Leave it up to 2010 to throw another memorable holiday event our way. The Flu found yours truly somewhere around Tuesday evening, and put me down on Wednesday. We were already on the fence about the Thanksgiving menu this year so the bug made it much easier. Tracey did a great job with the tomato and sausage soup! And taking care of me. Thank you, dear.
I’ve managed to robe myself with Tiger gear already this morning. It’s a no brainer since I had to make a pharmacy run. I can’t believe it’s Iron Bowl day. This year’s game calls for much fan fare but it won’t be so at LAN HQ; a nice quiet afternoon is in order. Before your festivities begin, here’s some random thoughts on the day:
- Kevin Scarbinksy had a good column this morning. It seems like anytime Auburn has a run of fortune it’s always too good to be true on the outside. Auburn has a pretty good track record under pressure (see 1957, 1993, 2004).
- Thank God I have a day job. I caught a couple of minutes of Live with Regis and Kelly this morning. Wow.
- We discovered MGM television in HD yesterday. Full length movies with no commercial interruption and yesterday was a James Bond marathon. Yeessss!
- Just in case The War Eagle Reader isn’t in your RSS feed reader, here’s the latest poem “Leaves of Turf“.
- I’ve always liked Ivan Maisel’s columns. Here’s his about this year’s Iron Bowl.
What I find most interesting about the game today is Auburn is the underdog, nearly a TD underdog depending on who you read. Most of the talk is about Alabama’s 20 game win streak on their home field. Even Kirk Herbstreit based his prediction on this fact. Yet it wasn’t until 2008 that Auburn lost its first game in Tuscaloosa. No doubt it will be challenging, but I’m not convinced Tuscaloosa will be that much of an edge.
Without consulting the record books (and influenced by Robitussin), it seems to me that the best team normally wins this game. Alabama was the best team last year and the year before that. Auburn was the best for the six years previous. There weren’t too many surprises. Sure there’s plenty of lore in this rivalry and the best players usually rise to the top along with the obscure. Don’t expect big revelations today. The better team will win.
From a prediction standpoint, I’ll take my Tigers. What do you think I would say?! South Carolina and LSU both exposed the Alabama defense. Alabama is always at their best when they have their teeth in something. In their two losses, the opponent managed to pull away down the stretch with balance. Pulling away down the stretch is Auburn’s calling card in 2010.
I don’t see any new tea leaves indicating something different today. I would be surprised if:
- The combined points scored is under 50.
- Alabama wins.
The Tigers beat the world, 48-32. Nick Saban’s name surfaces in NFL coaching search rumors.
War Damn Eagle!
