Friday Five: Tortured Fan Bases

Redwood Forrest

Hall of Fame
Sep 19, 2003
11,042
907
237
76
Boaz, AL USA
For this week’s Friday Five I’ve decided to rank the five most tortured fan bases in college football.

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 you’re 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 you’re a fan of a team that’s awful year in and year out, you become a bit numb to it over time. But if you’re a fan of a team that just can’t get over the hump, the wound stays real.



http://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...-most-tortured-fan-bases-in-college-football/

Only Georgia, Texas A&M and Miami have a good chance at ending the torture. Oklahoma State hasn't had a top 25 recruiting class in ten years. Oregon is averaging 19. I don't think just making the conference championship game will end the torture for either of these two.
 

GrayTide

Hall of Fame
Nov 15, 2005
18,810
6,245
187
Greenbow, Alabama
Just looking at the SEC; I would say in no particular order: Georgia, Auburn, TAMU, Tennessee and LSU. Outside the SEC: Texas, Oregon, Michigan, USC and Nebraska. I am sure there are others, just an opinion.
 

UntouchableCrew

All-SEC
Nov 30, 2015
1,530
338
102
Just looking at the SEC; I would say in no particular order: Georgia, Auburn, TAMU, Tennessee and LSU. Outside the SEC: Texas, Oregon, Michigan, USC and Nebraska. I am sure there are others, just an opinion.
LOL in what universe is USC a tortured fanbase? Auburn? They won a national title in 2010.

A tortured fanbase needs to go at least 30+ years without a title to truly be "tortured."
 

selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
36,432
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LOL in what universe is USC a tortured fanbase? Auburn? They won a national title in 2010.

A tortured fanbase needs to go at least 30+ years without a title to truly be "tortured."
Auburn will be perpetually tortured. For starters, Alabama has won THREE national titles since Auburn's last one and came within one play of a fourth.

There ain't many fan bases I know who go out in a year their team got shellacked and CELEBRATE like THEY WON when their conqueror loses the national title game.

Who else does something that lame? I don't mean they were happy, I mean they went and rolled Toomer's because Alabama lost.

As I've long said - and I'm nowhere near as down on the Aubies as most folks here - but they woke up that morning after beating Oregon and realized that even though they were number one in the nation they were still number two in the state.
 

alabama mike1

All-American
Jul 12, 2013
2,694
389
107
Ohio
I am going to say in no particular order:

Georgia- hard to argue the facts of the article
Wisconsin- always close in the past few years but
West Virginia- many good friends who are fans and they are always hoping for that big year
Virginia Tech- Beamer ball was only so good, never could get the monkey off their back
UCLA- they have played second fiddle to USCw for so long
 

UntouchableCrew

All-SEC
Nov 30, 2015
1,530
338
102
Auburn will be perpetually tortured. For starters, Alabama has won THREE national titles since Auburn's last one and came within one play of a fourth.

There ain't many fan bases I know who go out in a year their team got shellacked and CELEBRATE like THEY WON when their conqueror loses the national title game.

Who else does something that lame? I don't mean they were happy, I mean they went and rolled Toomer's because Alabama lost.

As I've long said - and I'm nowhere near as down on the Aubies as most folks here - but they woke up that morning after beating Oregon and realized that even though they were number one in the nation they were still number two in the state.
I just feel like calling a team that was won a national title in the last ten years "tortured" is preposterous. Whatever insecurities some Auburn fans have with regard to Alabama, that's not torture... There are sports fans who have gone their entire lives hoping to see a title, getting close a few times and never winning it. That's torture.
 

TideEngineer08

TideFans Legend
Jun 9, 2009
36,284
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Beautiful Cullman, AL
I think Texas A&M is worse off than Georgia. They haven't won a title since pre-WWII. They lived in the shadow of UT for all those years, finally escaped it, and had a great first year in the SEC. Everything looked like they had truly left their tortured past behind. They were going to build a massive stadium, there was all this money coming in, they had the next great head coach, Johnny Football was coming back off of a Heisman, and it's been Bust ever since.

Yes, Georgia was perennially close under Richt. And yes it has been 37 years since their NC. If it weren't for Ron Zook, Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban, they probably would have won it in 2002, 2007, and 2012. But, at least IMO, getting close is much better than never getting in the zip code at all.
 
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selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
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Okay then, give me your tortured fan bases who haven't won a title since 1987 and are still relevant today.
Given all that happened, how does Penn State not make the list?????

Here's a school that not only had the Sandusky scandal, which would be bad enough, but....

a) lost a national title one year when they ran the table merely because Nebraska's coach hadn't won one
b) had their 'legendary' coach keel over less than three months after getting fired over the scandal
c) had player after player who was supposed to be the next NFL legend flame out in the NFL
d) got voted out of the four-team playoff despite beating one of the teams that went
 

GrayTide

Hall of Fame
Nov 15, 2005
18,810
6,245
187
Greenbow, Alabama
Championships aside, Tennessee hasn't been relevant nationwide since around 2003-2004. LSU fans have been tortured (mostly by Alabama) since the 21-0 loss in the NC game. UGA fans have been so tortured they fired probably their best coach ever. TAMU has been in the SEC for 5 years and it's only claim to fame is beating Alabama in 2012. As Bill said, the day after auburn won its last NC they were still the second best team in the state. They have been through 3 coaches since the arrival of CNS and, are still trying to find one who can compete annually is torture.
 

Redwood Forrest

Hall of Fame
Sep 19, 2003
11,042
907
237
76
Boaz, AL USA
He only chose five our of at least twenty who fit his parameter, which is having some success but not quite getting over the hump. That is a long list. I can think of several left out.
 

Intl.Aperture

All-American
Aug 12, 2015
3,681
23
57
Chesapeake, Virginia
I am going to say in no particular order:

Georgia- hard to argue the facts of the article
Wisconsin- always close in the past few years but
West Virginia- many good friends who are fans and they are always hoping for that big year
Virginia Tech- Beamer ball was only so good, never could get the monkey off their back
UCLA- they have played second fiddle to USCw for so long
I don't think I'd put Tech in. Their fans don't expect much. They were beyond thrilled with a 10 win season this year , as they should be, it was a great season for them. A winning season and a victory over UVA is enough to satiate the average Hokie fan...and in some cases it only takes a win over UVA.
 

NoNC4Tubs

Hall of Fame
Nov 13, 2010
8,142
3,851
187
LOL in what universe is USC a tortured fanbase? Auburn? They won a national title in 2010.

A tortured fanbase needs to go at least 30+ years without a title to truly be "tortured."
How about without cheating? (Everyone knows that Cam was a paid mercenary. Even half of their own fanbase knows it.)

Besides, did you ever see another fan-base enjoy their NC as little as they did? That year the program was being probed by the NCAA until the middle of the following season.

Just sayin'... :cool2:
 

selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
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I think the top 2 are actually Penn State and Nebraska.

How would you like to be Nebraska and realize that you will never again be a big deal?

And what about Notre Dame?

This list is made by an idiot. I have a buddy who lives in Eugene. They don't really care. ATM? The Auburn of Texas?

Your top three are Penn State, Nebraska, and Notre Dame. I'll agree UGA is probably one of them. Miami doesn't HAVE a fan base.
 

gamersfuel

All-American
Jan 20, 2008
4,174
89
72
Auburn/near a cow pasture
when i think of tortured fan bases i think of teams who have at some point the talent to win it all yet still come up short. Georgia Bulldogs come to mind... I also think of teams who were once great but cant get back to their winning ways. Nebraska.. I'd also like to give LSU honorable mention because of how we've owned the series lately with the coach that once coached them to a title. not only that, if not for us they would have at least 1 more title. thats gotta be torture.
 

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