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 youāre 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 youāre a fan of a team thatās awful year in and year out, you become a bit numb to it over time. But if youāre a fan of a team that just canāt get over the hump, the wound stays real.
Also, I leaned toward schools who donāt have much success in the other revenue sport: college basketball. Like, if youāre 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 youāre 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 itās basketball program has had recent success. Thatās why it only climbs as high as No. 5 on the list. I also know that before these recent events, there isnāt 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 wasnāt enough to win a national title, and now the program seems to be sliding back down the mountain to that place where itās still good, but not good enough.
4
Cowboys
It canāt be easy to be an Oklahoma State football fan. You spend your entire existence living in the shadow of your stateās other major program, Oklahoma. Making matters worse, even though youāve been one of the better programs in the country over the last decade, you still donāt 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 shouldnāt qualify for this list because I said the fan base needs to care, and every season we see the Canes playing in a stadium thatās half-empty at best. These things are true, but if you think Miami fans donāt care, just go on social media and say something negative about the program. Youāll quickly learn how much they care. Also, while the Canes won a natty in 2001, that only helped raise expectations the school hasnāt been able to live up to since. Miamiās last conference title came in 2003 when it was still in the Big East. Since joining the ACC in 2004, Miami hasnāt just failed to win the conference, it hasnāt even been able to win its own division. Every year is the year it will happen until it isnāt, and the fans keep coming back for more.
2
Aggies
I love Texas A&M fans. Theyāre passionate, theyāre crazy, and theyāre just the right amount of weird. Theyāre also tortured on an annual basis by a team thatās never quite as good as it should be. The Aggies havenāt won a national title since 1939 and last won a conference title in 1998 as a member of the Big 12. It was A&Mās only Big 12 title. Life in the SEC started out with a magical run and a Heisman Trophy, and itās 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. Thereās 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 thatās as far as it goes. Georgia is the perfect example of a team thatās 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 youāre 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 youāre a fan of a team thatās awful year in and year out, you become a bit numb to it over time. But if youāre a fan of a team that just canāt get over the hump, the wound stays real.
Also, I leaned toward schools who donāt have much success in the other revenue sport: college basketball. Like, if youāre 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 youāre 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 itās basketball program has had recent success. Thatās why it only climbs as high as No. 5 on the list. I also know that before these recent events, there isnāt 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 wasnāt enough to win a national title, and now the program seems to be sliding back down the mountain to that place where itās still good, but not good enough.
4
Cowboys
It canāt be easy to be an Oklahoma State football fan. You spend your entire existence living in the shadow of your stateās other major program, Oklahoma. Making matters worse, even though youāve been one of the better programs in the country over the last decade, you still donāt 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 shouldnāt qualify for this list because I said the fan base needs to care, and every season we see the Canes playing in a stadium thatās half-empty at best. These things are true, but if you think Miami fans donāt care, just go on social media and say something negative about the program. Youāll quickly learn how much they care. Also, while the Canes won a natty in 2001, that only helped raise expectations the school hasnāt been able to live up to since. Miamiās last conference title came in 2003 when it was still in the Big East. Since joining the ACC in 2004, Miami hasnāt just failed to win the conference, it hasnāt even been able to win its own division. Every year is the year it will happen until it isnāt, and the fans keep coming back for more.
2
Aggies
I love Texas A&M fans. Theyāre passionate, theyāre crazy, and theyāre just the right amount of weird. Theyāre also tortured on an annual basis by a team thatās never quite as good as it should be. The Aggies havenāt won a national title since 1939 and last won a conference title in 1998 as a member of the Big 12. It was A&Mās only Big 12 title. Life in the SEC started out with a magical run and a Heisman Trophy, and itās 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. Thereās 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 thatās as far as it goes. Georgia is the perfect example of a team thatās 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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