An observation about Auburn fans and the Alabama/Auburn relationship.

I get what you guys are saying about Tennessee, but Auburn and Malzahn this year should just reinforce one thing: in college sports, the thing that matters is the head coach. James Franklin and David Cutcliffe have shown that as well - a team will rise (or fall) to the level of their coach.

If Tennessee were to get the right hire (debatable considering their finances) they would be competitive again.

BigEasyTider said:

Two points in specific:

(1) Even if 'Bama wins on a field goal, that doesn't change the fact that Gus took Auburn from 3-9 to 10-2. That's a very good coaching job regardless of the outcome of the Iron Bowl.

(2) Gus runs the same thing now that he ran when he showed up at Auburn nearly five years ago, and if opposing defenses haven't figured it out by now, it's not happening any time soon. Also, regarding Texas A&M, even after the SEC whole "a whole year of film" to review, A&M still finished 7th nationally, and 1st in the SEC, in points per game at nearly 44 per game, even though they basically mailed it in the past two weekends of the season.

In general, a misdirection-based offense with multiple run and pass threats built into nearly every look -- provided you have real talent executing it (i.e. not a Georgia Tech or a military academy) -- is very, very difficult to stop. That's really all the wishbone was, and we lit up scoreboards with it for over a decade with Bryant.

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Just as much good coaching by GM as bad coaching by GC; talent level was about the same.

We should give GM his due, he did a great job this year and in this game. In fact, as others have alluded, in a way it compliments Bama that it takes a great offensive mind to beat us. Think of this way: As good as GM was on Saturday, we outgained the offensive genius by 100 yards, missed 4 FGs, turned it over on downs in the red zone, dropped 2 sure touchdown passes - and then lost on the final snap on a play that has only happened 4 other times in the history of the FBS division. GM is great, but Alabama ain't going anywhere.

EDIT: I'll also add this. Does everyone realize we only punted 3 times the whole game and only once in the 2nd half? We led by 7 at the half and only punted once after halftime - and lost. How often does that happen?

Number one Its a college football game. Many of our greatest victories have been against overwhelming odds and or perceived superior competition. It's what college football is all about. The ball is shaped in such a manner that it's bounce is unpredictable. Lighten up. We came out on the wrong end this time.
I live in Tennessee. Hate the vols.Used to wear them out constantly.I was an A......Alabama would lose, they wore me out. Finally,after much soul searching I accepted I was reaping what I had sown. There are obstinate fans everywhere.There are probably more down south where we tend to wear our feelings. Any of US that feel we are superior to Auburn or anyone else's fans is basically asking for any grief they get. Take the high road and stop badgering your opponent and you will discover that they will do likewise. Not always as fast as we would hope,but they will. Takes two to tango.Be it race,politics ,sports you name it an antagonistic approach begets antagonism.It's a game.
Bamanut aj........my sentiments exactly over the spilt beer. That's my two cents worth RTR

dabamafan said:

Number one Its a college football game. Many of our greatest victories have been against overwhelming odds and or perceived superior competition. It's what college football is all about. The ball is shaped in such a manner that it's bounce is unpredictable. Lighten up. We came out on the wrong end this time.
I live in Tennessee. Hate the vols.Used to wear them out constantly.I was an A......Alabama would lose, they wore me out. Finally,after much soul searching I accepted I was reaping what I had sown. There are obstinate fans everywhere.There are probably more down south where we tend to wear our feelings. Any of US that feel we are superior to Auburn or anyone else's fans is basically asking for any grief they get. Take the high road and stop badgering your opponent and you will discover that they will do likewise. Not always as fast as we would hope,but they will. Takes two to tango.Be it race,politics ,sports you name it an antagonistic approach begets antagonism.It's a game.
Bamanut aj........my sentiments exactly over the spilt beer. That's my two cents worth RTR

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I disliked this post because it's just wrong--at least the parts I bolded (is that a word?).

Special K said:

EDIT: I'll also add this. Does everyone realize we only punted 3 times the whole game and only once in the 2nd half? We led by 7 at the half and only punted once after halftime - and lost. How often does that happen?

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The problem - 4 other possessions ended with missed FG attempts, which are worse than punts for a number of reasons.

westide said:

We have one Barner fan in our family. We call him a genetic mutation. We have discussed electric shock treatment, counseling, and drugs, but we finally decided it is just something we have to live with. We just look at him and are thankful. There but for the grace of God, go I.

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Bless his heart...........:biggrin:

Mob-Bama said:

I disliked this post because it's just wrong--at least the parts I bolded (is that a word?).

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The best is to never have antagonized anyone in the first place.

Well said. I have long thought that Auburn's entire identity as a program is tied up in hating Alabama. They will pay any price, take any criminal dismissed from other schools, compromise their entire integrity for a shot at beating the Tide. It is an obsession. Even now, they celebrate more because Alabama lost than because Auburn won.

If you want to know the primary differences between these two programs I can summarize them in two sentences.
1. Alabama has 15 national championships, Auburn has 2*.
2. Alabama goes 11-1 and many people (myself not included) regard it as a failure and Saban is criticized by the media and fans alike. Auburn goes 11-1 and it is unanimously hailed as a miracle season, head coach is Coach Of The Year.

That's all you need to know about this rivalry.

*both national championships engulfed in pay-for-play scandals

B1GTide said:

The problem - 4 other possessions ended with missed FG attempts, which are worse than punts for a number of reasons.

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Exactly my point. When you only punt once in the 2nd half, you should put up more than 7 points. ANY SCORE on one of those drives and we win the game.

CrimsonCrusade said:

2. Alabama goes 11-1 and many people (myself not included) regard it as a failure and Saban is criticized by the media and fans alike. Auburn goes 11-1 and it is unanimously hailed as a miracle season, head coach is Coach Of The Year.

That's all you need to know about this rivalry.

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I had this conversation just today with co-workers (2 of which were tennessee fans) and they all agreed!

What bugs me is that we are now on Thursday the week after and a ton of my barner "friends" are still posting IB pictures and stuff. I'm thinking hey idiots you have a fairly big game this weekend, remember? Also to the OP's point, I saw several people saying go #11. If you don't know the player who wears the number, you don't gloat or celebrate, you're not a fan.

What do they celebrate most about 2010, the IB win or the NC? I know I celebrate our NC more from 2009 and not the IB win.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk, so my fat fingers cause misspellings and autocorrect makes my ships into...

We don't have to base our entire existence around them like they do us, but still, they are our biggest rival. It's not tennessee. It didn't suddenly change to LSU just because Saban came from there. It's still Auburn.

Oh NO it is NOT. Beat Tennessee

luvthat_TIDE said:

Oh NO it is NOT. Beat Tennessee

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That's not a rivalry anymore.

Also to the OP, I have a friend who's family owns a chain of fan gear (fever/spirit) stores in Alabama. They have told me that Bama gear sells consistently, but they can always tell what kind of year the barn is having because if it's a down year, they can't give the stuff away.

I don't mind the dedicated (insert favorite school here) fan. Regardless of the name of the school and team they support - Tide, Tigers, Blazers, etc. - they are true fans day in and day out, no matter whether their team wins or loses.
It's the bandwagon fans I can't stand. Those fakers either half-heartedly cheer for the winning team or worse, they completely ignore 'their' team just because that team loses a game or might be having a down year. They're also the ones who will be the first to leave their seats during a game if it's obvious their team will lose. Yet if and when their team wins, they'll put on every piece of team gear they can get their hands on and strut around as if they themselves had a part in the victory.
I know a few of those, and I can't stand to be around them.

I started to pen a long letter about the importance of living in Bama and beating the barn. I was there for 14 years, '71 to '85. Then I decided that if you live in Bama and you don't understand the importance of winning the IB, nothing I say is going to matter. And you are entitled to your opinion. This is mine...Roll Tide, Roll...A'ight!

luvthat_TIDE said:

We don't have to base our entire existence around them like they do us, but still, they are our biggest rival. It's not tennessee. It didn't suddenly change to LSU just because Saban came from there. It's still Auburn.

Oh NO it is NOT. Beat Tennessee

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Tennessee has never been Alabama's biggest rival. They are 90% irrelevant now. They consider Bama their biggest rival, sure, but they're just a nuisance. We've beaten them 7 years in a row by an average margin of 20+ points. I hate them passionately and their fans are incredibly delusional and crass, but they're no Auburn. And I live in Tennessee.

Alabama rivals ranked in order of importance:
1. Auburn
2. LSU
3. Tennessee
4. Ole Miss
5. Mississippi State

My grandson told me this morning that he sorta pulled for the Barn sometime during the game. His reasoning: to see if the world would end with a Bama loss. He is an Aggie fan.

I told him the world didn't come to an end or hasn't yet, but he had a "sad Papa" and the only way to pep me up would be a rematch and a BIG WIN in the BCSCG!