Our core fan base? I don't think of those folks as our core fan base. Those are the fans most schools refer to as "side walk alumni" or "walk on alumni", and we have very few of them. They are the ones that we try to distance ourselves from because they are the ones who harbor the racism and old south symbolism of our past. We have a reputation as elitist snobs, that doesn't really play well with the "cap and t-shirt" crowd. The fact that these are the only Ole Miss fans that you know, and the ones that you base your opinions of Ole Miss on, speaks volumes.
I consider our core fan base the folks who come to Oxford 10-12 weekends per year; alumni of the university; fans who attend multiple games in every sport; residents of Oxford who came to Ole Miss as students and either never left, or came back at the first opportunity. I'm sure that we have fans who fit that bill and are racists, but to think that by and large our fan base consists of uneducated "Bamissippi" trailer park residents, the folks that you admittedly know and associate with, is very ignorant on your behalf. You should get out more. If you need any travel suggestions, NAFOOM's got you covered.
I don't know any fans walking around beating their chests and claiming that we are a few plays away from winning the west and contending for a national championship. Most of the folks I know are cautiously optimistic and pleased with the progress of our new coaching staff. We are hoping to win 6 and get to a bowl game. We've adjusted our expectations from the beginning of the season, when most of us predicted 3-4 wins. We'll look for improvement next year, what that entails remains to be seen.