re: I have never seen a more delusional fanbase/program/team than Auburn Football.

Having watched those freaks for 50+ years, I can tell you that most of what you all are saying is spot on. In a nutshell, if an Alabama football season ends in a trophy, it is a success, a mild success if it was just an SEC title, a success with a natty. Auburn’s season is a success if they win the Iron Bowl. Doesn’t matter if they go 1-11, as long as that 1 was against Bama, they will take it, especially if it knocks Bama out of contention for something.
Hell, they hire coaches based on their record against Bama, not based on resume’. They hired Freeze because he lucked into 2 wins against Saban and nothing else. They hired Pearl because they never forgot that he beat Alabama in the NCAA tournament when he coached UW-Milwaukee and again at Tennessee. They didn’t give a damn that he stayed in hot water with the NCAA most of his career.
And don’t underestimate the power of that cultish belief they have in the Auburn Fambly and Creed. It’s truly mind boggling how they seem to be brainwashed by that school.

I covered games down there for a couple of decades. I had friends down there, although most are dead or retired. David Housel is one of the finest men who ever drew breath; it might surprise you that in the late 1980s Bama made very serious overtures about getting him to come run their sports information operation (which was utterly incompetent at the time) and the only thing that stopped it is they couldn't get together on money.

I have no use for Phillip Marshall though.

But what I found from hanging around down there for a couple of decades is that they are everything they stereotypically accuse our fan base of being, only worse. In short, hypocritical.

I'll always remember being down there to cover when they got put on probation after Eric Ramsey, the press conference at the big hotel down there. One of their old assistant coaches ... I'll call his name because he's dead, Buck Bradberry ... was holding court before the press conference and ranting and raving about how Alabama and everybody else was doing this and that, but they picked on Auburn because "Auburn isn't SUPPOSED to be good in their eyes."

I had to play it straight because I was working but I wanted to tell the old coot, "If you could be good without being dirty as crap, maybe you wouldn't get picked on."

This is Auburn and all they care about.

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But when we call them little brother they get bent out of shape.

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I use this term as much as possible because a few of my Auburn “friends” admitted this makes them lose their shite and they hate it…

The good Reverend Freeze somehow managed to get the Auburn Family to buy into his recruiting “gospel” in the era of the transfer portal. Simply incredible.