I'll never forget an interview I heard with former Tech/Bama/Kentucky coach Bill Curry. This was several years ago and Alabama had just fired Coach Shula. The radio station did the obligatory Let's-interview-Curry-because-he-knows-how-football-crazy-Alabama-is story. As I remember it, Bama had come out the prior week and said Shula was going to be their coach for at least another year.
Then, Auburn beat Bama. Again.
It is just different in Alabama. Winning is bigger and losing is bigger. It's more important. More important than anywhere else, I think. I speak only from third person experience.
I hate to lose and hate for my team to lose and I can't imagine anyone taking it more seriously than I and my fellow Bulldog supporters. But Alabama and Auburn supporters do. They take it more seriously.
If you study college football as intently as I do, you realize that it has in large part, become an exercise in math. Money to pay coaches + money to build facilities + the population of your state + the average temperature in your state (more days to get outside and for highschoolers to play sports) + TV viewership (makes recruits want to come) + number of scholarships available + the academic requirements of your school versus the competition = a certain measurement of success.
There's another variable that can not be understated. And it takes me back to what Bill Curry said. "Alabama will win championships again because it is so important to the people of Alabama."
Alabama tried to assess things from a rational point of view, using the same diagnostics that any one else might use. Shula had won, Shula had been reasonably good. By any other standard, Shula deserved a chance to be successful. But he had lost to Auburn too many times. And they had forgotten how bad that one hurts. Faced with the prospects of a good coach and some potential success, they wanted a GREAT coach and GUARANTEED success, no matter the cost ... period.
My point again. Other SEC teams think they want guaranteed success no matter the cost. They don't. Not compared to the schools in Alabama. They want it more. I'm not being critical, nor am I envious. Ok maybe a tad envious. But mainly, I marvel at the spectacle.
I think the main difference in fan bases around the SEC is the difference in the powerful people who actually make the decsions. Every fan base has casual fans and rabid fans. The question sits more with the posture of the movers and shakers.
Alabama - "Roll Tide!" Football is more important to UA than at anywhere else. They're also pretty good at it!
Auburn - "War Eagle!" Really close to a tie with Bama but I think maybe it's a tad less important. The main difference is not between Auburn grads and Bama grads but the fact that the other residents of Alabama usually side with U of A.
Tennessee - "Go Vols!" Incredibly crazy, rapid fan base but they do not have the recruiting base to compete indefinitely and they don't have a rival like Auburn that drives them to the nth degree.
LSU - "Geaux Tigers!" See above. In my experience, a tad shy of the intensity that the Vol fan has. But they have better athletes and better recruiting base.
The above schools are just more serious about football. The second group is still a bunch of football crazy lunatics. Just not as prodigious... Think about the difference between a rampaging elephant and a rampaging rhino.
5 South Carolina - in the same boat as Tennessee. They probably haven't had enough success over the years to fuel the flames but they're incredibly loyal.
6 Florida - I think at one point, I would've put them in the upper group but there's some apathy that's crept in there.
7 Georgia - It can be third down and goal late in the game and some dude in my section is trying to lock down his plans for Jacksonville. "Jack, ah we stayin at St Simons this yee-uh or down at Amelia Island?"
8 Arkansas - truth be told, I really don't know
The Mississippis belong in a category by themselves. Probably pretty serious fans, just don't have many of the other variables that can get them over the top ... so why bother?
11 Kentucky - truth be told, basketball really is more important. But football pays the bills so we better put a team together.
12 Vanderbilt - "Wouldn't it be a delight if we were to outmatch the Vols this year before we leave for Grand Cayman?"
Anyway, congrats to Alabama on another championship. Maybe one day, my Dawgs will enjoy one. We just won't enjoy it quite as much as they do in the state to the west.
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