendance during the woebegone days of the late 2010s, Illinois has reestablished a home-field advantage since Bielema was hired in 2021. The Illini averaged almost 55,000 fans per home game last year, the program's most since 2009. Illinois won six home games last season for the first time since 2001. 13. Ross-Ade Stadium, Purdue We won't penalize Purdue for incorrectly calling its oversize bass drum the 'World's Largest Drum.' (There's nothing wrong with a little hyperbole.) Ross-Ade has been inhospitable at times throughout its history: in the 1930s, the 1960s, the late 1970s and most recently during the Joe Tiller era (1997-2008). 14. Memorial Stadium, Indiana The home-field edge was alive in 2024, at least, when IU sold out its final four home games in Curt Cignetti's debut and drew a record single-season total of 386,992 fans. While not the case historically, the Hoosiers showed that Memorial Stadium can bring the noise when the team is competitive. 15. SECU Stadium, Maryland As a men's and women's lacrosse venue, SECU Stadium can be hard to beat. Football? There's a national title banner hanging inside (1953), and SECU (long known as Byrd Stadium) also hosted Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip for an upset of North Carolina in 1957. But the stadium doesn't wobble the knees of Big Ten opponents. 16. SHI Stadium, Rutgers The environment can be intimidating, as Washington found out last September. Back in the program's Big East days, then-and-now coach Greg Schiano helped Rutgers turn SHI Stadium (then called Rutgers Stadium) into a surprisingly unfriendly host. That hasn't always been the case in the Big Ten, though. 17. Rose Bowl, UCLA There's the Rose Bowl game – one that has long defined college football's postseason – and there's the Rose Bowl itself, which shares an address with the bowl game but little of the pageantry and hoopla (or fans). UCLA's home stadium is at least 30 minutes or so from campus, longer depending on traffic, and while the crowd will show up for rivals such as USC there is little in the way of an obvious home-field advantage. 18. Ryan Field, Northwestern The Wildcats will play their games in 2025 at Northwestern's soccer and lacrosse stadium while extensive renovations are completed at Ryan Field. When done, Ryan will be a slightly cozier, much more 21st-century venue 'engineered to create a powerful homefield sound advantage at games,' the school said. We'll have to wait and see where it ranks when complete.
Cosmopolitan
2 hours ago
- Cosmopolitan
Maya Jama looks incredible in tiny crotchet bikini as she shares steamy insight into Ruben Dias holiday
In case you need a reminder that Maya Jama looks absolutely fire in whatever she wears, the Love Island host just shared a series of holiday snaps from a recent trip with boyfriend Ruben Dias. And yes, she is GLOWING. Another day, another incredible Maya bikini snap. The 30-year-old, who went public with her footballer partner earlier this year, has just taken a few days off in Ibiza. To celebrate the trip, she shared a carousel of pics with her 3.2million Instagram followers with the caption, "La isla de la magia." In English, this translates to 'The island of magic' - and judging by Maya's photos, we'd have to agree. In one, she's sat on the back of a boat overlooking some crystal clear water. While in another, she and Ruben snuggle up to each other, looking completely in love. But it's her bikini pictures that fans can't stop looking at, thanks to the teeny weeny crotchet bikini, khaki combo and on-trend brown two piece she's gone for. Scroll to see the three different looks: "You 😍" one person commented, while another put, "So so much gorgeousnessss 😍😍😍" Someone else said, "Beaut babes!! ❤️" and "u radiate joy", while someone else concluded, "Cute AF babes ❤️" and "You are the most beautiful woman in the world outside & inside 😍🔥" Couldn't have said it better ourselves. This comes as Maya returns to the Love Island villa to reprise hosting duties, heading to Mallorca every time she's needed for a recoupling or a dumping. She recently called out one of the boys for his behaviour, after he made an unnecessary dig at an ex following Casa Amor. Knew we could rely on you, Maya!
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Breakthrough coming? USA TODAY Sports Network's Big Ten football preseason rankings tabs Penn State as best
INDIANAPOLIS — One of the fiercest rivalries in all of sports has teams who represented the Big Ten quite well as College Football Playoff national champions in consecutive years. But it's a team that has for years played third fiddle that is picked to break the glass ceiling it has faced. A pool of writers across the USA TODAY Sports Network from coast to coast were polled on who will win the league, and Penn State was the preseason choice to win the championship Dec. 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Nittany Lions have not won the Big Ten since 2016, their only time supplanting Ohio State and Michigan in the defunct East Division. Penn State lost to Oregon, 45-37, in last year's championship game, the first without divisions, but went on to reach a CFP national semifinal where they lost to eventual national runner-up Notre Dame. It may be Penn State's best chance to win a national championship for the first time in 39 years. Though its 1994 team went undefeated, it was Nebraska that claimed the national title after beating Miami in the BCS national championship game. The Nittany Lions will have competition, though, as the Big Ten hopes to have a third straight national champion. There was a grouping of Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon as the three programs who were predicted to finish first by network writers. A pool of teams were bunched up in the middle, and another cluster in the lower third. They ranked teams first through 18th with a total points system used to rank teams: a first-place prediction equaled one point and last was 18. The team with the fewest points was ranked first. First-year Purdue football coach Barry Odom has his work cut out for him. His Boilermakers were a consensus pick to finish 18th. Meanwhile in-state rival Indiana is not expected to have much of a drop off from a (tied) second-place finish in Curt Cignetti's first season. Toppmeyer: Why the Big Ten desperately wants to rig College Football Playoff USA TODAY Sports Network preseason Big Ten champion, order of finish 1. Penn State, 16 2. Ohio State, 20 3. Oregon, 26 4. Michigan, 45 5. Illinois, 55 6. Indiana, 63 Insider: IU football schedule a politicking punching bag in inconsistent College Football Playoff process 7. USC, 72 (tie) 8. Nebraska, 85 (tie) 8. Washington, 85 10. Iowa, 86 11. Minnesota, 112 12. Wisconsin, 117 13. Rutgers, 138 14. UCLA, 139 15. Michigan State, 141 16. Maryland, 155 17. Northwestern, 165 18. Purdue, 180 Local Boiler: 'Authentic' Lawrence Central grad can go 'as far as he wants' as Purdue football general manager Champion: Penn State (5 votes) Aaron Ferguson is assistant sports editor at the Indianapolis Star. He coordinates Big Ten polls, rankings, enterprise and more for the USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on Twitter/X at @Sports_Aaron, Instagram at a_ferg_writes, TikTok at sports_aaron, Reddit at sports_aaron and BlueSky at This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: USA TODAY Network's Big Ten football preseason rankings, championship picks
