I don't say that to slight our fans, but I often heard lofty language to describe our fanbase in our golden years when in fact we were a large public university with a large alumni base who had an almost ridiculous amount of success for 19 consecutive seasons (1993-2011). We had a large, fairly untapped, national alumni base from which to draw once we became successful,. The level of adversity we faced - losing to Boise State in a nationally televised Monday night game, losing to FSU int he 2005 title game, etc - was fairly laughable for the vast majority of programs. It's relatively easy to sell out home games and have an impressive road presence under these conditions.

I generally agree with most of the grievances stated by the folks on this board. We seem to be regressing as a program and it's troubling. That being said, this has confirmed my long-held suspicion that our fans have the same traits as any other programs and we are no different. Students leaving early. Empty seats everywhere. Fewer fans on the road. Fewer folks showing up at watch parties.

All of this is completely understandable behavior. But I hope, if or when we reach a higher level of success in the future, we don't start believing our fanbase is somehow unique in its loyalty or fervency. It's not.