I am not sure how you can know what reality is post actual football success. The Gophers have never been above 5-3 in conference play in a lot of our lifetmes, haven't finished in the top 3(!) in the conference in forever, etc, etc. I certainly agree with those that state it's silly to consider expansion now, but after at least one B1G title and a series of years where the Gophers are real contenders the landscape could change dramatically. Personally, I think we have so many older fans, because those are the fans that actually experienced the Gophers last real success in football. They've seen it happen before, so they believe it can happen again. I think a lot of people in their 20's, 30's, and 40's have decided not to invest their time and resources in to a product that has never been great in their lifetimes. If the product is great occasionally, that could have a dramatic impact on interest/attendance.
Hopefully we can find out what happens.