Most intelligent fanbase in the country???

[Landlord]

This has always been something Nebraska fans have prided themselves on, and something I've always heard. It was something I always just accepted as being true, or at least partially so, and if I was to judge our intelligence based on forum goers I would probably agree. Thing is, and I don't know if the average football fan is this dumb, or if I am that prideful and arrogant, or if we are wrong in our opinions of ourselves, but anytime I try to talk real Husker football with someone, whether it's at a game, at the grocery store, anywhere, people are either just totally misinformed or don't care too much or think that they know everything and have a decent level of factual knowledge but don't have very good comprehension of things.

 

 

The spring game was another example of this for me. The guy next to me had something factual to say after every play, such as drawing strong opinions on how the season would shape out due to a practice, talking about how Bo is having Ron Brown fly down to Texas for some heavy recruiting, or a myriad of other things (some of them correct, some of them wrong and some of them seemingly made up). Half the time I would correct him on something and then he would play it off like "oh yeah duh I knew that!".

 

What have other people's experiences been like? This hasn't been an isolated incident, I run into people like this often.

[cerny50]

I love it, so now a little off topic let me ask the most intelligent fanbase in the country a question, who was the better college back AP or Ricky Williams?

[Enhance]

I love it, so now a little off topic let me ask the most intelligent fanbase in the country a question, who was the better college back AP or Ricky Williams?

Adrian Williams.

 

OP, I generally try and stray away from football talk unless I REALLY think someone knows what they are talking about. Message board posters take football knowledge to a whole other level, because we take the time to get online and actual look stuff up and talk about it. We're just a small portion of the entire fan base, and arguably the most knowledgeable portion.

 

But, when I run into people who talk like this guy did, I generally spend most of the time correcting them or letting them in on information they didn't know. For example, one of my girlfriend's cousins loves to talk sports with me whenever I am around. He is fairly well informed, but he sometimes blows things a little out of proportion. He also likes to talk about recruiting, and because I have an HI subscription, I generally fill him in on the information I have read.

[RedDenver]

I love it, so now a little off topic let me ask the most intelligent fanbase in the country a question, who was the better college back AP or Ricky Williams?

Ahman Green

[jimindallas]

I love it, so now a little off topic let me ask the most intelligent fanbase in the country a question, who was the better college back AP or Ricky Williams?

Ricky Williams as the better college back only cause he stayed in longer. AP the better back pro back because of strength and he is sane.

[HuskerGBR]

This has always been something Nebraska fans have prided themselves on, and something I've always heard. It was something I always just accepted as being true, or at least partially so, and if I was to judge our intelligence based on forum goers I would probably agree. Thing is, and I don't know if the average football fan is this dumb, or if I am that prideful and arrogant, or if we are wrong in our opinions of ourselves, but anytime I try to talk real Husker football with someone, whether it's at a game, at the grocery store, anywhere, people are either just totally misinformed or don't care too much or think that they know everything and have a decent level of factual knowledge but don't have very good comprehension of things.

 

 

The spring game was another example of this for me. The guy next to me had something factual to say after every play, such as drawing strong opinions on how the season would shape out due to a practice, talking about how Bo is having Ron Brown fly down to Texas for some heavy recruiting, or a myriad of other things (some of them correct, some of them wrong and some of them seemingly made up). Half the time I would correct him on something and then he would play it off like "oh yeah duh I knew that!".

 

What have other people's experiences been like? This hasn't been an isolated incident, I run into people like this often.

 

I know what you mean. However I will say that a lot of things people talk about are opinions...like who will be the QB or what younger guy will step up this year. Things like that. I have had a few experiences with people going on and on with speculation, so I see where you are coming from. The thing I think that "most intelligent fanbase" comes from is we know a lot about football. We know a lot about other programs and not just our own. I have had some bad talks with Husker fans, but most of the time it is very respectful and nice talks. In general, talking football with Husker fans is pretty good compared to talking with other fanbases out there.

 

I wonder if some of the lack of knowledge that we have on our program is because of the policies the program has had. We are pretty restricted on our information from the coaches and it is not open to the media like it used to be. Maybe that is a factor?

[808Husker in KCMO]

Because you know what happened at practice doesn't make you a more knowledgeable football fan. It makes you better informed. That doesn't mean that I don't know a hell of a lot more football than you. Hypothetically, of course.

[I am I]

My dad being a coach and former Husker, always kind of laughed when he heard "the most knowledgeable" label.

He always said we should be considered the "most loyal"

 

First, what many of us consider 'knowledge' of the actual X's and O's would last about 5 minutes in a meeting room. I remember when I (being a coaches son, mind you) went from high school to college and sat in my first defensive Team meeting. My head was spinning. Coverages, numbers, hashes, formations, drop steps, pre-snap signals, pre-snap calls, pre-snap adujstments, offensive motion, offensive shifting, tendencies, reads, down and distance, yardage...and that's ONE play from ONE formation, lol...We as Husker fans, collectively, know more (I guarantee you) about the actual game of football than say a bandwagon "lets just get drunk and heckle when we're winning" Kstate or MU fan.

 

But I think in terms of being the most knowledgeable fans about our own team and what we were used to seeing offensively and defensively for about 35+ years, and who our players and coaches are, and who our recruits are, etc...well, I would put that into a loyalty category. It makes us knowledgeable about our team and about the intricacies of many of the things we do and our long time opponents, but yeah, having 2 or 3 conversations like the one Landlord had, makes you realize that not ALL Husker fans are the most knowledgeable. Although many of us are

[knapplc]

Most knowledgeable compared to what? Other teams' fans? Or coaches? Compared to other teams' fans I'd say as a group we're above average. Compared to coaches nobody has a clue.

[I am I]

[huskerscott]

I love talking football with husker fans that are knowledgable to some degree. I run into a few huskers "fans" that just talk out of their butts, talking about how a certain previous staff shouldnt been fired and on and on and on. At that point I just walk away. Posting for me on a message board gives me a chance broaden my knowledge alittle about the program and to give my opinion on something whether it is right or wrong. I dont take anything real personal on here. If someone differs opinion than I just give a reason why or facts or say "its just my opinion, no big deal." If post something inaccurate, then I give for them kudos correcting me and move on.

 

Funny story, I went down Lawrence for the KU game last year. First off, I had a great time meeting some fellow huskers and some of jayhawk nation. So this jayhawk fan and I started up conversation about football, where Im from, stuff like that. He says to me, "Do you think your offense is gonna put up enough points to beat us." I replied, "well if your safeties and linebackers stay home on the zone read and play action, then I think you guys mite have a chance." Then he made some smart ass comment about... about how I didnt know what i was talking about and that they have a pretty good defense." Then I started saying numbers, like 28, 42, 35, 34, 36 (how many points they have given up games up to that point).

 

At halftime, he leaned over and said, "I apologize, your comment made me actually watch the defense, and quite frankly, our linebackers are terrible on the play action they have to know its comin, were doomed in the 2nd half."

[GMoose]

I definitely understand your plight. Us message boarders are a relatively rare breed. I'm sure that when we sit in a group talking about football, we can usually talk the longest or give the most facts, but I don't think that necessarily makes us the smartest. I've seen this kid at a few parties lately who thinks he's a coach because he can tell you what player plays what position.

 

Most loyal seems to hit the nail on the head.

[huskerscott]

I've seen this kid at a few parties lately who thinks he's a coach because he can tell you what player plays what position.

 

 

I hate that guy.

[teachercd]

No, NU fans are not the most intelligent or least intelligent. Just like NU fans are not the nicest fans or the biggest d******d fans.

 

Its the same at every school in the country, you have some these type of "intelligent fan"

 

1. Guy who cares a ton about the team but doesnt bother to know the players anymore (generally like a older dad or grandpa)

 

2. Guy who cares about the parties that go with the game more then the game (generally you want a few guys like this in your group)

 

3. Guy who knows all the stats and facts and will constantly tell you that he knows it all (this is like posters on bigredboard.com or a few select posters on HI)

 

4. Guys who knows all the stats and facts and is super friendly

 

5. Guy who doesnt know much but tries to act like he does.

[knapplc]

Football is like an ogre - made up of many layers (sorry, I've been watching a lot of Shrek with my girl lately).

 

Just about anyone who's watched a few games can look at a game and tell you what's going on. You've got two lines, a QB, a RB or two, some receivers, and their counterparts in basic form on the defense. It doesn't take a great intelligence to figure this out. That's most every fan of most every team in Pros and College.

 

Then there's the next layer, the fan who knows the names of all the players, their positions, some/all of their stats, all the way down to the two-deep. There's a LOT of fans like that, from all teams, all across the country.

 

Then there's the next layer, the guys who know just about everything about every player on the roster, and most of the names of the players/coaches on the opponent. These guys understand

 

It' when you get down to understanding blocking schemes, routes, plays and what play sets up what later on, that you start getting into layers that most people don't delve down to. And that's OK - you don't need to know this stuff to love or enjoy football. I think Nebraska has more than the average amount of fans like this, but there are a LOT of these kinds of fans all across college football.

 

As you get deeper and deeper into the ogr-- I mean, onion, you start getting into the levels of knowledge current and former players have, the day-to-day stuff, the in-the-life stuff, that almost no fan no matter how passionate is going to know.

 

Finally at the core you have the coaches, who know all there is to know. The number of fans of any fanbase anywhere who grasps the game at this level is tiny. 99.9% of all fans never get to this level. The odd Husker fan (those not named McBride or Tenopir) know this stuff, but they're so few and far between you don't know them.

 

That's how I see it. We have a lot of fans who delve down into the next layer or two of the onion. That's who I hang out with mostly, and who I talk to online, mostly.