ESPN ranks WSU as 13th-happiest fan base

In what is truly an anecdotal observation, my sense of the Washington State Cougars’ fanbase over the past couple of seasons has been one of relative happiness. Two straight bowl seasons resulting in 17 total wins, plus another, more unexpected, bowl appearance in 2013 has left the fanbase riding fairly high.

It’s tough to put a number on just how good WSU, let alone any fan base, is feeling. But ESPN went ahead and took a shot.

The worldwide leader released their Fan Happiness Index yesterday, pegging WSU as 13th in the nation. That’s ahead of everyone in the Pac-12 except for the Washington Huskies at 11th and the Stanford Cardinal at 7th.

What led them to such a high number? High marks in program power and recruiting trend got them most of the way there. Another benchmark helped considerably as well: rivalry dominance. Assuming they mean literally everyone WSU might be rivals with other than Washington (Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers, Idaho Vandals) then sure, they’re right!

Curiously, WSU scored low marks on coaching stability (I can’t see Mike Leach going anywhere) but less curiously on revenue growth (yeah) in the survey.

The Ohio State Buckeyes topped the Fan Happiness Index follow by the Florida State Seminoles and Alabama Crimson Tide. As far as the Pac-12 goes, the UCLA Bruins snuck into the top-25 at 24th. Arizona finished worst in the conference at 116th.

So, what say you? Too high, too low or Goldilocks for the Cougs at 13?