Alabama football fans a different world is out there

Paying attention to what we might call ‘the dregs’ of college football is not on the agenda of many Alabama football fans. We mostly don’t have time. But if we did, suffering through a game like Eastern Washington at UNLV is just so boring.

The two teams opened the season against each other, and maybe for a few thousand fans, the 33-32, double-overtime win by Eastern Washington will be their highlight of the 2021 season.

Assuming there actually are Running Rebels football fans, they must think the program has a death wish. Already this season UNLV has battled Arizona State and Iowa State. The losses were apparently ‘money games’ for UNLV. Since UNLV beat Vanderbilt in Nashville in October 2019, they have won two games. After losing by eight to a ranked Fresno State team two games ago, the Rebels lost by just seven to an undefeated UTSA team.

Are there UNLV fans who think their team’s most recent losses portend a breakthrough for the program? If hope truly is eternal, believing in a better football future for UNLV is part of being a fan – even if the belief is based on delusion.

Many Alabama football fans can remember when the Tide fanbase needed all the hope it could muster. The lowest point for the Alabama Crimson Tide, going back to Bear Bryant’s first season in 1958, was in the 2000 season. In Mike Dubose’s fourth and final season as the Crimson Tide Head Coach, his team won just three games. One of the eight losses was to UCF; a program playing in only its fifth season since being elevated to NCAA Division I.

Between Bryant and Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide had five losing seasons. In each one the agony of Alabama football fans was immense.  A few months ago, we remembered the 1997 through 2006 seasons as the Crimson Tide’s Wilderness Period. Even then, hope never came close to being extinguished. Expectation for a Crimson Tide renewal was widespread.

Did the Crimson Tide fanbase learn some collective humility in the dark years? If it did, thanks to the success of the Nick Saban era, all our ingrained, Crimson Tide arrogance returned. It may be stronger now than ever. For the record, the arrogance is fitting for college football’s greatest ever program.

It might not hurt to remember there is another college football world out there. Instead of being amused that the two worst FBS teams will play this Saturday, some appreciation might be acknowledged that both teams have fans who care deeply about the outcome.

Does that mean any of us should suffer through watching U Mass and U Conn? Probably not, but we can enjoy the weekly Bottom 25 complied by CBS. It is a good reminder college football is so special, in a world little known to Alabama football fans, people care about their awful teams.

Thursday night, watching one of the ‘Bottom 25’ might be fun for those who love blowouts. Coastal Carolina might easily run up 80 points on Arkansas State. Poor Butch will wish he was back in Tuscaloosa.