It’s hard to believe, but it may be time for fans in Nebraska to learn a little bit more about football.

There are rules that all fans should feel an obligation to abide by, both on and off the field.

Rule No. 1

One of the few times where fans are expected to sit quietly in a stadium may be in the instance of an injury, regardless of the team affiliation of the injured player. Fans should politely clap as the injured player is assisted off the field.

Husker fans get an “A” in this category. Not every team does. Philadelphia fans, for instance, have been known to cheer when opposing players are injured.

Rule No. 2

Seemingly all teams these days have some type of entrance music or video board presentation for home fans that is meant to get everyone excited for the beginning of the game. All teams desire a fast start in every game and a great response from the fan base can help get the players excited for the start. Fans should focus on cheering as loudly for their team as possible. The need to stop cheering for the home team in order to boo the entrance of the opponent works against the desired goal. A home team coming out onto the field to a mixture of boos and cheers is never good.

Husker fans get a “D” in this category. The boos could be heard plainly while Missouri was taking to the field last Saturday night.

Rule No. 3

Don’t wait for a scoreboard cue to cheer. Fans should cheer constantly. Timeouts, especially television timeouts, can quiet any home crowd, but when the game action is on, fans should cheer as loudly as possible. The moment when home fans can have the most impact on a game comes when an opposing team is lining up its offense. Loud cheering disrupts audible and other communications, leading to possible turnovers and penalties. Fans should quiet their cheering prior to the snap when the home team is on offense, but resume cheering as soon as the ball is in play.

Nebraska gets a “C” in this category. That might be generous. Husker fans often wait for the cue from the scoreboard and don’t continue loud cheering even when it seems that momentum is on the Huskers’ side.

Rule No. 4

Don’t give up. When the game looks bleak and the outcome almost certain to be a loss, fans should stick with their team and provide encouragement. No one is served by fans getting up in the middle of the third quarter and leaving the stadium.

Husker fans get an “F” in this category. The fans last year gave into a temptation to boo when the game went bad, then left in the third quarter. Fans continued that tradition, unfortunately, by leaving in the third quarter of the Missouri game. For years, Husker fans spoke of loyalty to team, and opponents basically said that we would leave too if our team wasn’t good. They might have been right.

Rule No. 5

This rule may be the best of all, since Husker fans basically invented it. Fans should clap for the effort by an opponent, win or lose.

Husker fans get a “B” in this category. South stadium fans clap and yell out encouragement to opposing players leaving the field. Of late, however, a few fans have been heard making statements such as, “Hey, better give the refs some money, ‘cause they gave you that game.” Not good.

Rule No. 6

Be a fan, not a fanatic. No one wants to hear about how one team is always greater than all other teams. Those fans who belittle others, over glorify their own team and never admit to any type of weakness or show any degree of humility become despised. So, when fans are at that tailgate party and see a group of opposing fans walking to the stadium, please refrain from derogatory statements.

Husker fans get a “B” in this category. Last year, prior to the USC game, this writer witnessed a fan making a vulgar gesture at the busses carrying USC players to the stadium. The fan then turned to a group of fans behind him and told them that he hoped those were the USC busses. The fan was not only classless, but also clueless. He didn’t even know for sure who he was insulting. Nice.

Rule No. 7

When a team’s opponents win, that’s a good thing. We call it strength of schedule. Teams with a weak strength of schedule might have a lot of wins, but very little cause to feel good about it. Teams with a .500 type record, but a schedule featuring a number of teams with winning records, might have more cause for pride.

Husker fans get a “D” in this category. It seems that Husker fans have always struggled in this area. Many have already predicted that Missouri will lose to Oklahoma State and Texas. Great. That means the Huskers lost 52-17 to a team that isn’t very good. That might sting worse than the score.

Rule No. 8

This rule is a new rule to Husker fans.

Don’t ask opponents for mercy. No matter how good that other team is, be content in cheering your team on to having as much success as possible. Great teams smash .500-type teams and it’s no insult to the .500-type team. Fans who respond to that by saying they don’t want their team to be a .500-type team need a reality check, not mercy.

Husker fans get a “C” in this category. Some fans still hold a grudge against Texas Tech Coach Mike Leach for running up the score against NU in 2004. No one should apologize for scoring points. When a team goes out of its way to run up the score, that’s classless, but the victimized team should respond by working to get better so that they can pay back the offending team with a loss. Arizona State lost badly in Memorial Stadium to Nebraska during the mid-90’s and beat them the next season. That is the way to handle it.

Overall grade

In judging these categories overall, Husker fans get a “C”. The “Greatest Fans in College Football” should work to bring that grade up soon.