ESPN has ranked every college football fanbase according to their happiness with the state of their program. It rates Texas Tech football fans near the bottom of the list labeling them as “distraught”. However, ESPN is a bit off base.
Merriam-Webster defines the word distraught as ” agitated with doubt or mental conflict or pain” or “mentally deranged”. According “ESPN.com”, that is the state of Texas Tech fans when it comes to their feelings towards the Red Raider football program.
To rank all 128 fan bases in the FBS division based on happiness towards the state of their program, ESPN rated each program on six criteria; winning percentage from 2012-2016, wins against rivals, coaching stability, recruiting, revenue and the percentage of tweets from fans that are positive in nature.
When those categories were amassed, Texas Tech ranked No. 113 in the country. That places Red Raider fans in between Louisiana-Monroe (No. 112) and SMU (No. 114). The only Big 12 team ranked lower in satisfaction is Kansas (No. 122) and only three “Power 5” programs (Michigan State, Arizona and Kansas) are considered to have less satisfied fans.
The basis for labeling the Texas Tech football fans as distraught hinges on the widely-accepted notion that Kliff Kingsbury is on the hot seat. ESPN ranks Texas Tech as just a three out of a possible one hundred-point scale in that category.
Tech scores just an 18 in “Rivalry Dominance” but is at 57 or better in the other four categories. So it is easy to understand how those looking at the program from the East Coast would assume that Texas Tech fans are distraught.
However, the mood from those that are emotionally invested in the program is far from “mentally deranged”. In fact, there is a building air of optimism as 2017 approaches.
A quick look at two of the most popular Texas Tech sports internet message boards shows a 50/50 split between optimistic and pessimistic threads concerning the football program. Message boards can be a good barometer of fan attitudes because they are often a refuge where fans anonymously vent their feelings. If there is unrest amongst a large section of a fan base, that sentiment almost always shows up in on-line discussion boards.
Another reason to challenge ESPN’s ranking is by questioning the accuracy of the scores in each category. After all, fly-by media outlets often make assumptions that those inside a fan base know to be off base.
For example, Tech should be scored higher in the category of “Rivalry Dominance”. ESPN considers a team’s success against its rivals since 2012 for this score.
In that period, the Red Raiders have indeed struggled with Texas and Baylor going just 2-8 against the Horns and Bears combined. However, Tech fans are far from distraught in this area because Tech blew out Baylor last year and won in Austin for the first time in 19 years two seasons ago.
Plus, Tech has done well against its third rival, TCU. Since 2012, the Red Raiders are 3-2 against the Frogs including a road win last season. That rivalry is arguably the most intense for Texas Tech because TCU often used Texas Tech as a measuring stick prior to its inclusion into the Big 12. Also, Texas Tech relies more heavily on Dallas-Ft. Worth than any other area as a recruiting base so having bragging rights over TCU takes on added importance for Tech.
Red Raider fans certainly want more success against in-state rivals. However, Tech beat two of its three rivals last season which gave fans a great bit of satisfaction in an otherwise frustrating and disappointing season.
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The next area in which ESPN misses the mark is in its estimation of the program’s revenue growth. Tech scores just a 61 in that area. However, to get a complete picture of the fan’s happiness, one can not rely on just revenue figures generated by ticket and merchandise sales
Consider the money the fanbase has poured into Jones Stadium renovations in recent years.
Since 2012, Texas Tech has completely remodeled the north end of Jones Stadium. Further more, the program has raised the funds to build a new indoor practice facility and is on the verge of beginning a remodel of the south end zone that is expected to cost over $130 million.
Distraught fans do not contribute financially to massive stadium renovation projects and facility upgrades the likes of which the Texas Tech football program has undertaken in the past five years. Furthermore, it is important to remember that these renovations were paid for by booster contributions because the school did not want to take on more debt from the athletic department.
Thus, the revenue Texas Tech fans have poured into the program since 2012 is far more impactful than ESPN realizes. Without the benefit of a billionaire benefactor like T. Boone Pickens with Oklahoma State or Joe Jamail at Texas, Texas Tech football has managed to fund three major projects that will transform the face of the program.
In fairness, Texas Tech fans are disappointed and a bit skeptical about the football program. However, that is the general attitude that the fan base has had towards the program for decades.
But to label Red Raider fans as “distraught” is quite the exaggeration. We may be ornery, mean and easily agitated but any Aggie will tell you, that’s how we’ve always been and how we always will be.