Two elderly gentlemen, obvious 'Bama fans by the color of their shirts and the boxes of Tide detergent taped to their hats, were asked by a reporter off camera how deep their dislike for Auburn ran.
"If Auburn was to play Russia, I'd have to pull for Russia," one of the old men drawled.
Laughs aside, that's football in the South. Fans not only love their teams, but equally dislike -- OK, hate -- their rivals.
I can't count the amount of friendships between fans of rival schools that turn sour in the fall -- for at least a weekend, in some cases longer. I often wonder how mixed marriages -- that's what we in the South refer to a union of Tech and Georgia fans, or Gator and Seminole -- last. That they do must owe to a deep sense of forgiveness.
Other parts of the country claim stern sports allegiances, for example Chicago and Pittsburgh residents love their pro football; New Yorkers and Bostonians love their baseball; Nebraska and Oklahoma fans love their college teams. But none of those regions can claim the love -- and hate -- that comes with being a college football fan in the South.
Doubt it? Just see what our fan correspondents had to say about their most hated rivals -- and why they are so annoyed with said rivals -- in the latest edition of the College Fan Face-Off. And after your finished, be sure to have your say by emailing me, sports editor Morgan Lee, and our correspondents at: [email protected]. And even though it sounds pretty bad, we are keeping this as cordial as possible, so please keep all comments clean.
And because this is about rivals. I'm putting the answers of rival fans back-to-back, starting with -- where else? -- the Bulldogs and Jackets. (By the way, if you see we're not covering your favorite team and would like in on the debate, please send me an email volunteering your services, and I'll make you one of the fan correspondents.)
-- MATT DUBNIK, 27, Gainesville (Georgia Tech): Florida State. I guess all the UGA people in this world think that Tech fans view UGA as their most hated rival. We don't. We're not quite as blood-thirsty for Dawg blood as they are for us. GT fans absolutely hate FSU fans. Their fans are obnoxious; they're usually misinformed about actual facts; they are not good hosts for a game; and they generally get too over-hyped about their team. Numerous games over the past few years have been nasty. You'll see more signs hanging around campus when the 'Noles come to town. You'll hear more versions of the Tomahawk Chop being chanted by students making fun of the 'Noles. You'll hear about the team all week and how hard practice is... They know it's going to be a war. The stadium will be packed. Georgia may be our biggest rival, but FSU is our most HATED rival.
-- JOHN LILLY, 38, Gainesville (University of Georgia): Georgia Tech! No doubt about it! However, I am starting to not like Wake due to Doug Carter and his brainwashed son not realizing Wake's low place in the football world. Tech is a hated rival because of the way most of the Tech fans act all year long. They have a sorry stadium that they call "historic" which always has more Dawg fans than Tech fans. The Tech fans always try to bring up academic standards when many students' test scores show UGA is equal if not better. Tech is never, and I mean never, very good. But the fans act like they are the best team in the state. I hate the Vols (and Tex) and the Gators just as much as I hate Tech. The difference is both of those schools have good teams; they can beat us any year; they have good quarterbacks; they will change quarterbacks if needed and actually win big games every year. So, Tech is an also-ran and always will be! If you give fans from any other school in the nation a choice of Tech or UGA they would take one look at those puke colors and be a Dawg fan. Now, to be fair, when Tech does beat us, it is awful, and that is another big reason Tech is my most hated rival. If the Dawgs go 1-10 and that one is Tech I am happy the rest of the year. "I'm a pencil neck from Ga Tech..."
-- DEREK GREENE, 27, Gainesville (University of Florida): The obvious choice for me would be Georgia, seeing that I am a University of Florida alumnus. Coincidently, I have many dear friends and family that went to UGA, so I will cheer for Georgia if the game does not directly affect Florida. I realize that a couple of members of this panel will probably pick Florida as their most hated team. I understand, "heavy is the head that wears the crown." I could also express my hatred for SEC East rival Tennessee. I will admit that "Rocky Top" makes me want to rip out my ear drums and beat them with a tack hammer every time I hear it. However, they really don't pose much of a threat, so the Vols don't really land on my radar. My hate lies somewhere else... Florida State. If not for the geriatric head cheater (I mean head coach) that refuses to retire, then the fans alone summon enough rage in me to chew on glass. Let me see if I can put the fans in perspective. Every year at the Florida vs. Georgia game there are a plethora of "Gators wear jean shorts" jokes (I admit some fans are guilty). Personally, I have never worn them, but let me enlighten you on the proprietor of this fashion faux pas. Knee-length denim derives from the pride of the panhandle, the FSU fan. They even take them one step further by adding a cargo pocket, hammer holder and team logo. Accompanying these "jorts," is usually a strong scent of spray tan and bus station cologne that smells like it was applied via pressure washer. Let's not forget the white undershirt tank top and Mr. T necklace starter kit. All appearances aside, you can't go to a game against FSU without being reminded of how many all-time wins Bowden has or how great Charlie Ward was. From their perspective, FSU should be a preseason No. 1 every year. There is nothing wrong with supporting your team, but be reasonable. Also, 95 percent of FSU fans never set foot on the campus or enrolled in a single class there. Enough of my bashing, bottom line, the fans are obnoxious, Bowden hasn't actually coached in years and no one will ever forget the "Free Shoes University" incident.
-- TEX WEBB, 71, Gainesville (University of Tennessee): My most hated rival would have to be Alabama and Florida -- and wherever Steve Spurrier is coaching. Alabama because they blame our coaches for all their problems. Fla. because they are always very good and we have to play them so early after their "extremely hard" first two games. And Steve Spurrier, well because he is Steve Spurrier. But on the day we play you, whoever you are, you are then our most hated rival.
-- TREY TOMPKINS, 38, John's Creek (Vanderbilt University): Vanderbilt's most hated rival is Tennessee (I won't refer to it as a "University" because that would be offensive). I will admit that the average Vandy fan's loathing of Tennessee is worsened by a confusing mix of an inferiority complex coupled with a well-founded sense of superiority. It gets very irritating when the Tennessee grad who cuts your grass makes fun of you for 22 straight years after yet another football defeat. In addition, there are so many things to hate about Tennessee that it's hard to pick the most important ones. There is the awful shade of orange their fans parade around in. Orange is horrible in all cases, but at least other schools offset it with some blue. No one looks good in orange and white! Phil Fulmer is all of the proof anyone should need of that. Next, of course, is that awful song. "Rocky Top, you'll always be, a big cesspool to me
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/6/210932