I am very ashamed

If you're from the South, you know college football is almost a religion.  Sometimes more so, I bet a church couldn't get 102,000 for a Sunday morning service.  You must declare a favorite team early in childhood and to change is almost sacrilege.  So I grew up and Auburn Tiger fan.  Then, back in the mid 1990's, Terry Bowden was fired after going 11 and 0 his first year and the only reason he didn't win a national championship that year was because Auburn was on probation and banned from post season play.  I really didn't like the way he was treated by the administration but stuck around.

Then came Tommy TubervilIle.  Ok, likable, did allright until 2004.  The administration (read one very powerful member of the Board) didn't like him and Auburn was picked 18th in the preseason polls.  Then came the infamous plane ride to Louisville to try to get Bobby Patrino, became public, all sorts of public embarassment, Tubs stayed and went undefeated and should have played for the national  championship but the BS (oh, that's right, there's a C in there somewhere) screwed them.  Auburn administration finally got its wish  and Tubs left.  I was pretty mad they treated him that way, but dammit, you don't abandon your team.

Auburn had the chance to do something historic and ground breaking when they had the opportunity to hire an African American coach.  I think it came down to him and Gene Chizick.  Both had similar records and similar experience except that Chizick coached at a slightly more competitive school (even though he had a losing record) .  I was thoroughly disgusted by the actions of my beloved school and quit them entirely, my new favorite team being Texas Tech.  Did not watch a down of Auburn football for 2 years.

I even successfully avoided watching them this year despite the hype until yesterday.  I was speechless.  It is not natural for Cam Newton, who is 6'6", 250 lbs, to be able to run like that.  He gained over 200 yards rushing against the number one defense in the SEC.  And Auburn's defense that has been much criticized for its lack of pass defense, made the stops when they had to.  The coaching staff is getting the most out of what most experts agree is the among the thinnest talent in the SEC. 

The shame comes from jumping back on the bandwagon.  Yes, I did it, I now say "we" again when speaking about Auburn. I found a couple of old Auburn T shirts I neglected to throw away and wore them all weekend.  I am thrilled to see the newest BCS rankings (Auburn is #1).

I know there are some of you out there that are going to give me grief.  Do it, I deserve it, but dammit, Auburn only has one game left that they might not be the favorites and that's Alabama the Friday after Thanksgiving.  If they win that, the SEC Championship game should be a walk in the park.  Sweet revenge for the '04 season.  And besides, don't I deserve to root for a team that has a recent national championship?