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The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
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BullsFanatic Offline
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Post: #41
RE: The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
I'll give my personal Top 10 Most Overrated for FBS College Football - relying heavily on my personal experience with fan bases, as well as the following websites:

Final AP Poll Totals

Winning Percentages: 1945 - Present

10. South Florida Bulls - Not ranked as high as they would have been a few years ago. This is due to the past two seasons, which seems to have humbled the fan base significantly. We've had some great wins in our short history - but the past few seasons have more than balanced that out. While we have had multiple Top 10 rankings during the season, we've consistently been inconsistent - zero rankings in the final AP Poll. That last statistic isn't surprising as the program isn't even 20 years old yet - but the incredible early success yielded unreasonable, almost delusional expectations. I'll admit that this was hard to write - I'm a diehard Bull that was still enrolled during 2007. I drank the Kool-Aid hard.

9. Georgia State Panthers - Yes, they have great potential. They are also 10-35. Their only win in the last two years was against Rhode Island. I wish them luck - but if they think their program is going to own the Sun Belt in a few short years, they're mistaken. The Belt has gotten a lot tougher in recent years, and being located in a recruiting hotbed doesn't guarantee great recruits.

8. Boston College Golden Eagles - They have a solid program, but by no means a great one. There are only two seasons in which they finished in the Top 10. They are 5-24 against one of their big rival Miami. There is way too much emphasis placed on the Flutie win.

7. Oregon Ducks - A great program in recent years, but very few big wins to show for the hype. They are outside the Top 50 all time in winning percentage.

6. East Carolina Pirates - I love their program, but the cold hard facts are that they have only have two appearances in the final AP poll, and they haven't done so since 1991. They are very well supported, but nowhere near the lock they thought they were for a "Power Conference" invite.

5. Texas Christian Horned Frogs - They had some great years in the Mountain West, but have struggled against heavier competition. They have a losing record since 1945, but one would never know it from the confidence of their fan base. They have a lot to prove in the Big 12, but early returns suggest their fan base's confidence is going to take a hard fall.

4. South Carolina Gamecocks - A solid SEC program now, but historically mediocre. 51.8% winning percentage since 1945. Three Top 10 finishes, but all are from the 2011 season and later. Three solid bowl wins, but again - all are from the 2011 season and later. Zero major (BCS) bowl wins. I can understand their recent confidence, but it is way too early for them to be crowning themselves a major SEC program. They have only one SEC Championship appearance, a blowout loss to Auburn in 2011.

3. Cincinnati Bearcats - Their fan base feels slighted that they are not in a power conference. Let's look at the facts: only four finishes in in the final AP poll, zero major bowl wins, barely over 0.500 since 1945. They are a solid program now, but a Johnny-come-lately that is nowhere near worthy the respect their fans feel they are deserved.

2. Rutgers Scarlet Knights - Yes, you got an invite to the Big 10 (14?). Yes, you played in the first college football game on record. Which is why it is all the more pathetic that you have only been ranked 4 times at the end of the season, and none of them Top 10. The fan base consistently believed that they would win the Big East - and never did. They somehow believe that failure will result in Big 10 success. Only one major win in recent years - the 2006 win over Louisville. The schedule only gets harder from here on out. Only delusion can be motivating the fan base at this point.

1. Florida International Panthers - They have one of the worst winning percentages of all time - 31.4%. They finally get a good coach in Mario Cristobal - and fire him after one losing season while rebuilding. Their fan base fully supported the firing, then expected to land Butch Davis while he was banned by the NCAA. They have zero reason to expect success but apparently will not tolerate losing seasons, even if the program is moving in the right direction. To believe in spite of all evidence - this is the most delusional fan base in college football.
05-18-2014 11:25 PM
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Tigeer Offline
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Post: #42
RE: The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
(05-17-2014 11:07 AM)Villecard Wrote:  Any top 10 list has to include WVU football fans. Most - not all - do them are of a different breed.

Pot meet kettle
05-19-2014 10:31 AM
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panama Offline
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Post: #43
RE: The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
(05-18-2014 11:25 PM)BullsFanatic Wrote:  9. Georgia State Panthers - Yes, they have great potential. They are also 10-35. Their only win in the last two years was against Rhode Island. I wish them luck - but if they think their program is going to own the Sun Belt in a few short years, they're mistaken. The Belt has gotten a lot tougher in recent years, and being located in a recruiting hotbed doesn't guarantee great recruits.
I'll allow this as it comes from our twin older by 15 minutes brother to the South. I do take exception to the bolded part because no Panther fan thinks we will own the SBC in football. Heck most of our fan base doesnt even want to be in the SBC. 07-coffee3
05-19-2014 11:01 AM
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HeartOfDixie Offline
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Post: #44
RE: The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
I can't think of a single fan base without a delusional side.
05-19-2014 11:06 AM
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panama Offline
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Post: #45
RE: The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
(05-19-2014 11:06 AM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  I can't think of a single fan base without a delusional side.

This

Fan = Fanatic
05-19-2014 11:17 AM
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Eagle78 Offline
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Post: #46
The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
(05-18-2014 11:25 PM)BullsFanatic Wrote:  I'll give my personal Top 10 Most Overrated for FBS College Football - relying heavily on my personal experience with fan bases, as well as the following websites:

Final AP Poll Totals

Winning Percentages: 1945 - Present

10. South Florida Bulls - Not ranked as high as they would have been a few years ago. This is due to the past two seasons, which seems to have humbled the fan base significantly. We've had some great wins in our short history - but the past few seasons have more than balanced that out. While we have had multiple Top 10 rankings during the season, we've consistently been inconsistent - zero rankings in the final AP Poll. That last statistic isn't surprising as the program isn't even 20 years old yet - but the incredible early success yielded unreasonable, almost delusional expectations. I'll admit that this was hard to write - I'm a diehard Bull that was still enrolled during 2007. I drank the Kool-Aid hard.

9. Georgia State Panthers - Yes, they have great potential. They are also 10-35. Their only win in the last two years was against Rhode Island. I wish them luck - but if they think their program is going to own the Sun Belt in a few short years, they're mistaken. The Belt has gotten a lot tougher in recent years, and being located in a recruiting hotbed doesn't guarantee great recruits.

8. Boston College Golden Eagles - They have a solid program, but by no means a great one. There are only two seasons in which they finished in the Top 10. They are 5-24 against one of their big rival Miami. There is way too much emphasis placed on the Flutie win.

7. Oregon Ducks - A great program in recent years, but very few big wins to show for the hype. They are outside the Top 50 all time in winning percentage.

6. East Carolina Pirates - I love their program, but the cold hard facts are that they have only have two appearances in the final AP poll, and they haven't done so since 1991. They are very well supported, but nowhere near the lock they thought they were for a "Power Conference" invite.

5. Texas Christian Horned Frogs - They had some great years in the Mountain West, but have struggled against heavier competition. They have a losing record since 1945, but one would never know it from the confidence of their fan base. They have a lot to prove in the Big 12, but early returns suggest their fan base's confidence is going to take a hard fall.

4. South Carolina Gamecocks - A solid SEC program now, but historically mediocre. 51.8% winning percentage since 1945. Three Top 10 finishes, but all are from the 2011 season and later. Three solid bowl wins, but again - all are from the 2011 season and later. Zero major (BCS) bowl wins. I can understand their recent confidence, but it is way too early for them to be crowning themselves a major SEC program. They have only one SEC Championship appearance, a blowout loss to Auburn in 2011.

3. Cincinnati Bearcats - Their fan base feels slighted that they are not in a power conference. Let's look at the facts: only four finishes in in the final AP poll, zero major bowl wins, barely over 0.500 since 1945. They are a solid program now, but a Johnny-come-lately that is nowhere near worthy the respect their fans feel they are deserved.

2. Rutgers Scarlet Knights - Yes, you got an invite to the Big 10 (14?). Yes, you played in the first college football game on record. Which is why it is all the more pathetic that you have only been ranked 4 times at the end of the season, and none of them Top 10. The fan base consistently believed that they would win the Big East - and never did. They somehow believe that failure will result in Big 10 success. Only one major win in recent years - the 2006 win over Louisville. The schedule only gets harder from here on out. Only delusion can be motivating the fan base at this point.

1. Florida International Panthers - They have one of the worst winning percentages of all time - 31.4%. They finally get a good coach in Mario Cristobal - and fire him after one losing season while rebuilding. Their fan base fully supported the firing, then expected to land Butch Davis while he was banned by the NCAA. They have zero reason to expect success but apparently will not tolerate losing seasons, even if the program is moving in the right direction. To believe in spite of all evidence - this is the most delusional fan base in college football.


I have no clue as to the logic you employed to name your "Top 10". Some of the teams on your list don't square with the data that you attached.

FWIW, I agree that the Top 25 measurement is a good indicator of a team's relative success compared to other programs. Winning percentages, IMO, are deceiving as teams in comparatively weak conferences can have high winning percentages as compared to teams that have played much tougher competition. From the data, your USF program would appear to be a case in point. They have a high winning percentage but have never once finished in the AP Top 25.

Boston College, Oregon, and South Carolina have historically played much higher level competition than the others on your list. Boston College and Oregon have finished in in the AP Top 25 14 times each, with South Carolina at 9 times. These results are significantly higher than any of the other teams you listed, despite their playing much tougher schedules year-in and year-out (and yes, I understand that some of the teams you listed are relatively new to FBS - all the more reason you cannot compare them with these other teams, IMO).

Some of what you include as rationale for your list does not make sense, IMO. Example: Boston College - Sure, they are 5-24 against Miami. They are also 3-1 against Alabama. So what? They have had a number of very good years and very good players (ever hear of Matt Ryan?) since Flutie. Like Oregon and South Carolina, they have historically been good solid programs and very competitive. Like all programs, they have had their down years, but so what? The fact is that you could have listed every FBS program but a small handful based on what appears to be your criteria.

Finally, FWIW, its hard to take your analysis seriously when you don't know the names of at least one team you have listed. The Boston College Eagles are not the "Golden" Eagles. Never have been.
(This post was last modified: 05-19-2014 11:07 PM by Eagle78.)
05-19-2014 12:17 PM
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Tigeer Offline
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Post: #47
RE: The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
(05-19-2014 11:06 AM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  I can't think of a single fan base without a delusional side.

Trust me, Memphis FB fans are not delusional. BB, maybe, FB no way.
05-19-2014 12:56 PM
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megadrone Offline
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Post: #48
RE: The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
(05-17-2014 12:17 PM)UpStreamRedTeam Wrote:  While it remains to be seen how being the geographic outlier will effect WVU it would be crazy to argue that WVU made a mistake joining the B12. They will make $15M more a season than what the BE was making. Even if their staying with the BE would have increased what the AAC eventually received (which it certainly would have) they still couldn't and shouldn't have passed up the lifeline the B12 gave them. There is really no reason to think that the ACC would have chosen WVU over Louisville once the time came.


If WVU passed on the Big 12, Louisville would have gone instead. The Big 12 had to take somebody, immediately, and they were looking east.

So when Maryland and Rutgers went to the B1G, who are the choices left in the American to backfill? WVU, UConn, or Cincinnati.

I think the ACC holds their collective noses and takes WVU over the other two schools, giving FSU and Clemson another football school.
05-19-2014 09:53 PM
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Pony94 Offline
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Post: #49
The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
Texas Tech
05-19-2014 09:53 PM
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HeartOfDixie Offline
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RE: The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
(05-19-2014 09:53 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  Texas Tech

This
05-19-2014 09:53 PM
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megadrone Offline
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RE: The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
[quote='BullsFanatic' pid='10762368' dateline='1400473510']
I'll give my personal Top 10 Most Overrated for FBS College Football - relying heavily on my personal experience with fan bases, as well as the following websites:

Final AP Poll Totals

Winning Percentages: 1945 - Present



2. Rutgers Scarlet Knights - Yes, you got an invite to the Big 10 (14?). Yes, you played in the first college football game on record. Which is why it is all the more pathetic that you have only been ranked 4 times at the end of the season, and none of them Top 10. The fan base consistently believed that they would win the Big East - and never did. They somehow believe that failure will result in Big 10 success. Only one major win in recent years - the 2006 win over Louisville. The schedule only gets harder from here on out. Only delusion can be motivating the fan base at this point.

6 words for you -- Come in ranked, go home spanked. 04-rock
05-19-2014 09:57 PM
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oliveandblue Offline
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Post: #52
RE: The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
Why Texas Tech?
05-19-2014 10:16 PM
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HeartOfDixie Offline
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RE: The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
They are the red-headed stepchild of Texas.
05-19-2014 10:19 PM
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Post: #54
RE: The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
(05-19-2014 10:19 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  They are the red-headed stepchild of Texas.

That is an insult to all red-headed stepchildren.
05-19-2014 11:09 PM
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oliveandblue Offline
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Post: #55
RE: The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
Texas Tech is nowhere near the worst when it comes to thinking they are better than they are. I'd put them at no higher than #10 on the list (if even listed).

The Tech people I've seen almost always acknowledge inferiority to Texas. It's just that they try to have a "superiority" over SMU/UH, when in reality that haven't done THAT much to warrant serious separation.
05-20-2014 12:49 AM
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oliveandblue Offline
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Post: #56
RE: The 10 Most Delusional Fan Bases In College Sports
Tennessee fans USED to be delusional - but I think they've collectively had the "cold shower" moment and are realizing what will be in store for a good while.

I think NC State fans need to stop pegging so many of their athletic failures on UNC-Chapel Hill's cheating and look inward. (NC State fans are humble, but they make some fascinating excuses).

UNC and PSU should be on everyone's list for some obvious reasons.
05-20-2014 01:14 AM
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