I moved to Alabama during that time. Was a bit surreal to have Bama fans tell me that they expected to lose to us. That was followed by the DuBose to Franchione to Price to Shula era which was all golden for me.
ya same for me, I moved here for college in '01. My teammates/roommates were bama fans and watching the game with them every year was great. this year i got a text msg from one of them talking trash, nothing i could really say
Was out with a group of kids of friends and family, trick or treating. Came upon a house with a large Bama flag hanging on it. I offered $1 to each kid in our group if they'd skip that house, and $2 if they also yelled "Go Vols!". Best $32 I've ever spent. True story.
Our time will come again. I have been going to Bama games since the early '60s and while Florida became our team we had to beat to win the SEC, to me Bama is and always will be THE GAME. Like hat I do not really hate Bama, but some of their fans certainly can go straight to hell. I hate losing to Bama, and I think that is what many are actually saying when they say they hate Bama. I've seen the streaks go both ways. Majors was intimidated by the "Bear", and took many a superior team and played not to lose, and of course did just that.
I see this as more of a gentleman's rivalry. I believe that it has become more slanted towards hate in the last 25 years. Didn't Johnny Majors visit a Bear Bryant practice once upon a time? Decades of futility alternating on both sides have added to the resentment factor. UT and Alabama used to measure themselves by how they played against each other. Fans of all teams are obnoxious. I find most of the Butch slurping UT fans around Knoxville to be an abomination. Of course, when you can't win, all you have left is resentment and hate. UT has itself as an institution to thank for that.
When I was young, one of my good friends was a Bama fan, he and his brother(Marine Gulf War vet, general hardass) invited me to go watch the game over at his house. I believe it was 2003, may have been 04. I was nice, because I didn't even know Bama was supposed to be that good. I had just started watching football full stop a few years before, so they were basically Army or Navy to me. All thru HS I'd was never a **** to the Bama fans, because they were exactly like we are now, and the ones I came across were not the classless inbred trash that came out of the woodworks in 2008. It's only lately that I've learned to hate their ignorant asses but the ones I knew before aren't those types, so I do have some pause about painting the entire fanbase out like Phyllis. But I hate them and I hope to see them cry this Saturday.
I grew up having bama rubbed in my face as a child from a side of the family that are bama fans. Love my family, but freakin hate bama as much as I love Tennessee. I hope they lose every single game they play.
