interesting question. we should discuss the specifics of sidewalking.....
i personally feel you have to at least have some type of tie to the school, to make it genuine. i've always been of the opinion that you can be a fan of whoever you want, but if most people were truthful, they'd say that there's just ONE team out there, that you're really passionate about. that goes beyond one single sport, especially just football. you have to be for a state school, or within 4-6 hours of the school if you're out of state. maybe a family tie or something. or maybe you just like the colors.
but it cannot be because of anything that's variable, like a coach, winning, a player, etc. that's why it's always been tough for me to pick an NFL team. i have no ties to any of them.