I don't know if "crossroads" is the right term. More like deja vu from my point of view.
Hire new coach - fans get excited. new coach has mixed success. eventually coach leaves. hire new coach - lather, rinse, repeat.
There are people who think Fleck is "the one" (sorry, Neo) who can break the cycle. I am skeptical about that, but time will tell.
I just think people - especially the longer-term fans - are just getting 'cycle fatigue' from watching this over and over again. If you were going to grade the team's performance, it's like the Gophers go from an F or a D, build up to a C+ or B-, maybe even flirt with a better grade, but then they slip backwards, and the cycle repeats.
for myself, and I think a lot of other long-term fans, we just want to see the Gophers move up to that A- or even A level once - just to see if it's possible.
if the football gods appeared in a cloud of smoke, and pronounced that the Gophers will never reach that mark, I think I could live with that, as long as they managed to crank out some 8-win or even 9-win seasons now and then. but, if the football gods said that it was going to be that 6-win and 7-win rut until the end of time, I think I would just say "bleep it." I've invested too much time and emotion. I want a return on my investment. and, like any stock, if it never performs, sooner or later you're going to sell.