In Reply to: Does 8 or 9 wins count as "win"? Or does it... posted by ClockBlocker on September 04, 2025 at 14:34:53
So much damage has been done to the fanbase.
when Mora took over he was able to immediately boost attendance. He won 9-10-10-8 in his first four years. I think the fans liked the talent level at QB, the elan of the team, that first thrilling game against Barkley/USC, and Mora's feisty public persona.
By the time Chip got here, the fans felt like they'd already been had with Mora. And nothing Chip said or did seemed to excite anyone. The QB play was frustrating. We started scheduling teams no one wanted to see. I can't think of a moment in those first couple years where there was any buzz whatsoever coming out of the program. Reminiscent of the Neuheisel era, we started getting blown out a lot.
2021 started out promising and we were 2-0 after beating LSU, but Lucy pulled the rug out from under the fans again when we lost to Fresno St. (as I predicted at the time we would: Beat LSU/lose to Fresno).
In 2022 we started 6-0 and beat two good teams. People were talking about us as playoff contenders. Then we were not competitive at Oregon and basically went .500 to close the season.
In 2023 we started 3-0 against a creampuff schedule, lost to the first good team we played (Utah), and again, basically went .500 after that.
Then, the coach quit. In February. After a pretty uninspiring search, we hired our RB's coach, a guy who struggles with public engagement.
Then we debuted in an 18-team conference that none of us really thinks we have any realistic chance of winning, maybe ever. We couldn't even win a weaker, 12-team league for 25 years.
So, at this point, I'm not sure what it would take. The fanbase is totally demoralized.