Well folks, I must start by saying that I am still in mourning after seeing my beloved Bama blow a 24 point lead that no other team in the history of Alabama football has managed to do. Of my picks last week, I of course missed the Bama-Burn result and also didn't give enough credit to Tennessee and the powerhouse (cough, cough) of Wake Forest. The other picks played out as I thought they would. For the rest of my blog I want to focus on the Iron Bowl.
Well, I must say, I had a front row seat to what may be the crowning of what may be the best football team to ever come out of the plains. After the quick start that Bama came out with I'll admit, I thought that there wasn't any team in the nation that was going to pick themselves up of the turf to come back from something like that. I'll admit, I was wrong. While I was on cloud 9 for the first quarter and a half of the Iron Bowl, the next two and a half were pure agony for me to watch as a Bama fan but pretty entertaining as a college football fan. I have been to alot of college football games in my time and seen alot of great players live (Hershel Walker, Bo Jackson, Tim Tebow, Peyton and Eli Manning, and I could go on and on), I have never seen a team faced with what the Auburn Tigers and their QB, Cam Newton were faced with and react with the poise that I saw on Friday afternoon/night. The confidence that that team has in Cam Newton is something to behold. If there was any doubt that Cam Newton is the best player in college football, those doubts should have been put to bed after the Iron Bowl. Most other players in college football would have been too busy tripping over their bottom lips after being down like that to their cross state rivals and defending National Champs but not this kid. He got hit, he got knocked down again and again, he couldn't just run around and over a team like he has been able to all year but he still managed to put that offense on his back and help win it with his arm and his head. He maintained his focus and because of that, Auburn is still in the National title hunt.
I have purposely avoided writing about the rumors and allegations surrounding Cam Newton because I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of those rumors and allegations by simply being a Alabama grad and fan. Having that been said, I have to say this....to all Auburn fans, if you have learned nothing from the past decade plus of Alabama football it should be this...where there is smoke, there is usually fire. If you had spent half as much time actually reading up on the Albert Means situation at Bama as you have defending the actions of people involved in the Cam Newton incident, you'd know that there is actually more evidence in the Cam Newton situation than there was with Albert Means and you see where that got us (the Bama Nation). I know that there are fans out there on both sides (Bama and Auburn) that do nothing but wish the worst on the other side. For the most part, I have seen that most of these ignorant fans have very seldom set foot on either campus and certainly don't usually hold a degree from either University. The way that they seem to support "their University" is to choose to try and bring down the other by immediately jumping to conclusions and trying to downplay the success of the rival school. Along the same lines, Bama and Auburn fans tend to "drink the kool-aid" and defend their teams and coaching staffs even after they may have been caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar. College football is a crazy world with more rules and regulations than the normal fan could even wrap their mind around and for me to sit here and say that I understand it all, would be a gross overstatement of fact but if being a college football fan in the state of Alabama has taught me anything, it has taught me this...the beloved NCAA loves to be able to stick it to a organization from this state, regardless of whether they are wearing orange and blue or crimson and white. Step out of line in this state, get caught and you are screwed. If either one of our organizations would have been found guilty of the situations that have arisen in programs such as Florida State, Miami and USC we would both be playing each other in flag football. That is why earlier this year you saw Nick Saban bench outstanding defensive lineman Marcell Dareus when allegations were made that he attended a party in Miami where his expenses were paid for by a NFL player agent. Saban made the decision that this one player was not bigger than the program and chose to suspend him until the investigation was concluded. If you compare this to the Cam Newton situation, the decision has been made that they are basically putting all their chips on the table ("ALL IN") supporting Newton and as a result putting the future of the program in jeopardy. I'm not saying this is a wrong decision, I'm just saying this...if this one turns out wrong Auburn fans, you have no one to blame but yourselves. Not Alabama, not Mississippi State and not Florida.
So, my message to Auburn fans....enjoy the ride! Last year was magical for us (Bama fans). We got another National Championship, third in a row for the SEC and our first Heisman Trophy winner and this year, you have the exact same possibility for your team. Focus on your teams' accomplishments and don't worry about all the folks talking smack, cause there are plenty of them and don't stoop to their level. Have class and don't continually feel that you have to put down the other state school to make yourself feel worthy or something. Oh yeah, and pray that Cam Newton is squeaky clean cause if you give the NCAA an inch, they will take a mile (we know from experience).
To my fellow Bama fans....GET OVER YOURSELVES! Let's base our judgements off what we know to be fact and try this one on for size, we got our butts kicked for two and a half quarters by our cross state rival and lost the most important game of our season by a point. FACT! Good natured ribbing is all well and good but to purposely wish ill on the other school is just stupid. We have something in this state that most college football fans would love to have....two top programs that can play with anyone at anytime and anywhere, PERIOD! There are several things that give me goose bumps at a Bama game but one that you will see nowhere else but in the SEC is when we all go to bowl games and defeat whoever we play and what is the first chant that you will hear coming from the stands? It's that good old SEC-SEC-SEC chant! It doesn't matter if you are wearing Crimson and White- Orange and Blue- Orange and White- Purple and Gold- Red and Black or whatever, the chant remains the same and we ALL do it. We had our time in the sun last year so get off your high horse and wish our brothers from another mother on the other side of the state our best and maybe, just maybe at the end of this season, the SEC is raising another crystal football!
Sorry for my rambling, but I had to get it off my chest and say my piece to all the ignorant Alabama and Auburn fans out there. If I offended you....get over it! You don't have to read my blog anymore. I grew up in society where every kid that played a sport didn't get a trophy so blame my upbringing. Quit your crying!
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