A Southern Way of Life

If you are born and raised in the south, especially Alabama like I have, often times when you meet someone new you will be asked a very important question regarding a certain loyalty. This situation arises most predominately in Alabama especially in the autumn months. The question is "Auburn or Alabama?". Friendships will be based off an answer and an immediate prejudice will be rendered if the answer is opposite of the questioner's team. Or even worse, if the answer is "I don't like football," or something to that effect, there will be no stopping the flow of jokes and teasing and ostricization that will follow. Now granted this may be a bit overkill for the majority of the population, but there are people out there who live, breathe, eat, and sleep college football.
I have many friends, three of them being my roommates, who are Alabama fans. We are civil enough to each other during the season, but there is no shortage of sniping comments, especially if one of the teams didn't do well. It all culminates to the day of the big rivalry game, in Alabama's case, the Iron Bowl. It doesn't matter how bad the season was as long as your team wins that game. Friendships are all but dissolved on gameday. I have even avoided speaking to my roommates for a little while after the game.
There is one thing that transcends the bitter rivalry that exists in Alabama, which was ranked at the second best rivalry in the country, the love of college football. The redemption between friends is the impassioned discussion of the game, players, teams, and prospects for the next year. Friends spend hours every week discussing Saturday's games and the outcomes. Saturday comes and the day is devoted to one thing, football. Southern traditions have come from it. Tailgating may not be specifically Southern but we have perfected the tailgate. The tailgate is where rivals can share good food, beer, and good times; a proverbial last meal before the war that is about to be waged.
Southerners pride themselves on their football. The SEC is usually regarded as the most dominant conference, and with good reason. Based off of their tough defenses and hard-nosed offenses, SEC teams seem to be a reflection of the South itself, rife with a passion for the game and the atmosphere. It is a glorious thing when your team is victorious and supremely disheartening when you suffer a loss, and large quantities of alcohol goes to both sides whether in victory or defeat and even the most bitter of rivals when inebriated enough can agree on one thing, there is nothing like college football in the South.