The ISU football team is finally kicking off the regular season against Northern Iowa at Jack Trice Stadium this Saturday.

I will be there, and I expect to see many of you there too, cheering on our team while dreaming of success of the past. That’s right, a 7-6 record that will barely get us into an obscure bowl game sure does sound nice right about now.

Don’t get me wrong, I live and die with how the Cyclones play, and I generally feel as horrible as they play when losing, so imagine how I felt last year.

Since this is just my second year at Iowa State, I haven’t gotten to experience a winning program. In fact, throughout high school and my two-year stint at North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City, I have only witnessed two winning seasons for any football team.

So of course, last year I came into the season expecting to see great football and even better fans supporting their team.

Although I did see some great football (even though it was usually from the other team), I was shocked to see how poor the fans were and how poorly they acted.

So, I feel that I’ve got to do what any great columnist would do. I’ll create a list.

1. Just because the team is losing in the first quarter, doesn’t mean it’ll lose the game.

All right, it’s hard to argue this because Iowa State lost 10 games last year.

But I saw countless times when it was down by as little as one touchdown and people were already leaving. It’s called a comeback, and it happens all of the time in college football.

2. Know when to cheer.

It would be great if everyone would cheer all game long, but it won’t happen. All throughout last season I saw people cheering extremely loud on first and second down, but come third down it was deathly silent. When Iowa State’s defense is on the field and it’s third down, that’s when it needs the crowd the most.

The purpose of a home-field advantage is to make so much noise when the ISU defense is holding on third down, a fourth-and-conversion play or anytime inside either 20-yard line, that the opposing team can’t hear calls or audibles and screw up the play. This is the reason schools such as Florida, Michigan or even Iowa have some of the toughest places to play.

3. Have some loyalty toward your team, no matter who you support.

I think everyone remembers the Iowa game last year. Although most only stayed until halftime (probably because it was a blowout or because it was raining), I stayed for the entire game.

Several ISU students, all decked out in ISU gear, also stayed and were sitting a few rows down.

After most of the student crowd cleared out, they pulled out a blanket and proceeded to start removing clothing. All right, huh? No. Underneath they were wearing Iowa Hawkeye black and gold and started screaming and cheering for Iowa. What is that? If you actually like the opposing team, get a backbone and support it unconditionally.

4. Finally, don’t be a jerk.

Before I came here, I used to work with a woman whose husband is a lifelong Hawkeye fan. He has season tickets to see them every year, but when I asked if he comes to Ames when they play here, I got a surprising answer. She said he used to but started being treated with so much hostility that he quit coming.

Now, mind you, there wasn’t anything physical, but he hated coming here. Now that could be a good thing; after all, that’s a great home-field advantage.

After witnessing full bottles of water being thrown at an ISU student just because he was wearing an Iowa hat, I’ve seen it does get too hostile.

Supporting your team is great and should be done as noisily as possible. Maliciously trying to hurt someone crosses the line. I’m sure the players and coaching staff on the field would say the same.

All right, so what’s next? Have fun, right? Yeah, I can say that, but I’ll probably end up getting mugged this Saturday afternoon in the parking lot.

Seriously though, go to the game and cheer, scream, shout or jingle your keys. Make whatever noise you want and make it loud, but remember to have respect for your fellow students around you too.