Accuse me of what you will—I’ve heard it all: I’m ignoring the tradition and historical significance of Alabama-Tennessee… I’m going soft on my in-state rival Auburn and disrespecting the almighty Iron Bowl… I know, I know, but the thing is, I’m not alone when I say this:
Alabama-LSU is the Crimson Tide’s fiercest rivalry, hands-down.
But what about Alabama and Tennessee? The Third Saturday in October is a permanent fixture on Alabama and Tennessee’s schedules—although the game is not always scheduled for that exact date. While cigar shop owners in Tuscaloosa have this day circled every year, they can do little to revive this outdated rivalry of generations past.
It’s unfortunate too, because the bad blood between these two teams dates back to the late 1890s, and is rich in anecdotal stories of strength and determination, like Alabama’s first All-American, Bully Van de Graaff, who supposedly tried to pull the remainder of a cut-up ear off his head to continue playing in 1913.
Of course old-timers looking for justification will point to the success of the timeless Bear Bryant against the Volunteers and, more recently, Mount Cody’s famous “Rocky Block” from 2009 when Tennessee was coached by none other than Lane Kiffin. However, as far as younger fans are concerned, Tennessee is not a threat. After a nine-year winning streak, that dingy shade of orange just doesn’t get our blood boiling. But we’ll gladly keep buying cigars and acting like we enjoy them one day a year for old time’s sake.
So what about the almighty Iron Bowl? In 2014, ESPN reported that the Iron Bowl was named college football’s fiercest rivalry by a coaches’ poll. Well, of course it was; how could it not? It’s the classic matchup of in-state rivals. Agriculture school against society state school. Orange and blue versus crimson and white.
It’s an easily recognizable dichotomy within the state—Alabama or Auburn? You have to pick one or get out. There are no pro teams for us to pull for together, just nonstop sibling bickering 365 days a year—or at least, that’s what it’s hyped up to be.
The truth is Alabama and Auburn are very similar. Both programs and fan bases share similar values, and though the offensive and defensive schemes on the field may differ, fans from both sides share a mutual respect for each other, and above all, tradition and class.
(At this point I should mention that Harvey Updyke, an Alabama fan who famously poisoned the trees at Toomer’s Corner on Auburn’s campus, acted very much so alone. Alabama fans were overwhelmingly sympathetic to the loss of one of Auburn’s great traditions.)
So while we may “hate” each other like we’re supposed to, those of us that grew up in the state learned how to deal with each other. We all have friends, neighbors, and even family members that are fans of the wrong team. Their pets have awful names like Bo and Weagle, and the blue and orange flag outside their house needs to mysteriously go missing, but we still get along. The Iron Bowl is intense, but Bama fans and Auburn fans are civil. The state ties and physical inability to distance ourselves from one another keep things from getting out of hand.
The Alabama-LSU rivalry is another story.
Louisiana State University is the antithesis of Alabama when it comes to football.
The Tigers play mean, gritty football, while the Crimson Tide worries more about the process and fundamental execution.
Les Miles is a wild card. A grass-eating, trickery-loving wild card that turns every press conference into YouTube gold. Nick Saban is an old-school ball coach who chooses from a pre-approved list of about 10 words when speaking to the media.
Ask any Alabama fan who has attended a game in Baton Rouge, and they’ll tell you it’s a nasty swamp inhabited by obnoxious fanatics and reeks of corn dogs. Ask any LSU fan who has travelled to Tuscaloosa, and their complaints will be similar—without the corn dogs but more complaining about the litter.
Unlike the constant interaction between in-state rivals, Alabama and LSU fans typically only interact on game days, so they only see each other at their worst, when they are predisposed to hate each other.
While these two teams have been facing off since 1895, the flames have been fanned furiously in the past few years thanks to the recent success of both programs. That’s one reason why this rivalry causes Bama fans to grit their teeth harder than the others.
While the Iron Bowl may have its own documentary, and the “Kick Six” will be forever burned into our memories, there are certain aspects of Alabama-LSU that make this relatively new rivalry stand above all the rest.
First, there’s the fact that both teams have a claim to the best college football coach in the nation. Nick Saban has won National Championships as the head coach at both schools.
Then, there are the signature once-in-a-lifetime games, and we somehow got two of these matchups in one season. No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama played in the “Game of the Century” in 2011, which the Tigers won 9-6 in Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Tide would eventually redeem itself in the BCS National Championship Game by shutting out the Tigers 21-0 in New Orleans.
And then of course, there are the crazy headlines. To say that Alabama-LSU brings out the worst in people is a gross understatement. After the 2012 National Championship Game, a 33-year-old Alabama fan was arrested for “teabagging” a passed-out LSU fan at the Bourbon Street Krystal Burger restaurant.
While I can’t imagine what would push someone into the world of criminal teabagging, I can easily recall how nervous/ecstatic/furious the LSU game makes us feel every year, and how that shapes our collective opinion of the Tigers and their fans.
It might not be a historic rivalry like the Third Saturday in October, and it might not have a cool name like the Iron Bowl, but in recent years there has been something special about Alabama–LSU. The wins are electric. The losses are devastating. The highs and lows extend beyond the normal boundaries of any other game.
Yes, even the Iron Bowl.
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