O'Neil: The ethical fan's guide to college football

OK, that might be a bit too ambitious, but Danny takes a crack at coming up with ways to keep things in perspective in this new era of college football.

(Note: Every now and then, podcast co-host Danny O’Neil offers a UW-centric column for re-publication. Here’s his take on how to navigate the modern rooting landscape.)

It appears we’re going to have to establish some new ground rules when it comes to college football fandom.

I say this because of some of the complications that have arisen with recent developments at my alma mater, the University of Washington. And while I don’t profess to be any sort of authority or expert on the subject, I have had fun pretending I am — like back in 2009, when I wrote something about my own experience with the rules of college football fandom for The Seattle Times.

For example:

1. Any anger you feel toward Kalen DeBoer must be balanced out by the sheepishness you feel about Jedd Fisch’s hiring.

Put more specifically: You can’t describe DeBoer as an opportunistic swine who left Washington high and dry without acknowledging that the exact same process is what landed Fisch on Montlake.