re: Who is Alabama's biggest rival?

Yeah, AU is an eastern team. AU and Tech, espically back in the day, were like minded in terms of academics. The first chance we get to bounce back east, we will. We would drop the IB without thinking about it.

Let's dewit. I'll call Bham this afternoon.

Well there's a lot of comments ITT and OTB that suggest that VOLS are Bamas most important rival sooooo make of that what you will.


Or don't, idc

Lots of words and meaningless stats is kind of Kyles thing

quote:

---

Tennessee however has always been good with the exception of the last few years.

---

not really, they have had several periods of mediocrity, like everyone.

quote:

---

Mal Moore was on the record as saying the TSIO would be played before the Iron Bowl.

---

do you have this quote? I thought it was just we will be keeping the TSIO, no mention of AU

Personally, I would rather have the old 10 team SEC, and we all play each other. But I guess I am in the minority.

Auburn is an in state rival. It is more about bragging rights. It is about going to work, church, or school, and having the satisfaction of saying,"Oh yeah, who won?" It is intense at time for some fans. There was good reason they cancelled the game for like 40 years. It starts a lot of arguments which can and has led to fights..
UT is the game where Bama sees how tough they really are. It is a mid season match up between two conference traditional powers.It is often a slobberknocker. The way it is now, is the way it is supposed to be.(UT has had a rough decade, I know, but I go back several decades). This is the game where each team finds out just how good they really are. To compare these rivalries to me as a Bama fan is to compare apples and oranges.

quote:

---

Do you feel belittled that in my opinion UT is Bama's biggest rival?

I think I'd hate it if you feel belittled because of one Bammer's opinion.

---

no but I do find it funny sometimes and the thread from the other day had the opposite side. A bama fan got rustled/belittled because an Auburn fan said UGA was a bigger rival

quote:

---

no but I do find it funny sometimes and the thread from the other day had the opposite side. A bama fan got rustled/belittled because an Auburn fan said UGA was a bigger rival

---

The really weird thing here is that a UGA fan feels rustled that some Bama fans think Tennessee is our bigger rival and not Auburn. He even "ran the numbers"...WTF?

quote:

---

The people that lived through the 20s, 30s, and 40s, probably didn't give much thought to Auburn because we didn't play. UT easily became the big rival. [quote]

That I would say is certainly true.

[quote] They continued being the big rival through Bryant's tenure.

---

This I would say is generally true. However I think that Auburn's improvement as a program over the course of the Bryant era, coupled with Tennessee's relative decline probably helped to elevate the Iron Bowl a bit in the eyes of most folks towards the last half of the Bryant era.

From 1970-1982, Auburn was the #16 team in all of college football in terms of AP points. Tennessee was slightly behind at #20. Alabama dominated both during this time frame. They were 10-3 against Auburn and 11-2 against Tennessee.. Again, pretty close but Auburn did get one more win than Tennessee did.

I would say without a doubt, during much of Bryant's tenure, Tennessee was the bigger rival. But by end the of the Bryant years, it would have essentially been 1a) Tennessee and 1b) Auburn.

quote:

---

There's still a ton of adults that remember that.

---

A lot of adults who remember that time? Sure. A lot of adults that were so entrenched in their thinking that they've been completely unswayed by 40 years of subsequent football? Very few. If any.

quote:

---

I was born in 87 and remember more about games against UT in the 90s than games against Auburn. It's just always been the #1 rivalry to me.

---

If you were born in 1987, than means Auburn has a winning record over your team during your lifetime. Bama is 14-15 against Auburn going back to 1987. During the same period of time, Alabama is 18-10-1 against the Vols.

Again, I just don't buy this. Auburn is not only the in-state rival, but they've been more competitive against Alabama than any other program in the SEC for the past 60 years+.

In the post-Bryant era of Alabama football, Auburn is the only SEC team to have a winning record against Alabama. Winning percentage against Alabama in the post-Bryant era (1982-2015):

51.5%- Auburn
47.4%- Florida
42.6%- LSU
41.7%- Georgia
40.9%- Tennessee

So your in-state rival has a winning record against your own team for a span covering 35 years yet you choose the out-of-state team that has been the 5th most competitive against your team as your biggest rival?

You can think as you wish, but no one believes you.