Yes, Oregon fans have pride in their program. I'm not contesting that; what I'm saying is there is, right now, a larger abbundance of Ducks bandwagon fans that happen to be the most abbrasive fans about their program in the Pac-10. It goes with the territory.
I don't think they have any more bandwagon fans than any other program with recent success. They've sold out Autzen for every home game for about 8 years. That seems to indicate that they've had a consistent following for a good amount of time.
There's still plenty of fans like myself that have been going a lot longer. Plenty of long-time season ticket holders around my seats.
Fact is we look like we're on par with Kentucky right now, which means that winning in our house is not an impressive feat for the Ducks. I really doubt you'd see many Oregon fans beating their chests if they went and beat Ole Miss or Kentucky on the road. So many Oregon fans touting the win at Tennessee shows how many of them really pay attention to what's going on outside of the west coast. It is the same kind of bias that many SEC fans show, I doubt many of the honks who foam at the mouth about SEC superiority watch but one Pac-10 conference game a year.
I can't speak for all Duck fans. But, I doubt that they're beating their chests because they think UT is better than they are. It's likely because they do follow the game and are used to hearing SEC fans brag about the SEC. Everyone knows an SEC fan, even out here. No other conference has fans that bring up conference arguments more than the SEC does. It's always "SEC defense", "SEC linemen", "SEC speed", "SEC size".
So, after hearing about how much better defense is in the SEC from SEC fans themselves, it shouldn't be surprising to hear some chest pounding from Duck fans after playing well against them. We didn't prop the SEC (and UT) up, SEC and UT fans did.
Like you said, it goes both ways. Personally, I think it makes college football more fun that fans are passionate about their teams. Contrast that with the NFL where only a few teams really have strong cultures built around them. The rest are just businesses.
And if you haven't read my posts, I go to much greater lengths to stick up for Pac-10 football than anyone around here (except you Duck fans and Droski). But by any reasonable measure -- national championships, bowl records, players in the NFL, etc. -- the SEC is better. I wouldn't say its in another league from the rest of the country, but it is usually the toughest group out there.
I have noticed that. You said that you liked going to games at Autzen. So, it was surprising that you would then bash the fan base in general. I don't think it's a fair assessment. Would you say those things to people at a tailgate party around Autzen? How should Duck fans react if someone shows up and says "most of you guys are douchebags"?
Regarding comparing the SEC: they have the historical edge, yes. But, what some SEC fans seemingly fail to realize is that most fans of programs in other conferences don't care about the historical records of other conferences. It's of little to no consequence to their enjoyment of the team they follow or the memories they have attached to watching that team over the years. Every football fan has their own history with the game that is always going to be more substantial to them than the distant history of some other program or conference. I don't think SEC fans realize that it's insulting to bring up the past glory arguments as if that is supposed to mean someone isn't allowed to enjoy football because of a historical stat.
