Is it normal for people to support football teams for colleges they never went to?

It's very normal. Family ties and geography are two of the most common reasons people will support a school they didn't attend. My primary interest, for example, is in Boston College. I didn't go there, but my dad and his dad did, so we watched and went to games for my whole life and I became a fan as naturally as I became a Patriots fan. The college I actually ultimately went to didn't have a football team, and even if it had, it would have been competing on a much lower level, so I'd have had no trouble rooting for both. Another reason is that when teams have a lot of their games nationally broadcast, more people have an opportunity to have an affinity for them. Often as kids, people will see big-name schools having success on television every weekend and get behind them. I've had a secondary interest in Michigan since I was about 10 years old for this reason. It just so happened that when I moved out as I mentioned above, I'd end up very close to Michigan's campus and my interest in the Wolverines would end up looking more natural. A third, less common reason someone might adopt a school is religion. There are a number of nominally-religious schools that are more or less secular by now (Southern Methodist and Texas Christian, for example), but a few religious schools are much more active in their religiosity and attract some of the faithful based on that. Some Mormons, for example, will support Brigham Young University even if they didn't go there, and some Catholics will get behind Notre Dame. Boston College is actually a Catholic school as well, but it's a *much* smaller brand than Notre Dame and a random Catholic living several states over choosing BC a favorite team is rare.