For Whom the Hope Springs

[Black41FlashReverse]

Hope springs eternal, but does it for everyone? As I'm writing this in June if we improve on ST, which doesn't seem crazy, and if AM regains some Freshman form, and the D is as salty as they ought to be I don't see why we couldn't compete for the West. This kind of thinking is part and parcel of fandom. My question is what are the fan bases out there, that don't have some light at the end of the tunnel? Does Syracuse football really envision some way that they can compete with Clemson? Does Vanderbilt have a list of breaks they'll need to go there way in order to win the SEC?

Or is it a question of scale? NU fans envision what it will take to get back to being nationally relevant, playing in major bowl games, playing in B1G championship games, making a run at a title probably once a decade. Do other schools have hopeful offseason discussions on what it will take to beat a rival, make a bowl, etc? Admittedly those discussions are also happening on this forum every day.

 

[Lavaman]

Hope springs eternal, but does it for everyone? As I'm writing this in June if we improve on ST, which doesn't seem crazy, and if AM regains some Freshman form, and the D is as salty as they ought to be I don't see why we couldn't compete for the West. This kind of thinking is part and parcel of fandom. My question is what are the fan bases out there, that don't have some light at the end of the tunnel? Does Syracuse football really envision some way that they can compete with Clemson? Does Vanderbilt have a list of breaks they'll need to go there way in order to win the SEC?

Or is it a question of scale? NU fans envision what it will take to get back to being nationally relevant, playing in major bowl games, playing in B1G championship games, making a run at a title probably once a decade. Do other schools have hopeful offseason discussions on what it will take to beat a rival, make a bowl, etc? Admittedly those discussions are also happening on this forum every day.

It's simple supply and demand.

If there continues to be a big demand for a respectable football program, eventually we'll get there.

That sort of demand doesn't exist at places like Syracuse, which is why even those few die hard Orange fans aren't hoping for a national championship in their lifetimes.

That's why it's so important for the fan base to not just give up if things don't go Nebraska's way for a while.

 

[NorthwoodHusker]

Hope springs eternal, but does it for everyone? As I'm writing this in June if we improve on ST, which doesn't seem crazy, and if AM regains some Freshman form, and the D is as salty as they ought to be I don't see why we couldn't compete for the West. This kind of thinking is part and parcel of fandom. My question is what are the fan bases out there, that don't have some light at the end of the tunnel? Does Syracuse football really envision some way that they can compete with Clemson? Does Vanderbilt have a list of breaks they'll need to go there way in order to win the SEC?

Or is it a question of scale? NU fans envision what it will take to get back to being nationally relevant, playing in major bowl games, playing in B1G championship games, making a run at a title probably once a decade. Do other schools have hopeful offseason discussions on what it will take to beat a rival, make a bowl, etc? Admittedly those discussions are also happening on this forum every day.

Its levels of past success, combined with expectations.
But you hit it on the head about rivalries.
It was always Okie and us, and a shot at the natty, but for Okie, Texas was the bigger rival.

 

[Black41FlashReverse]

I agree that its a combination of supply and demand, past success, and expectations. Perhaps my original question could have been stated better. Where does hope spring the least? We are currently at the darkest period of Husker football that nearly anyone remembers, but we still care. Though the fans, myself included, have graduated from frustration to apathy in some regards, ultimately we still care. We've had to adjust our expectations, accept a lot of change and that things have to get worse before they get better. The majority of the fanbase has done that and come out the other side still genuinely caring about the program. What I'm curious about is where does that not exist? Or exist scarcely?

To be clear I'm not talking about a general lack of support for the football team, I'm talking about fanbases that either have no light at the end of tunnel, or are so committed to recognizing their own shortcomings, that they fail to see the bright spots.

 

[NorthwoodHusker]

I agree that its a combination of supply and demand, past success, and expectations. Perhaps my original question could have been stated better. Where does hope spring the least? We are currently at the darkest period of Husker football that nearly anyone remembers, but we still care. Though the fans, myself included, have graduated from frustration to apathy in some regards, ultimately we still care. We've had to adjust our expectations, accept a lot of change and that things have to get worse before they get better. The majority of the fanbase has done that and come out the other side still genuinely caring about the program. What I'm curious about is where does that not exist? Or exist scarcely?

To be clear I'm not talking about a general lack of support for the football team, I'm talking about fanbases that either have no light at the end of tunnel, or are so committed to recognizing their own shortcomings, that they fail to see the bright spots.

If you look at other fanbases, their basic level of understanding the achievements of greatness is severely lacking, and that knowledge is priceless, but almost always underappreciated by those who never topped that peak.

The focus of those fanbases are at lower levels, and as you've said, have been discussed a lot here about our own team and its coaches.
Every Nebraska fan remembers the 'do we want to be like Iowa?' statement, with us knowing the difference between 9 game winning seasons and undefeated, beating the best seasons.
But Iowa doesnt, nor does its fanbase, and in this, yes, these fanbases, fail to see the bright spots they've never achieved, have no context for it.

 

[Pops]

Its levels of past success, combined with expectations.
But you hit it on the head about rivalries.
It was always Okie and us, and a shot at the natty, but for Okie, Texas was the bigger rival.

Texas is trying to beg A&M back to a yearly game

 

[TnHusker87]

Hope springs eternal, but does it for everyone? As I'm writing this in June if we improve on ST, which doesn't seem crazy, and if AM regains some Freshman form, and the D is as salty as they ought to be I don't see why we couldn't compete for the West. This kind of thinking is part and parcel of fandom. My question is what are the fan bases out there, that don't have some light at the end of the tunnel? Does Syracuse football really envision some way that they can compete with Clemson? Does Vanderbilt have a list of breaks they'll need to go there way in order to win the SEC?

Or is it a question of scale? NU fans envision what it will take to get back to being nationally relevant, playing in major bowl games, playing in B1G championship games, making a run at a title probably once a decade. Do other schools have hopeful offseason discussions on what it will take to beat a rival, make a bowl, etc? Admittedly those discussions are also happening on this forum every day.

Feel better about Huskers upcoming season than I do about Huepel’s Volunteers by a good margin.