It is starting to get to that point when apathy sets in.
It is a weird time in college sports. There’s a tidal wave of change that has hit a sport that isn’t used to dramatic change. The transfer portal plus the advent of NIL for athletes plus significant conference realignment has altered the sport for good.
Individually, one could argue that all of these changes have some merit, maybe even benefit the sport. But all at once and with the NCAA losing all of their power to make an enforce rules has turned the past few seasons into the wild wild west.
For some programs, these changes are welcome and they are in a position to take full advantage of this new world. In other programs, navigating these new waters is tricky and makes the path to success all the more challenging.
The real problem with this scenario is that it leads to apathy for fans. It is painfully obvious if you look at Gopher basketball. Nobody seems to have any interest in this upcoming season. Apathy has set it. And Gopher football is tiptoeing down that path as well.
This past week’s loss to Iowa was incredibly frustrating. In the second quarter the team got their feet under them, took a 14-7 lead and looked like they were poised to put their foot on the gas in the second half.
Apart from a meaningless 24-yard run as time expired, the defense had held Kaleb Johnson in check and the Iowa offense looked lost. Offensively they were moving the ball through the air and timely runs were bursting for 15+ against a good Iowa run defense. The lead was comforting, the idea of beating Iowa for the second consecutive season was turning to belief.
But the second half was a disaster. Losing the game is frustrating. But playing the next half and looking as though you are incapable of stopping Iowa at any point was infuriating. The offense was unable to answer with any points of their own. And it wasn’t just a loss, it was total domination by the Hawkeyes.
PJ Fleck, after the game called in unacceptable and told us that it won’t happen again.
But I’m not sure anybody believes these words. Apathy is setting in. The notion of hope or promise of a new season being better than the last is quickly evaporating. And the real fear is that those who care most about the program are beginning to lose hope that anything will be any different.
The loss to a rival is one thing. The 1-7 record against Iowa when there have been ample opportunities to win Floyd is frustrating. But the frequency of losing games that are there to be won is starting to become more of a trend than it should be. The North Carolina game this season is eerily similar to what played out this past Saturday night against Iowa. A shakey 1st quarter followed by a 2nd quarter, appearing to have figured things out and headed in the right direction. This was followed by a second half where the opponent was in complete control on their way to a win.
Last season it was blowing a 21-point 4th quarter lead against a bad Northwestern team. Giving up touchdowns of 46 yards and 54 yards in the second half to lose to Illinois. It was losing to Bowling Green in 2021, the 10-3 loss at Iowa in 2022 when Mo Ibrahim rushes for 263 yards…all losses that should not have happened but led to a mediocre season and “just missing” a chance to win the Big Ten West.
I, probably more than most, understand that losses happen. College football sees upsets and season-altering losses every week. But this program has seen more than its fair share. Not to proclaim that we are cursed or have it so much worse than anybody else, but it has been our collective reality for al long time. This program has been stuck in mediocrity for a very long time.
PJ Fleck offered a glimpse of hope. The 2019 season was a level of success that has not been seen here in decades. And it was even followed up with back-to-back 8-win regular seasons in 2021 and 2022. But in all three of those successful seasons, we were watching one of our Big Ten West brothers in the Big Ten Championship game and we moved on to a regular bowl game. And those seasons have now been followed up with a return to mediocrity. A 5-7 season in 2023 and a 2024 season that very much looks to be the same.
You can feel the apathy setting in. A new college football world where winning is more challenging for the Gopher program than it ever was before. And being in a pro sports town when the NFL team is off to a surprising 3-0 start, facing their heated rival on the same weekend when the Gophers are heading to face Michigan, the apathy is here. And this is a concern.