Fall camp is here and all I hear is Bill Connelly's SEC preview with us behind Texas and Georgia again. You know what built this program? The Iron Bowl. I remember sitting in Legion Field in 1985 when Van Tiffin kicked that 52-yard field goal to beat Auburn 25-23. The whole stadium shook. That was real football. Not this nonsense where half the roster transfers out every winter.
These kids today will never understand what the Third Saturday in October used to mean when Tennessee actually mattered. I remember the 1990s when we traded blows with the Vols and every single game decided who went to the SEC Championship. Now Tennessee thinks they are back because they had one good season. Please. You want to be Alabama? Beat us for a decade straight like they did in the 50s under Coach Bryant. One game does not make a rivalry.
The Iron Bowl is the only thing left that still means something in this sport. Everything else got destroyed by conference realignment and the portal. Auburn is down this year and I still do not care. You show up, you strap it on, and you play for the state. That is what matters. Not Bill Connelly's projections. Not the 23 five-stars in the 2027 class. The Iron Bowl is the only game that still feels like coollege football used to feel.