I'd like to firstly thank all of you (Auburn fans, players, students, coaches, and alumni) for making this rivalry what it is.

I was unfortunate enough to witness the lamest rivalry in all the land, Ohio State and Michigan two weeks back. People, words cannot describe how big of a joke that rivalry is. I'll briefly sum it up:

1) The fans sat on their butts the entire game. In addition, the crowd was so quiet, you could literally hear a pin drop. In fact, it was so quiet, each time OSU scored a TD the band sounded as if they were performing their fight song in my front yard.

2) The game was beyond boring. But at halftime, the commentators were of course, "hyping the intensity (lol)" of this game up beyond belief. They were showing every lame-duck tackle and sack talking about "that's what you get out of a rivalry this intense."

3) There was absolutely NO emotion present in this game. Also, this rivalry seriously lacks flavor and color as well.

4) The only time any sort of music was played from the PA, was the bells from "Hells Bells" and it was only played before Michigan took a third down snap. Also, THE BAND WAS SILENT THE ENTIRE GAME (unless OSU or Michigan scored a TD).

5) And the announcers... I'd rather not say it.

One thing I've accused Auburn fans for, over the years, is obsessing over Alabama. I've also talked about how pathetic it was to see the players and coaches holding up fingers, signifying consecutive victories over UA.

Last Saturday night, I elected to treat this game as if I was attending church. It was the first Iron Bowl I ever experienced live (though I've tailgated several), and instead of going into the game boiling over the top with hatred, I sat all that aside simply to embrace and cherish the tradition behind this legendary game and simply be thankful to be apart of it and see it live.

When the Auburn players took the field for pregame warm ups, I GOT CHILLS. But... as our fans welcomed them with a charade of boos, nearly all of them proudly held up seven fingers, antagonizing and taunting our fans. Now normally, I boil over when I see this. But the other night, I sat back and realized those sort of antics are what makes THIS rivalry so INTENSE and so HEATED. That's when it hit me: they held up fingers because that is exactly what they are supposed to do. You guys may think differently, but I can assure you the OSU fans aren't holding up fingers right now. Not too long ago, I posted a response on an NCAA column pouring out my hatred for Auburn and I closed the message by saying, "you guys wouldn't understand." The Michigan fans (as shocking as this may sound, there are no OSU fans there that actually post frequently) literally tried to run me off the board. But what I said was true. If you're an Auburn fan, and you go to a bar to watch an Alabama game, you're immediately pulling for our opponent and talking as much smack as you possibly can. If you're an Ohio State fan, and you go to a bar to watch a Michigan game, you really could care less. If you're an Alabama fan, and you're on I-75 South, headed toward Tampa, and you seen a white Ford with a huge AU logo on the back, you speed by them so that they can see your Alabama A on the back of your car. If you're a Michigan fan and you pass an Ohio State fan, it's really meaningless to them. If you're conversing with an LSU or UGA fan, after you talk about your teams, you'll then perceive to talk about Auburn. An Ohio State or Michigan fan would only talk about Ohio State, and then change the subject to the Patriots or Giants. And when an Alabama and Auburn fan see each other in a grocery store, they're going to give each other dirty looks. Ohio State and Michigan fans act as if neither of them exists in the current moment. All of us would be lying if we said we're not guilty of any of the aforementioned. 

Ohio State and Michigan gives the bammers and the barnies something to be thankful for and that is knowing that we ARE, hands down, THE ALL AROUND biggest rivalry IN college football. 

I know the door swings both ways in terms of class among the fans, but overall I had a great time last weekend, and when the game was over, several Auburn fans were still talking smack, attempting to ruin our post game celebration on the streets and on the Strip and that's something to appreciate. I'm not saying 'Bama fans weren't doing it, but my point is, most of them didn't tuck their heads down in shame. Never having been there, I can almost guarantee in the aftermath of an OSU and Michigan game, the atmosphere is nearly the same as the aftermath of a Braves game.

With that being said, I'm 19 years old and I am OFFICIALLY proud to be a fan of this rivalry and I will defend it till my dying day!

RTR and WDE!