I wrote the letter bashing UNI football

[ISUChippewa]

Wow, that hurt to read.

Clive, I have been to a rugby game or two, I know a couple folks there. They are pretty ******* good.

I like UNI, the dome and McLeod are nice places to watch games.

I even like most of the actual UNI fans that I know. The problem is that they are infected with hawk fan (nebbi- creighton type stuff).

I absolutely hate when Iowa State fans talk to UNI fans like hawk fans talk to us. The folks that do this are showing all of the insecurity of a typical hawk fan. But it really got to me when I saw a former UNI student body president in IC wearing hawk gear when they played.

It's a small state, and there aren't that many fans to go around. I root for UNI for the most part. Their board is pretty hawk centric, so it becomes a big joke.

But I like Jake, Farley is kind of a dick, but he has had a lot of success there. I see no problem with UNI. They have to have the dual fans, but they really should muzzle some of those pieces of **** on their board. It draws the ire from the non-hawk fan.

Anyway, welcome, your points are valid. The insecurity shown by some of my Cyclones on here is discouraging.

I guess I'll come at this issue from the perspective of being a dual ISU/UNI fan. I grew up in Ames but went to school at UNI for my undergrad back in the '90's.

Regarding the issue of dual fandom; I didn't follow UNI sports at all until I started school there, although I do remember their victory in against Missouri in the NCAA tournament back in 1990. IMO, the biggest issue that UNI and other "directional" schools face is that unless you grow up in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area or have a direct tie to UNI most people will grow up being either a Iowa or ISU fan, so for the most part UNI "fandom" will come in 2nd place. I remember being discouraged by this back in 2001 when I went to the UNI/UI basketball game in Cedar Falls and saw some UNI students cheering for Iowa over their own university. To be honest though I don't think this is as much of an issue at UNI now as it was back then, at least for basketball, likely since UNI has been the best program in the state for the last few years, like it or not.

IMO, up until recently the ISU fans who hate UNI had/have the attitude of being able to treat UNI like the cute little kid in the neighborhood who you could pat on the head and tease and even slap around from time to time when you felt like it; that is, until he grows up, puts on some muscle and starts to push you back, then it becomes an issue and all of a sudden you don't like the cute little kid anymore.

In a subsequent post you mentioned UNI basketball and being underseeded. I do remember back in 2010 in a thread discussing that underseeding in the NCAA tournament some ISU fans screaming about how UNI got what they deserved and how they will never be as good in basketball as ISU and that they should never try and be good in the first place. It was an embarrassing display of stupidity and entitlement by those ISU fans and they looked very immature and infantile in their rantings, not to mention incredibly insecure.

Unfortunately there are some ISU fans who IMO do feel that ISU is entitled to be the only good basketball program in the state and regard UNI's recent rise in prominence as some sort of threat to their birthright and that UNI (and even Iowa and Drake as well) have absolutely no right to be good. Again, such an attitude is profoundly idiotic, but that doesn't stop those fans.

In regards to the OP's published opinion, I give kudos to him for owning up to it and feeling remorse about it. It does seem to again typify and put into words some insecurity among certain ISU fans regarding UNI. I think there were a couple of posts earlier in this thread from Cyclone fans complaning about UNI fans expecting to win the recent football game. Are those fans in question seriously offended by opposing UNI fans being confident in their team? Really? Fact is, UNI SHOULD have won that game; if it weren't for Steele Jantz performing his magic act on a 4th and 10 from the 26 they would have won. Why does it bother those ISU fans that UNI fans like to cheer on their team as well?

[ISUChippewa]

Okay, let's start something positive for UNI.

UNI has had better teams than Minnesoata and Indiana of the Big Ten in the last six years. They could compete in the B1G and not finish last.

UNI would not be able to compete on a regular basis in a BCS conference, although they would likely be the equivalent of a Indiana.

However, I think if they played in a non-BCS conference like Conference USA or the MAC they could probably do pretty well. Even in the "down" years for the football program under Mike Dunbar in the late '90's they beat MAC teams like Eastern Michigan on the road.

[ClivePurple]

UNI would not be able to compete on a regular basis in a BCS conference, although they would likely be the equivalent of a Indiana.

However, I think if they played in a non-BCS conference like Conference USA or the MAC they could probably do pretty well. Even in the "down" years for the football program under Mike Dunbar in the late '90's they beat MAC teams like Eastern Michigan on the road.

I think that's a pretty realistic assessment. And let's not get carried away with foward-looking scenarios. UNI will never grow into any kind of a BSC candidate. 20 years down the road or 50 years. The aim of the school is to be excellent in the division/tier it lives in: that of a regional, masters-level (with a few doctoral programs) university. It will not grow to be a national research university like Iowa or ISU and doesn't want to. There is not enough room and resources in this state for that to happen. And no need for that to happen. UNI should work to be similar in programs and academics to that of William and Mary, Richmond, James Madison, North Texas (which is FBS I know, but is more like a FCS), Villinova, UNC Charlotte, Old Dominion and others.