Game of the Century II

The Big Easy. Three simple words that have a whole lot of meaning. To some, it simply is another name for the city of New Orleans. Looking at the task at hand for Alabama and LSU, I would say it is anything buteasy. It most certainly is BIG. New Orleans has been the site of many memorable college football games. 'Bama fans will never forget the “Goal Line Stand” against Penn State in January of 1979 and the upset of Miami in January 1993. LSU fans cherish both of their recent National Championships, which came from the same Louisiana Superdome in January 2004 and January 2008. I find it very fitting that the first ever National Championship matchup of BCS teams from one conference should take place in the Superdome.

LSU found its way into the big game the old fashioned way. They won every single game they played and ended the regular season as the only undefeated team. Alabama on the other hand needed the help of luck, fate, God, or whatever power you believe in. After a Nov 5th overtime loss to LSU, 'Bama fans knew the battle would be an uphill one to get back into the National Championship conversation.

The first positive sign came very quickly though. On Sunday Nov. 6 the BCS polls only dropped Alabama one spot to #3. Brad Edwards of ESPN, the proclaimed BCS guru, let everyone know though that a win by Stanford the next week would lift the Cardinal over 'Bama regardless if 'Bama won too. Crimson Tide fans also feared getting jumped by the 5th ranked Broncos of Boise St. if they also continued to win. What happened the following week could only be described as BCS chaos: Round 1. Not only did Stanford lose to Oregon in a beatdown, Boise State also lost to TCU ending any prayer they had of busting the BCS race.

So far, so good.

Many 'Bama fans put their hope in Oklahoma beating Oklahoma St. in the last regular season game of the year for the Big 12, but would that win catapult Oklahoma ahead of 'Bama? Well, Christmas came early for the 'Bama Nation in the form of BCS chaos: Round 2 beginning on a Friday night in Ames, Iowa. Lowly, unranked Iowa St. did the impossible, winning an overtime game against Oklahoma St. Then, on Saturday, Baylor defeated Oklahoma, which completely eliminated the Sooners from any future BCS championship game consideration. Alabama, continuing to win, rose back to the 2nd spot in the BCS with a comfortable lead over the 3rd place team, Arkansas, and all signs were pointing to a rematch with LSU. Alabama bulldozed its way past Auburn in what may have been the 2nd best defensive display I have ever seen from a 'Bama team (the 1st being from the 1993 Sugar Bowl against Miami).

With just “championship Saturday” to go, all looked like a lock for an SEC rematch in New Orleans for the National Championship. It was the first proclaimed time that the last weekend of college football would not matter at all. Boy, were the experts almost wrong. Two things needed to happen for Alabama to sit comfortably while they waited for the BCS announcements on Sunday.

1) Virginia Tech win the ACC championship game.

2) Oklahoma beat Oklahoma St. in the Bedlam game.

Neither of those 2 things happened. In fact, Oklahoma St. beat Oklahoma so badly that most began to lobby that Oklahoma St. deserved and had earned the right to play LSU instead of 'Bama.

OK, it’s time to stop telling this story with an unbiased tone. There is no way that a team that lost to the equivalent of Kentucky (we are talking football not basketball here people) has a better “resume” than a team whose only loss came in overtime to the consensus #1 team in the country. How do those two losses even compare? I will tell you what people were thinking. The general college football nation is tired of the SEC. They are tired of the SEC dominance. They have SEC fatigue, and they want so badly to see someone from some other conference win the National Championship. If the Polls and the Computers put 2 SEC teams in the BCS game they were simply handing a 6th straight Championship to the SEC. Many voters had an agenda and a rationale to support it with the Oklahoma St. blowout win. In a vote that would prove to be the closest race ever between the 2nd and 3rd ranked team, Alabama received just enough votes to keep them at #2 and setup “The Game of the Century II”.

Following the Tide

I am so excited to be going to my 3rd National Championship game featuring my beloved Crimson Tide. I was there in 1993 as a 14 year-old boy and then again in Pasadena in 2010 as a 31-year-old father of two. Playing for a National Championship doesn’t happen very often. To be able to attend two in a 3-year time span is just amazing. It is being said that this is going to be the hardest College Football ticket ever. Not difficult to get because no one is selling their ticket, but hard to get because no one can afford what people are asking for the tickets. With a face value of $300 and $350 most are asking scalping prices beginning at $1500 at ticket!

Tide. Tigers. Domination.

Now that all the facts are out of the way, lets talk about DOMINATION! Both of these teams have been beating the hell out of their competition. These are the best two teams in country and they deserve to finish what they started. New Orleans is going to be rocking in the days leading up to the game on Jan. 9th. The scene will be electric inside the Dome, and I expect a juggernaut game just like the first battle. Both teams are ruled by their defensive and running attacks. It is a shame that a team has to lose this game because I fully believe that each of these teams represent the best team that each school has ever had. A debate can be made on the 'Bama side because there have been some amazing Crimson Tide teams, but there is no question that this LSU team is the best Tiger team to ever come from Baton Rouge.

Only one team can hoist the gleaming crystal ball. I think that the Nick Saban lead Crimson Tide will get revenge from the overtime loss and once again be champions of the College Football world. I can’t think of a better bandage for the wounds of a Tornado stricken town. Football has been an escape for many people in Tuscaloosa. What a fitting year to bring #14 home to the great people of a great state from one of the greatest places to play in a National Championship game, New Orleans. Three simple words: The Big Easy. It won’t be easy, but it just may be the biggest win for the Crimson Tide Nation in a long, long time! Roll Tide!

Iron Bowl Beatdown 42-14!!!!!!

    DOMINATION!! Never Again!!!  Those two phrases were used a great deal this season.  The phrase "Never Again" was made after Bama gave up a 24 point lead in last year's Iron Bowl.  Understand this, that phrase was not intended to say that we would never lose to Auburn again. That is inevitable that we will lose to them again.  It was made to say that we would never blow another 24 point lead again against anyone we play.  That phrase was embedded in our team and we did not blow the lead this time.
     I thought it was perfectly poetic and ironic that the score at halftime this year was exactly the same as last year, 24-7. What a perfect scenario to take to the locker room.  I can just hear Saban now. "Guys, here we are again.  Same Score.  So what are you going to do about it?  Are you going to keep competing?  Are you going to finish?  How bad do you want it?"  The team comes back out to start the 2nd half and what happens?  Bama doesn't let them score on the 2nd offensive play of the half like last year.  No, they let them score on the opening kickoff to make it 24-14!!!  Holy Moly this is not happening again is it?  No, it was not happening again.  I know every Auburn fan was happy about that score, but I'm also sure that most knew that based on the how the game had gone so far that Auburn had absolutely no offensive output at all and no real chance to win that game. The only way they were going to keep scoring was if the Crimson Tide made mistakes. Their first score came off of a sack where the ball laid in the end zone and all Auburn had to do was fall on it...7 points.  Alabama polished off the win with a pick 6 and a touchdown by Jalston Fowler that was set up by a 50+ yard Heisman worthy run by the beast, Trent Richardson.  Final score on the board was 42-14.  A beatdown!! It is also a good look at just how good and deep Alabama is everywhere on the field except for a kicker (we currently have the #1 kicker in the country coming next season).  The end of the game also brought about my favorite time of the game...the Rammer Jammer.  I especially like singing it when we actually did "beat the hell" out of them.  Singing that song in their stadium is so sweet that I can't even describe the feeling it gives me.
    Let's talk about the atmosphere and the stadium that is Jordan-Hare.  The atmosphere at almost any SEC school is just fantastic.  The Iron Bowl atmosphere is on steroids.  Auburn hates Alabama and Alabama hates Auburn.  We heard a bit of smack talk but it was better than getting spit on like we got last time we went in 2005.  We had quite a hike on our hands getting to our seats.  We were in Section 100 row 35.  This is the very last row at the very top of the stadium. My favorite part about theses seats are that there is about a 6 foot track behind the last row that extends the entire upper deck.  We were able put all our stuff behind us and I was able to walk around as I pleased up there.  Their sound system is fantastic and always has been since I've been going to games there.  One of the things that I think desperately needs to be replaced there is the secondary scoreboard that they have.  It looks like is from 1980.  They need to add a second jumbotron badly.
   The 76th Iron Bowl is in the books.  Alabama now holds a 41-34-1 record in the series and has won 3 out of the last 4.  Alabama with Saban is now 3-2 in this game, so it feels good to get on the winning side of the record.  The Crimson Tide is now awaiting the last BCS standings that will come out on December 4th to find out if it will indeed get a rematch shot at LSU in the National Championship game.  Then Trent Richardson will find out on December 10th if he becomes the 2nd Alabama player in 3 years to win the Heisman Trophy(which he should win just for arguments sake).  He is without a doubt the best player in the country.  So here is to hoping for the best over the next 2 weeks and let's get ready to DOMINATE!!!  ROLL TIDE!!!! 42-14

It's Iron Bowl week!!!!!

Well, this is it!!  This is the day that the state of Alabama waits for 365 days a year.  On one side you have the Alabama Crimson Tide and on the other you have the Auburn Tigers.  Both hate each other.  Both think that the other fan base marries their cousins and has no teeth and never bathes.  I love it.  You think you are better than me and I think I am better than you.  What a rivalry.  Only with the Iron bowl do you not speak to your opposing friends during the week of the game.  Do me a favor and count your friends when you get a chance.  I bet the majority of your friends are fans of your favorite team.  Sure I have some friends that are Auburn fans, but I don't have many of them.  That is just fine by me and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Some years this game is for no more than in state bragging rights.  Other years it means just a bit more than that.  For the past 2 seasons, it has meant a great deal more for both teams.  In 2009, Alabama needed to beat Auburn to remain unbeaten with a National Championship in mind.  In 2010, the roles were reversed with Auburn needing a win to keep it's National Championship dreams alive.  In both cases the team that needed the win got it.  So here we are again in 2011 and the story has not changed.  Alabama once again needs a win to keep it's hopes and dreams alive.  LSU plays Arkansas on Friday and if the Tigers prevail over the Razorbacks, all Alabama will have to do is beat Auburn and they will punch their ticket to New Orleans for the BCS Title game on Jan 9th.

The storyline for this years game goes like this.  Alabama is playing with what many consider to be the best Defense Alabama has ever put on a field.  They lead every statistical Defensive category in the country.  Auburn is playing with what some would consider to be the worst Defense Auburn has ever put on the field.  I can't say if it is the worst ever or not since I don't follow their program, but I do know that when they lose, they lose big and they give up a lot of points.  Alabama will be bringing Heisman hopeful Trent Richardson along for the party and he is one tough man to bring down. Couple him with Alabama's stiff defense and I just don't see Auburn winning this game.  Alabama has a horrid long distance field goal kicker, so if Auburn can keep Bama from getting inside the 20 all day long, then it will be a long day for the Crimson Tide.  I predict that the score will be 35-14 BAMA!!!!

Now this next paragraph may make some people angry but this is my blog and I'll say what I want to.  I HATE Auburn.  I'll repeat that if you didn't catch it.  I HATE AUBURN!!!!  I am a die hard Bama fan.  I hope that everyone that claims to be a Bama fan hates them too.  There are some that say they hate Tennessee more.  Some claim to hate LSU more.  I don't see how anyone can hate anyone more than Auburn.  I think that most people that claim more hate for another team live in the state of that hated team because if you live in Alabama there is no way you can put up with barners(what Bama fans call Auburn fans due to their Agricultural school ties and just FYI they refer to us as Bammers) .  My favorite thing Auburn fans do is complain and make fun of our 13 national championships.  We shouldn't count this year and we can't count that year, yet they love to bring up 1993 and 2004 when they went undefeated but could not win due to NCAA sanctions and a lack of love from the media when there were 3 undefeated teams and they were holding the short straw.  Well you know what? If you had claim to 13 national championships, you would claim them just like we do.  So pot meet the kettle.  I understand it all though.  If I had been born in bizarro world and I was an Auburn fan I would be jealous of Bama too.  If I had 2 national championships and they had 13, I would hate them too.  I would get tired of seeing the t-shirts...Got 13?  But it is not Bizzaro World and I'm a Bama fan and I'm proud of our 13 National Titles and I love hating Auburn!!!!!!  So screw you Auburn I hope we stomp a mud hole in you on Saturday.  I hope I'm singing Rammer Jammer in your stadium and I hope your sections are empty because you started leaving in the 3rd quarter.  I hope we bookend your National Championship with 2 of our own, then you can bitch and moan about how stupid our "Got 14" shirts are.  And you know what?  I'll love every minute of it.  Roll Tide!!  Beat the Barn!!!  It's coming....Thunder.....Thunder....THUNDER......DOMINATION!!!!!

Does anyone else smell Corndogs?

To say that the Alabama vs. LSU game is big would be a great understatement.  What's funny though is the fact that winning this game gets the victor nothing more than closer to the ultimate goal.  No one will walk off the field with a trophy or a conference championship.  No one will even leave with a Western Division Championship.  All they get is a W.  What they don't get is probably the most important.  They don't get a L in the win/loss column.  The winner gets to move forward towards an undefeated season and a shot a National Championship.  The reason this game is so important is because most people think that the eventual National Champion will come from this game.  A big question running around is "should there be a rematch if people truly think these are the 2 best teams?"  My vote is "No."  This is each teams chance to win.  Lose and you should be done.  Do I believe that these are in fact the 2 best teams in the county? "Yes", but let's say that Bama wins at home and then LSU wins in New Orleans, LSU would win the trophy.  Why?  They are 1-1.  Now if you want to have a best of 3, then sure let them keep playing.  That is not how it works though, and another team should get a shot in the National Championship game.


The history of the Alabama vs LSU game is not what I would call very storied. LSU and Alabama have played every year since the 1960s, with Alabama holding a historic edge in the series, 43–24–5. Many trace the origins of the rivalry back to a 15-game undefeated streak Alabama had in Tiger Stadium, which is generally considered to be one of the most hostile atmospheres in college football.  That's right...Alabama won in what many people consider the "hardest place to play" 15 times in a row starting in 1969.  This rivalry really grew it's legs in the 2000's when none other than Nick Saban became the coach of the Bengal Tigers.  He then began to stock pile talent and won LSU their 2nd National championship.  Then in 2007 LSU backed their way into the National Championship game with not 1 but 2 loses.  The last loss came with the last regular season game against Arkansas in overtime.  I am still in awe over a team with 2 loses getting into the National Championship game.  Regardless of the circumstance, LSU won the game they needed to and defeated Ohio State for their 3rd National championship this time under Les "the hat" Miles.  When Saban returned to College Football from his short stint with the Dolphins and came to Alabama that added even more fuel to the fire.  Since Saban came to Alabama in 2007 he is 2-2 against Les Miles, so this years game will tilt the scales one way or the other.  


I love how both fan bases are so confident that their team will win.  That is how it should be. LSU has destroyed every team they have played, so has Alabama.  The game will probably come down to which team makes the critical mistake that leads to points for the other team.  Who do I think will win?  You aren't seriously asking this question are you?  Of course I think Alabama will win.  Why?  Because we are home, we are deeper, we are stronger, we have a chip on our shoulders, and we know how to DOMINATE!!!  So get ready because the THUNDER is coming!!!  Bryant-Denny Stadium will be louder than ever before and if you are there you better be standing up yelling your guts out!!  When our guys are about to leave the locker room to prove they are the best I hope Saban tells them "You've waited your entire life guys for a moment like this. This is your chance to prove that all the hard work, the blood sweat and tears was all worth it. Your chance to do something great for the people of this city and state. Go out there and Dominate those coon asses!!! Play hard and strong for 60 minutes and take what is rightfully yours...1,2,3 DOMINATE!!!!!!"

Rocky Top, You'll Never be Home Sweet Home to Me

What does the Third Saturday in October mean you you?  I know what it means to me.  It takes me back to Chilly October Saturdays, the smell of grills cooking and fans trash talking each other.  It reminds me of Legion Field and Neyland Stadium.  I recall the smokey mountains in Gatlingburg and the Burning Bush Restaurant.

All these memories started for me in 1989 at Legion Field, when an undefeated Alabama took the field with a running back by the name of Siran Stacy.  He ran all over Tennessee as Alabama beat the Vols that day by a score of 47-30.  Ah, my first win over the Volunteers from The Foothills of Tennessee.  I remember walking to the stadium with my shaker in hand chanting "Tennessee fans volunteer to lose"  with my Pawpaw and Meme right by my side, just as proud as they could be. Meme would tell me "don't count your chickens before they hatch"  Maybe I was a bit over confident for an 11 year old but everyone needs a little swagger about them, right?

This series with Tennessee has always been streaky.  That win in 1989 was the 4th win in a row for bama that would eventually turn into 9 games without a lose.  Then in 1995 Bama lost to them in the very place I first saw them win, Legion Field.  Led by Peyton Manning, Tennessee scored on the very first play from scrimmage and the rest of that night was a brutal memory for me as we lost 41-14.  The Vols went on a streak of their own, winning the next 6 games in the series for a 7 game win streak.  The series went back and forth for the next few years with Bama winning 1, then Tennessee winning 2, then Bama with 1, then one last one for Tennessee in 2006, Shula's last year as our coach.

Welcome 2007, the year Saban came to save us all.  Here comes the streak again.  Every year since has been all Bama, with the only close game being in 2009, which should not have been a close game at all and wasn't till about 2 minutes left in the game.  To say it was a defense struggle the entire game would be an understatement with Alabama only scoring on 4 field goals.  With those 2 minutes left, the score was 12-3 and Bama had the ball.  All we needed to do was run out the clock.  What happens next can only be explained by higher powers.  Mark Ingram fumbles the ball and in a few quick plays Tennessee scores a touchdown making the score 12-10.  "Ok we are still good" I'm thinking.  "They won't get this onside kick."  Well guess again. They get the kick and have the ball with about a minute left.  They make a nice pass over one of our linebackers and they are inside the 30 with time left for a last minute kick to win the game.  There was a Tennessee fan right behind us and I look up at him and say good game, you did what you had to do to win.  They were about to kick a game winning field goal and ruin our undefeated season and our chance at a National Championship.  Remember I said that only a higher power could explain what happened?  As they snapped the ball to the holder, Mount Cody busted his way thru the line and blocked the kick, and as the boom of the block shook the stadium, the explosion of the crowd took over. I felt what can only be described as pure bliss, joy, disbelief.  He saved our season, which eventually turned into a crystal ball.  The other Alabama vs Tennessee games have been blow-outs.

So as we get ready to go for 5 in a row, I take this time to reflect on my 23 games I've watched in this series and remember my grandfather, the wins, the losses, the joy, the pain, and the history of this rivalry that began long before I arrived.  Roll Tide!!!  May we continue to DOMINATE!!  I'll leave you with a bit of tradition.  As Tennessee brings "Rocky Top" into our stadium, we as bama fans will sing along with them but with different lyrics than they use.

"Rocky Top you'll never be, home sweet home to me
F_CK You Rocky Top, Go to HELL Tennessee!!"

Why I DOMINATE?

People often tell me, jokingly I think, "you sure say dominate all the time. Why do you like that word?" Maybe some people just don't get it.  Maybe some people don't like it.  If you are going to do anything right in life you must own it.  Be the best you can be at it. To borrow a great quote from one of my favorite movie Trilogies The Matrix  

Agent Smith: Why, Mr. Anderson? Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting for something? For more than just your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson. Vagaries of perception. The temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desparately to justify an existence that is without meaning or porpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. Why, Mr. Anderson? Why?! Why do you persist?!

Neo: Because I choose to.

It is not secret to anyone that knows me that I love Alabama Football.  I have loved it for as long as I can remember.  The first game I have any memory of going to was the 1987 Iron Bowl.  Alabama lost that game 0-10.  We lost but it was no big deal, I had lost many park and rec games though out my early sporting career.  Maybe we would win next time I thought.  Then it happened.  The one event the shaped the course of my football loving future.  As my mom and I were leaving the stadium a Auburn fan came right up to me and my mom and shook their shaker right in our faces and yelled at the top of their lungs..."War Eagle!!!  Bama Sucks!!  Go home Bama Losers!!!"  That one rude fan taught me all I needed to know, this was more than a game...it was personal.  Bama went on to lose the next 2 Iron Bowls as well.  I was older and much wiser when I saw the 1990 Iron Bowl at Legion Field.  We beat Auburn 16-7 and that was, up to that point, the greatest time in my life.  I remember thinking, in the mid 4th quarter after kicking a field goal to make it a 2 score game,we are finally going to win.  That victory, that domination, showed me what it felt like to defeat that which you hate the most.  Fast forward 17 years.  The 2006 season was dismal to say the least.  We were coached by Mike Shula and it was time for him to be relieved of his duties.  Who would we hire, who could we get?  Who would want to come coach this once proud program that had been left at the bottom of the SEC barrel?  Well as you know now, we landed the best coach in the country, Nick Saban.  He reminded me of what it means to Dominate.  He uses the word like I use it.  Be relentless, be strong and give 100% in everything that you do.  Alabama is 43-5 since 2008.  I would say that is Dominating!!  

So to answer the question that so many ask, Why do I dominate? Why do I say it all the time?  Why do I teach my children to do it?  Because I choose to.  If you don't understand or agree then you might end up getting PROCESSED!!