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Who is Alabama's biggest rival?
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:02 am
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:02 am
Seen and heard a lot of banter this week about the Third Saturday in October and how Tennessee is actually Bama's biggest rival, etc. As a Georgia fan who has lived in Birmingham for a very long time, let me tell you that this entire discussion is ridiculous. Tennessee is hated by Alabama fans, and their hatred for the Vols is expressed and discussed for one week of the year. Alabama and Auburn fans' mutual disgust is expressed and discussed 52 weeks out of the year.
The fact that Bama fans claim that UT is their biggest rival is really just a ploy to try to belittle Auburn... which does nothing but prove the magnitude of the Iron Bowl rivalry.
Side Note: I have no doubt that at one point in time the Third Saturday in October was a bigger rivalry. For much of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, Alabama and Tennessee dominated football in the Deep South. Also keep in mind, Alabama and Auburn did not play from 1908 through 1947. So without a doubt, at one time Tennessee was absolutely Alabama's biggest rival. Just as at that time, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Florida were Auburn's biggest rivals.
But times change, and for the past 60 years, the Iron Bowl has become the fiercest rivalry in all of American sports. While Auburn lacks the historical success of Tennessee, for the past 60 years, Auburn has been the better overall program, and their rivalry with Alabama has become more competitive. Here are the numbers:
PAST 60 SEASONS (1956-2015):
SEC Championships
20- Alabama
9- Georgia
9- LSU
8- Auburn
8- Florida
8- Tennessee
Auburn and Tennessee have the same number of SEC titles the past 60 seasons.
National Titles
11- Alabama
3- Florida
3- LSU
2- Auburn
1- Georgia
1- Tennessee
Auburn has one additional National Title compared to Tennessee over the past 60 seasons.
SEC Standings (Winning Percentage):
72.35%- Alabama
66.24%- Florida
62.74%- Georgia
60.37%- Auburn
59.41%- LSU
59.07%- Tennessee
Again, Auburn slightly ahead of the Vols
AP Poll Points (Top 25 finishes in parenthesis):
#1 Alabama- 826 points (43 finishes)
#11 LSU- 524 points (33 finishes)
#12 Auburn- 504 points (33 finishes)
#13 Florida- 476 points (29 finishes)
#15 Georgia- 463 points (30 finishes)
#16 Tennessee- 457 points (30 finishes)
Again, Auburn is ahead. Auburn has 3 more Top 25 finishes than Tennessee over the past 60 seasons
Winning percentage against Alabama (min. 15 games played):
41.7%- Auburn (25-35)
39.2%- Tennessee (22-35-3)
37.0%- Florida (10-17)
35.5%- LSU (19-35-1)
34.6%- Georgia (9-17)
Auburn has 25 wins against Alabama in the last 60 seasons. No other program has more. That is 3 more wins vs. the Tide than Tennessee has over the same time period.
Conclusion: Over the past 60 seasons, both Tennessee and Auburn have enjoyed a very competitive and meaningful rivalry with Alabama. But there is something about an in-state rivalry that adds a bunch of extra motivation for both teams. Even without that extra boost from being an in-state rivalry, for just about as long as most anyone alive can remember, the Iron Bowl has been the more competitive, meaningful rivalry of Bama's annual rivalry games.
One final stat: How many meaningful games have been played between these teams over the past 60 years? This is defined by the number of times they've played in which both teams ultimately finished ranked in the final AP rankings:
20- Bama vs. Auburn (Meetings since 1956 in which both Auburn and Alabama finished ranked)
17- Bama vs. LSU
16- Bama vs. Tennessee
So again, no numbers can ultimately prove that Alabama-Tennessee is a bigger rivalry than the Iron Bowl. Unless you are over the age of 80 and harbor some major bitterness about how things used to be, its insane that anyone would try to claim that the Tennessee game is more meaningful.
The fact that Bama fans claim that UT is their biggest rival is really just a ploy to try to belittle Auburn... which does nothing but prove the magnitude of the Iron Bowl rivalry.
Side Note: I have no doubt that at one point in time the Third Saturday in October was a bigger rivalry. For much of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, Alabama and Tennessee dominated football in the Deep South. Also keep in mind, Alabama and Auburn did not play from 1908 through 1947. So without a doubt, at one time Tennessee was absolutely Alabama's biggest rival. Just as at that time, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Florida were Auburn's biggest rivals.
But times change, and for the past 60 years, the Iron Bowl has become the fiercest rivalry in all of American sports. While Auburn lacks the historical success of Tennessee, for the past 60 years, Auburn has been the better overall program, and their rivalry with Alabama has become more competitive. Here are the numbers:
PAST 60 SEASONS (1956-2015):
SEC Championships
20- Alabama
9- Georgia
9- LSU
8- Auburn
8- Florida
8- Tennessee
Auburn and Tennessee have the same number of SEC titles the past 60 seasons.
National Titles
11- Alabama
3- Florida
3- LSU
2- Auburn
1- Georgia
1- Tennessee
Auburn has one additional National Title compared to Tennessee over the past 60 seasons.
SEC Standings (Winning Percentage):
72.35%- Alabama
66.24%- Florida
62.74%- Georgia
60.37%- Auburn
59.41%- LSU
59.07%- Tennessee
Again, Auburn slightly ahead of the Vols
AP Poll Points (Top 25 finishes in parenthesis):
#1 Alabama- 826 points (43 finishes)
#11 LSU- 524 points (33 finishes)
#12 Auburn- 504 points (33 finishes)
#13 Florida- 476 points (29 finishes)
#15 Georgia- 463 points (30 finishes)
#16 Tennessee- 457 points (30 finishes)
Again, Auburn is ahead. Auburn has 3 more Top 25 finishes than Tennessee over the past 60 seasons
Winning percentage against Alabama (min. 15 games played):
41.7%- Auburn (25-35)
39.2%- Tennessee (22-35-3)
37.0%- Florida (10-17)
35.5%- LSU (19-35-1)
34.6%- Georgia (9-17)
Auburn has 25 wins against Alabama in the last 60 seasons. No other program has more. That is 3 more wins vs. the Tide than Tennessee has over the same time period.
Conclusion: Over the past 60 seasons, both Tennessee and Auburn have enjoyed a very competitive and meaningful rivalry with Alabama. But there is something about an in-state rivalry that adds a bunch of extra motivation for both teams. Even without that extra boost from being an in-state rivalry, for just about as long as most anyone alive can remember, the Iron Bowl has been the more competitive, meaningful rivalry of Bama's annual rivalry games.
One final stat: How many meaningful games have been played between these teams over the past 60 years? This is defined by the number of times they've played in which both teams ultimately finished ranked in the final AP rankings:
20- Bama vs. Auburn (Meetings since 1956 in which both Auburn and Alabama finished ranked)
17- Bama vs. LSU
16- Bama vs. Tennessee
So again, no numbers can ultimately prove that Alabama-Tennessee is a bigger rivalry than the Iron Bowl. Unless you are over the age of 80 and harbor some major bitterness about how things used to be, its insane that anyone would try to claim that the Tennessee game is more meaningful.
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Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:03 am to BHMKyle
This is usally determined by which opponent they schedule an open date the week prior for.
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:03 am to BHMKyle
Their sister's husband/cousin.
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:05 am to BHMKyle
quote:
Alabama's biggest rival
Rehab, Algebra, or toothpaste
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:05 am to BHMKyle
It's UT for me, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:06 am to pvilleguru
quote:
but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
exactly, it's a personal choice not derived from stats.
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:07 am to BHMKyle
Since when are rivalries decided by numbers
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:07 am to BHMKyle
In-state rivalries generally are bigger, IMO. The notable exception being Michigan-OSU. I would also say that GT is not UGA's biggest rival, but I'll defer to the Dawgs on that.
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:08 am to BHMKyle
quote:Are you sure you're a Georgia fan Kyle?
As a Georgia fan
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:08 am to BHMKyle
Auburn.
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:08 am to RT1941
i've noticed that auburn fans are his biggest fans as well.
This post was edited on 10/12/16 at 11:09 am
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:09 am to BHMKyle
Their sister's boyfriend.
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:09 am to clamdip
quote:
This is usally determined by which opponent they schedule an open date the week prior for.
No doubt Bama-LSU has been a big game in recent years. But historically speaking, the Iron Bowl has been more meaningful.
Alabama and LSU have played 7 games in the past 7 seasons in which both teams finished the season ranked in the Top 25. Prior to that?... Try just 11 meetings in 53 years.
A team's biggest rival isn't shaped by an 8-year run of having a game that is suddenly important. Keep it up for another 15-20 years, then maybe you'll have something.
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:09 am to pvilleguru
It's the only game I go to every season, home or away. Been to every one since Saban's first year.
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:09 am to BHMKyle
Which one had it's own 30 for 30? I'll go with that one.
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:10 am to BHMKyle
I literally had no clue this game was a rivalry until I started posting on the SEC rant. Thats how how little this game has meant for the majority of my life.
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:11 am to Jorts R Us
quote:
I would also say that GT is not UGA's biggest rival, but I'll defer to the Dawgs on that.
No its not. But if GT were not located in Atlanta, it would be an afterthought. The fact that it is an in-state game makes them one of our biggest rivals.
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:12 am to GeauxPack81
quote:
I literally had no clue this game was a rivalry until I started posting on the SEC rant. Thats how how little this game has meant for the majority of my life.
The two teams are rarely good at the same time and the series has been dominated by streaks.
But as a fan of the rivalry, I don't really care what the outsiders think of it. I don't need that validation to know what it means to the fans of both programs.
This post was edited on 10/12/16 at 11:14 am
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:13 am to Piscinin
quote:
Since when are rivalries decided by numbers
So you are telling me that Bama fans truly think that Tennessee is their biggest rival despite the fact that Auburn is in-state, and their game against Auburn has been more meaningful for nearly two generations? Exactly what piece of evidence would explain that phenomenon?
Posted on 10/12/16 at 11:13 am to BHMKyle
Historically it is UT. AU's is Tech. That was destroyed by SEC expansion. The misconception is UA/AU are tied together like OU/OSU which is false. AU has probably lost the most in terms of our historical rivals due to expansion than anyone else. We gave up Tech, UF, and UT to play Arky, Ole Miss, and MSU. Short end of the stick for sure. LSU has been the lone bright spot.
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