Iron Bowl Today

Today, Alabama and Auburn meet in Tuscaloosa. Most don't give the Tide a chance to win, and I don't know if they can stay on the field with Auburn either from a talent standpoint. Of course, all of that analysis is irrelevant, because of one simple thing...

It's the freakin' Iron Bowl - the best rivalry in college football, if not all of sports!

For those not keeping score, I live in Columbus, Ohio, where the talk of the town is this little game happening on campus between Ohio State and Michigan. You know...the #1 team in the country vs. the #2 team in the country. It's kind of a big deal here. Of course, Gretchen and I have to remind people that we won't be watching, intriguing as the game is.

OSU-Michigan (3:30 EST, ABC) is being shown at the same time as Alabama-Auburn (3:30 EST, CBS). I wish my OSU-loving friends well, but my support (I am a Columbus guy now - I like seeing OSU do well, even though I'm not a true fan) will be regulated to the commercials and score updates. My Tide is playing. What's more, they're playing that other team in Alabama. Good luck, Ohio State, I won't be watching.

This week, in his column For Argument's Sake, ESPN's Ivan Maisel compared the two rivalries. I think that this sums it up nicely...

"We live in the era of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry. It has everything: top rankings, great tradition, compelling backstories. The game Saturday will be the pinnacle of all that college football fans hold dear.

(And my employer, which will be televising it to an audience that will be as big as any regular-season game in recent memory. I know this because my wife wrote the game time down on the kitchen calendar so that she will remember to watch it. We're talking big Nielsens).

The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry has every element of a great college football rivalry but one, the one that means it will never be the greatest rivalry.

When the game is over, Ohio State fans will remain in Ohio and Michigan fans will return to Michigan.

In Alabama, the losing fans have to go to work on Monday and face their co-workers from the other side.

When you can never let your guard down, a rivalry is a 365-day affair.

The Iron Bowl engages more people in Alabama than any other event, sporting or otherwise, in the state. There is no NFL team, no major-league professional team of any kind. The state plans its life around the game.

In 49 states, Ohio State and Michigan will win the TV ratings. But when Auburn and Alabama meet at 3:30 on Saturday, you can book that no one in the state will know or care who wins at the Horseshoe.

Yes, as an Alabama native, my perspective might be skewed. But my logic isn't. Ohio State-Michigan is the most important rivalry now. It is and always will be a grand spectacle. But until Ohio and Michigan become one state, Alabama and Auburn will be the best rivalry in college football. "

And that's why I, when I was younger, cried when Alabama lost this game. It's why I'd try to think up reasons to not go to school if Alabama lost, and couldn't wait to catch the bus if they won. It's why I remind my friends today that while OSU-Michigan is a great, great game, it is not a blood feud.

Roll Tide!