Farmageddon: Auburn Fans Continue to Cope with Being Little Brother
By William Boot
In the few short days since Alabama beat Auburn (42-14, in case no one has mentioned it), the rationalization campaign has grown to full meltdown status. Within moments after the game, the “all in”(bred) crowd began deleting friends on Facebook and cranking out talking points for why Alabama should not play LSU for the BCS title.
One of the many anxiety-laced posts I have read today said that Alabama should not play for the BCS title because it is not a conference champion. Some barners have even gone so far as pasting a fake quote from Coach Saban to back up their argument. One other barner said that a team would not be allowed to play in the Super Bowl, The World Series, or the World Cup without winning their division. Clearly, he did not watch the Cardinals win the series this year.
In baseball, these teams have won the World Series without winning their division:
1997 Florida Marlins
2002 Anaheim Angels
2003 Florida Marlins
2004 Boston Red Sox
2011 St. Louis Cardinals
In football, these teams have won the Super Bowl without winning their division:
1969 Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl IV,
1980 Oakland Raiders-Super Bowl XV
1997 Denver Broncos-Super Bowl XXXII
2000 Baltimore Ravens-Super Bowl XXXV
2005 Pittsburgh Steelers-Super Bowl XL
2007 New York Giants-Super Bowl XLII
2010 Green Bay Packers-Super Bowl XLV
As far as the World Cup is concerned, no one cares about soccer. The argument is simply not valid. The sports world is filled with rematches. People love to see champions go toe-to-toe. The fans would rather see Ali fight Frazier twice than Ali fight Jean-Pierre Coopman once. The purpose of the BCS is a No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup; it’s not about giving everyone else a chance. This is not Upward football.
It is truly sad that the little brother mentality is alive and well on the plains. They appear to care more about Alabama losing than they care about their own team winning. In a way, it makes sense now. In three years of Chizik recruiting, their team is now worse than they were when he arrived.
Auburn fans are different creatures. They have an obsession with Alabama and take every chance to brag when they win. I will admit I wore a white button down with a red elephant on it to church on Sunday. I did not gloat, I did not mention the score, I did not point to the shirt and wave. Nothing upsets barners worse than being ignored. Alabama fans should act like we have won before. As Bear said, “It’s awfully important to win with humility.” Had the score been different, I have no doubt that the sanctuary on Sunday would have had more orange than an Oompa Loompa convention.
If the goal of the BCS is to pit No. 1 against No. 2, then the choice is pretty clear and only Georgia stands in the way. The Bulldogs have had a remarkable turnaround this season after an 0-2 start. They could do it. If they do, then maybe Alabama will play Oklahoma State or Stanford in New Orleans. Either way, little brother won’t like it. Perhaps cheering against their big brother is simply the easier route to moral victory.