Forget about Billy Napier's $26 million buyout, fan apathy will be his Florida demise

There were 12 minutes to play in the third quarter when the reality of the situation sucked the life from a rivalry game with so much anticipation and left us staring at the inevitable.

It won't end well for Billy Napier at Florida. In fact, it will more than likely end sooner than later.

It was bad enough that Miami did what it wanted in a 41-17 rout against a team Napier declared had prepared all offseason for this game. It was worse when Florida fans, already teetering in Year 3 of the Napier experiment, started filing out of The Swamp three minutes into the third quarter.

Blowout losses are one thing. Fan apathy takes this to a distinct and eventually defining level.

This isn't about a exorbitant buyout ($26 million), or that the interim president running the show is the same former president who hired Napier. It's not about patience, or a brutal schedule or the fact that Florida is staring at four straight losing seasons for the first time since the World War II era.

When fans lose faith, when they walk out in the middle of games or fail to show up for future games, that's when it all falls apart. It's the same ugly scenario that cost every coach since Urban Meyer resigned after the 2010 season ― since the last time Florida football was relevant on the national stage.

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This stage of the Napier era is not unlike the previous three coaches, each with his seminal moments. Will Muschamp lost to then-FCS Georgia Southern at home (a first), Jim McElwain couldn't win and made up death threats (another first), and Dan Mullen followed three strong seasons with a horrific fourth ― and all the off-field problems of the past (including Florida's first probation in three decades) suddenly became more important than three consecutive major bowls.

After Saturday's humbling loss to Miami to begin the season, Florida had its streak of 34 consecutive season-opening wins snapped. The 41 points scored by Miami were the most given up in a season opener in program history.

Those are damaging firsts, especially considering Napier began the week proclaiming the Gaotrs had prepared for this moment all offseason. Players spoke of "shocking the world."

The only shocking part of it all was the same operational mess. The same strange play-calling (two third-and-long run plays). The same historically bad defenses of the last two seasons: Miami had 529 total yards, converted 50% of third down attempts and averaged 7.6 yards per play.

Florida is now 11-15 under Napier, and has lost five home games in two seasons and one game. Former Florida coach Steve Spurrier lost five home games in 12 seasons.

While that comparison may seem ridiculous, those are the expectations from a fanbase that sees a program with every possible advantage ― including but not limited to deep-pocket boosters and a rich geographical recruiting footprint ― stumbling over itself with each new iteration of a coaching staff.

Forget about Florida politics or money preventing the university from making a move. Even though the current interim president is the former president who hired both Napier and now, by proxy, embattled athletics director Scott Stricklin, there's little doubt what moves the needle in big-time college football.

It's not so much boosters and their cash as much as it is fans and their apathy. Once that moment hits, once the coach loses the fan base and it shows at the turnstile, the gig is up.

No matter how much money it costs.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Forget Billy Napier's buyout. Florida fan apathy will be his demise