We were bad in 2013 and 2014, but entertainingly so. Even our worst games were darkly fun (#M00N comes to mind). The four games this year have been almost unwatchable. Mostly incompetent offense and a vanilla defense that bends until it breaks. We have to become palatable to the casual fan, not just the perpetually small group of people who sees watching NU football as some sort of obligation. Anyone who knows football would be disgusted by missed PATs and turnstile line play.
I think you have hit it on the head. I told my wife that I was going to give up the tickets in the next year or so and she asked, "What the heck are you going to do? You really like the tailgates." This really is the only reason to go. I think she likes having me gone for hours on end since I left my house at 12:35 and got home at 11. The only palatable prospect for the Indy, Wiscy and the Illinois games is tailgating with a bunch a different guys each game. If the season continues as it has, I think some will drop out since they are casual fans and are looking for entertainment.
I park in the north part of the west lot. I would estimate that only 1/2 of the spots in the northern 1/3 of the west lot were filled. It was a beautiful day and night. Usually for these night games, there are throngs of people milling around, but I would say it was sparse this past Saturday night. When I looked over at the east stands, there were a lot of empty seats.
I have had seats for 20 years and have sat through a lot of bad and some good football. I also went to games in the 70s so I know really bad football. I also have basketball tickets. I told a buddy on Saturday that I would give up the football tickets before the basketball seats.
I think the veneer on Pat Fitzgerald and NU football is gone. Every time there has been a chance to step up, like the excitement before OSU some years back, NU falls flat on its face. The potential relationship to the casual fan is then severed.
