ESPN, the focus of evil in the sports world, has always wanted the “little engine that could” story to stay in one place. It was fine with that place being us, but the world does not work that way. So it has settled on Boise. But the world does not work that way. No matter the efforts of ESPN’s thought controllers, others will rise and fall over time.
Can MU make it back to the “top”?
IMHO, no. This fanbase, once among the best at this level, has changed. That fanbase makes this an undesirable job and an undesirable place to play.
Once we were dominating the MAC. The only criticism of the MAC you heard was from the petty jealous Spamite crew. That era’s fanbase was happy to dominate the MAC. That era’s fanbase said nothing about how weak the MAC was. That era’s fanbase was happy to be on TV every now and then. That era’s fanbase was happy to go to a ginned up “bowl game” in a frozen suburb of bombed out Detroit, playing before 20% of capacity on ESPN whatever. That era’s fanbase understood that basketball was #2, and more than that, simply understood basketball, and could tell quality play from talk. That era’s fanbase was proud of the stadium and grateful to those who sacrificed of their $$ and of political capital to accomplish it. And they gave of their time, and of their money.
Today, very different. Today’s fanbase both expects to dominate CUSA, and regards CUSA as nothing and winning it as nothing. It has no respect for our opponents. Today’s fanbase both expects to go to a bowl, and considers the bowls that EVERY G5 school, save the one access bowl slot per year, go to as somehow beneath them. Today’s fanbase, in an era where EVERY game playing in the country is on TV, lacks the ability to look up where the game is on, or somehow feels that the channel, or internet stream, we are on is just not good enough. Today’s fanbase lauds a mediocre basketball team as world beaters. Today’s fanbase complains that they cannot possibly be expected to attend a game in something lacking the amenities of Jerry World. And, most of today’s fanbase, sits around and bitches about why “they” (some undefined mix of the state, city, and unnamed rich people) don’t do something about this or that need.
In sum, today’s rotten super-fan turned inward fanbase expects to win every game, but doesn’t consider that an accomplishment. This means is did not have Doc’s back, and won’t have Huff’s back. It will consume him, just as it consumed Doc, and continue to consume coach after coach.
Until it grows up and realizes that:
* THIS CONFERENCE is OUR conference, made up of peer institutions who are all trying to play football at this level. Worthy of our respect.
* The situation vis conference membership and vis how G5 football works in terms of TV, in terms of bowls, and in terms of notice, is HOW IT IS.
And if those two things are not to your taste, the Marshall sports are not for you. Move on. We will be better off without you.
You don't get out much do you Sam. I mean this post is beyond out of touch with reality. You realize you an copy and paste this fan bashing post for every other single team in college football. At least those that actually have competitive programs.
No what is holding Marshall football back is the front office who went from "we play for championships" to "we just need to accept that today's college football is different." Which is a load of bull. We hired a complete bum in Kayo Marcum who held on to an imbecile HC in Mark Snyder for 3 seasons too many. Even going as far as to go on a nationally televised game with a list of all-time great HCs that started out with a losing season or two trying to rationalize that Snyder's failures were going to miraculously turn into Frank Beamer level success at Marshall. As I recall we even extended him.
Then you have Hamrick and Doc's buddy system. I won't fault Hamrick for extending Doc (maybe the terms) when he did after 2014, but the fact that he and the university put absolutely no pressure on Doc to raise his bar allowed him to become extremely complacent which showed in his recruiting, his assistant hires, and the results on the field.
No the fans are not at fault for Marshall being a shell of what it once was. It's a the lack of an aggressive leadership that lost it's championship or bust mentality.
Another note on our fans. We were just as jaded back then as we are now. Attendance numbers dipped during playoff games only peaking in the conference championship and national championship games. We've also always complained about our bowl matchups and even still show out better than half of the country when the bowl game kicks off.
The problem is the fans see what we're capable of and the administration makes excuses for why we can no longer be there. And yes Marshall should roll though CUSA every single season. Teams like Charlotte and ODU shouldn't be competitive with us. Nor should WKU or either of the F_Us. We are in a conference that has a bunch of teams that your casual and even hardcore Saturday CFB fan doesn't even know exists. USM, LaTech, and MTSU are the only other programs in this conference that have any amount of history.
Charlotte has only been playing since 2013.
FIU has only been playing since 2002.
FAU has only been playing football since 2001 and only been FBS since 2004.
ODU has only been playing football since 2009 and only been FBS since 2014.
WKU has only been FBS since 2009.
UTSA has only been playing football since 2011.
Almost no one cares about North Texas, Rice, or UTEP football. UAB had always been a cellar dweller until they nuked their program and the NCAA gave them roster waivers to stack their roster.
I mean you rail against the our fans for not having a lot respect for our competition. No on does. That's why our games are relegated to FB Live streams.
No. There are zero excuses for why Marshall doesn't dominate this conference year in and year out. We should be to CUSA what Bama is to the SEC, what Clemson is the ACC, what tOSU is the B1G, what OU is to the Big XII, and what Boise bad been to the MWC. Instead we're 2-2 with a team that hasn't even eclipsed it's first decade of football.
