Friday Five: The most tortured fan bases in college football
Who is on your list?
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Who is on your list?
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What defines tortured?
Well, it means different things to different people in the context of sports. To come up with this list, I had a few parameters I tried to follow. The biggest thing for me was that youâre a fan of a team that has some success, but only so much to make you crave more, and it never quite comes. Like, if youâre a fan of a team thatâs awful year in and year out, you become a bit numb to it over time. But if youâre a fan of a team that just canât get over the hump, the wound stays real.
Also, I leaned toward schools who donât have much success in the other revenue sport: college basketball. Like, if youâre a North Carolina football fan, you may be a bit tortured by the fact your program never seems to take that next step, but you also have a bunch of basketball titles to help ease the pain. So you may be tortured, but youâre not tortured enough.
Finally, it has to be a fan base that cares. It has to be passionate about football and it has to keep coming back for more.
So with those parameters in mind, this is the list I came up with.
Most Tortured Fan Bases In College Football
5
Ducks
I understand Oregon played in a BCS title game in 2010 and it was in the College Football Playoff in 2014, but both of those bids ended in disappointment. I also know that itâs basketball program has had recent success. Thatâs why it only climbs as high as No. 5 on the list. I also know that before these recent events, there isnât much of anything to be too proud of. In recent years, Oregon has poured money into its football program, and while it was enough to eventually get it to the CFP, it wasnât enough to win a national title, and now the program seems to be sliding back down the mountain to that place where itâs still good, but not good enough.
4
Cowboys
It canât be easy to be an Oklahoma State football fan. You spend your entire existence living in the shadow of your stateâs other major program, Oklahoma. Making matters worse, even though youâve been one of the better programs in the country over the last decade, you still donât get much respect nationally because everyone is focused on Oklahoma. This is a team that has won at least 10 games in five of the last seven seasons, yet the most attention it received in that period was when it blew a title shot by losing to Iowa State in 2011, and when Central Michigan beat it on a Hail Mary that never should have happened last season.
3
Hurricanes
I can already hear arguments that Miami shouldnât qualify for this list because I said the fan base needs to care, and every season we see the Canes playing in a stadium thatâs half-empty at best. These things are true, but if you think Miami fans donât care, just go on social media and say something negative about the program. Youâll quickly learn how much they care. Also, while the Canes won a natty in 2001, that only helped raise expectations the school hasnât been able to live up to since. Miamiâs last conference title came in 2003 when it was still in the Big East. Since joining the ACC in 2004, Miami hasnât just failed to win the conference, it hasnât even been able to win its own division. Every year is the year it will happen until it isnât, and the fans keep coming back for more.
2
Aggies
I love Texas A&M fans. Theyâre passionate, theyâre crazy, and theyâre just the right amount of weird. Theyâre also tortured on an annual basis by a team thatâs never quite as good as it should be. The Aggies havenât won a national title since 1939 and last won a conference title in 1998 as a member of the Big 12. It was A&Mâs only Big 12 title. Life in the SEC started out with a magical run and a Heisman Trophy, and itâs been nothing but disappointment and close calls since.
1
Bulldogs
Being a Georgia fan encompasses everything I was looking for in a tortured fan base. There was a national title, but it came 37 years ago in 1980. Thereâs been success on the football field since then, but not too much. There were two SEC titles in 2002 and 2005, and seven SEC East crowns, but thatâs as far as it goes. Georgia is the perfect example of a team thatâs never bad, but just never as good as it probably should be, and too good for fans to turn their backs. The only choice is torture, and this fanbase keeps coming back for more.
Well, it means different things to different people in the context of sports. To come up with this list, I had a few parameters I tried to follow. The biggest thing for me was that youâre a fan of a team that has some success, but only so much to make you crave more, and it never quite comes. Like, if youâre a fan of a team thatâs awful year in and year out, you become a bit numb to it over time. But if youâre a fan of a team that just canât get over the hump, the wound stays real.
Also, I leaned toward schools who donât have much success in the other revenue sport: college basketball. Like, if youâre a North Carolina football fan, you may be a bit tortured by the fact your program never seems to take that next step, but you also have a bunch of basketball titles to help ease the pain. So you may be tortured, but youâre not tortured enough.
Finally, it has to be a fan base that cares. It has to be passionate about football and it has to keep coming back for more.
So with those parameters in mind, this is the list I came up with.
Most Tortured Fan Bases In College Football
5
Ducks
I understand Oregon played in a BCS title game in 2010 and it was in the College Football Playoff in 2014, but both of those bids ended in disappointment. I also know that itâs basketball program has had recent success. Thatâs why it only climbs as high as No. 5 on the list. I also know that before these recent events, there isnât much of anything to be too proud of. In recent years, Oregon has poured money into its football program, and while it was enough to eventually get it to the CFP, it wasnât enough to win a national title, and now the program seems to be sliding back down the mountain to that place where itâs still good, but not good enough.
4
Cowboys
It canât be easy to be an Oklahoma State football fan. You spend your entire existence living in the shadow of your stateâs other major program, Oklahoma. Making matters worse, even though youâve been one of the better programs in the country over the last decade, you still donât get much respect nationally because everyone is focused on Oklahoma. This is a team that has won at least 10 games in five of the last seven seasons, yet the most attention it received in that period was when it blew a title shot by losing to Iowa State in 2011, and when Central Michigan beat it on a Hail Mary that never should have happened last season.
3
Hurricanes
I can already hear arguments that Miami shouldnât qualify for this list because I said the fan base needs to care, and every season we see the Canes playing in a stadium thatâs half-empty at best. These things are true, but if you think Miami fans donât care, just go on social media and say something negative about the program. Youâll quickly learn how much they care. Also, while the Canes won a natty in 2001, that only helped raise expectations the school hasnât been able to live up to since. Miamiâs last conference title came in 2003 when it was still in the Big East. Since joining the ACC in 2004, Miami hasnât just failed to win the conference, it hasnât even been able to win its own division. Every year is the year it will happen until it isnât, and the fans keep coming back for more.
2
Aggies
I love Texas A&M fans. Theyâre passionate, theyâre crazy, and theyâre just the right amount of weird. Theyâre also tortured on an annual basis by a team thatâs never quite as good as it should be. The Aggies havenât won a national title since 1939 and last won a conference title in 1998 as a member of the Big 12. It was A&Mâs only Big 12 title. Life in the SEC started out with a magical run and a Heisman Trophy, and itâs been nothing but disappointment and close calls since.
1
Bulldogs
Being a Georgia fan encompasses everything I was looking for in a tortured fan base. There was a national title, but it came 37 years ago in 1980. Thereâs been success on the football field since then, but not too much. There were two SEC titles in 2002 and 2005, and seven SEC East crowns, but thatâs as far as it goes. Georgia is the perfect example of a team thatâs never bad, but just never as good as it probably should be, and too good for fans to turn their backs. The only choice is torture, and this fanbase keeps coming back for more.
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