The Orlando Sentinel had an interesting story Friday that answers this timeless question: if UCF fans all stand in the upper deck of the new campus football stadium listenging to "Kernkraft 400" and jumping up and down, will they fall to their untimely deaths?

I think everybody's asked that question at some point in their life. But in advance of UCF's Conference USA championship game against Tulsa at noon on Saturday, the people who are asking that specific question now are those with tickets for the upper deck in question. Although if I held a ticket for the lower bowl, I'd be just as concerned, if not moreso.

As the article explains, UCF fans have this little tradition where they jump up and down in the upper deck whenever a particular song, the above-mentioned "Kernkraft 400" by German techno collective Zombie Nation, is played. This causes a phenomenon called "The Trampoline," in which the stadium responds to the fans' energy by shaking its own substantial tail feather. That's the point where everyone gets a little scared, except for the goofball students, who have watched far too much "Jackass" and probably think tumbling into an apocalypse of crumbled steel should be fun, as long as somebody got footage of it for YouTube.  

I used to sink my 1993 Toyota Corolla into the muddy patch of earth that now supports Bright House Networks Stadium, and as a UCF alumnus, I'm proud of what my alma mater's accomplished. I'll admit, however, that I'm a little upset that it happened after I graduated in 2002. I remember being thrilled when they opened a Wendy's next to Sbarro in the student union. In my youthful naivete, I considered that significant progress.

But on-campus facilities and championship football games are a new level entirely. It's almost hard for me to get as excited about it as I probably should be. In fact, I read the Sentinel story as a metaphor for the state of UCF athletics. Sure, It's finally safe to show up, exhibit public support, maybe even celebrate a little. But don't get too excited, or you're going to get hurt.