I was there for all of that and you couldn’t be more wrong about the one thing that matters: Winning. Saying winning is not enough when we’ve never won makes no sense whatsoever. We’ve never won on a consistent basis. Ever. Not with Johnny Pont or Corso or Wyche or Mal or Cam or DiNardo or Hep or Lynch or Wilson or Allen. None of them built a winning program and a winning culture. We’ve had years of fan apathy as a result.
I agree with the sentiment to a point. Winning is ultimately the biggest factor to having more people wanting to come to IU football games. That said, making the experience as easy, comfortable, and affordable as possible is a major factor, as well. There are no other states within the B1G and, really, the national footprint, apart from Florida and California, that have three power conference programs (looping ND in on this) in their state. The other examples have populations that dwarf that of Indiana. So, it is a highly competitive environment, in many cases. Add to this the fact that there is a portion of the population that will not go to an IU football game because they are Purdue, ND, Louisville, Cincinnati, UK, OSU, or Michigan fans, and the numbers drop a bit more. Plus, you have the Colts factor, taking up discretionary income for a certain number of fans.
To maximize attendance, putting a successful, enjoyable product on the field is first and foremost. I think that there need to be more premium seating options at different price points, while also divorcing the ability to purchase those from donations. There also needs to be more ways to make attendance attractive from a cost perspective. Lower the prices for tickets in the corners, make kids free or close to free, enhance free or low cost parking options, etc. Improve concessions and make them less expensive.
The travel from Indianapolis and Louisville areas isn't easy. IU is one of the only, if not the only, B1G school without direct interstate access from the population center(s) of their respective states. That will be resolved eventually, but it makes things that much more difficult. Plus, Bloomington is one of the smaller cities in the B1G, so there is a limited local population and corporate base to draw from.
It is a challenge, but it is one that can be met.