Behind Enemy Lines – A Bama Fan in B1G Country

Last night, in the midst of fending off variations of “we’re getting Big Mike. it’s over” panic texts from Wydo and MichiganMan, I was met with the realization that I needed to take a night to remove myself from the life-sucking and jarring experience of trying to keep up with Bears twitter and all the thoughts and debates that come with it.

I began my escape by opening YoutubeTV in search of The Office… but when I saw a top 5 ranked Tide vs Ole Miss SEC Basketball showdown had just tipped off, I smiled big. As a kid, I never had a college team I really pulled for. My dad went to Marquette, so it was fun to root for them during March Madness, but always exponentially more depressing to watch my dad finally get excited to watch one of his teams and then be dealt the crushing blow of choke job and early exit for MU year after year. Fitting really, we’re Chicago fans after all. The most excited I remember getting about College Football growing up was sadly watching the Kick 6 – unbeknownst to me, against my future ride or die.

After 4 years of amazing memories and meeting some lifelong friends in Tuscaloosa, Bama had captured a piece of my heart. Now that my 3 siblings have all since made their decisions to also attend and graduate from Bama, my love has only grown. Our family that never gave a shit about college sports is now bonded through our shared love of the Alabama Crimson Tide – we’re all lifers and have been able to experience all the high’s and low’s since 2016. I owe many thanks to the University of Alabama, but none bigger than introducing me to the world of College Football.

Here in the Midwest, I’m vastly outnumbered. Everyday since Michigan beat Bama the FIRST time (out of TWO wins) in 2024, I have seen someone in some sort of Michigan apparel or been stuck behind some asshole driver with a Michigan bumper sticker. Even when I manage to avoid driving behind one, I swear I’ve ended up parking behind one – I can’t explain it, it’s like God is toying with me. The SEC got embarrassed this year overall, I’ll wear that. But while I’m not a big pusher of SEC hypotheticals, I do take solace in being undefeated hypothetically.

Since becoming a fan in 2016, it has been a welcome change in my sports life. I finally have a team with actual skin in the game (both Football and Basketball) and one I can have confidence in showing up in the big moments. The 2nd half comeback when Tua took over for Jalen against Georgia in the Natty, JALEN taking over for Tua the next season in the SEC Championship, and Jalen Milroe beating Auburn on 4th and Goal FROM THE 31(!!!!): these are some of my favorite memories over the past several years.

But this year, reality knocked early and I realized not all dynasties can stay great forever. A crushing Rose Bowl defeat to Xichigan followed by Saban’s retirement in the week to follow was a very sad period of time for me. Even worse is @MichiganMan consistently reminding me Harbaugh and Xichigan “retired Saban” and beat us twice in 2024. Side note: only a select few people reading this could possibly understand the trauma I now have to work through from watching the Rose Bowl in the same room as my friend and roommate who graduated from Xichigan. Bama fans have had to eat a lot of shit this year (outside of our Final 4 appearance, that was fuckin sick), so looking ahead, I just want to get these thoughts off my chest.

Football

Once Saban retired, I said we were losing 2-3 games in 2024. I inevitably got my hopes up early though, and was seriously humbled when I went to the game in Knoxville. Credit to the Vols – the atmosphere was electric and the crowd no doubt played a crucial role in that game against us. We played sloppy and it was a sign of what was to come as the season progressed and we continued to look like a team of young TikTokers who were focused on getting the bag and not much else. I am by no means freaking out about the future yet – being the coach to replace the GOAT is a near impossible task to find immediate success in. Kalen Deboer did what he could with a team that doesn’t quite have the talent and star power we got so used to seeing during the dynasty. If he hasn’t been already, I hope he starts really emphasizing the Bama Standard we had under Saban.

Now that the transitional year is over and Deboer is the one choosing his guys for his team, 2025 and 2026 will tell us a lot about the direction of the program. I pray we find our way back to the CFP this season because if we don’t, all hell might break loose in Bama country. For what it’s worth, I think we’ll look much better this fall, but if we don’t…. nevermind, not letting myself go there. Time to look at the positive:

Basketball

Could Nate Oats have come at a better time? Watching Collin Sexton ball out for the Tide as a student was electric, but the addition of Nate Oats to this program has changed everything. The past several years of getting to participate in March Madness has been incredible, but now with the last 2 years’ successes and coming off a Final 4 run? Excitement and expectations are sky high. It’s all been made even sweeter as we’ve seen ourselves evolve into UNC’s daddy (Sorry Wydo, had to). Though the Ole Miss game that inspired this blog was a brutal showing and upset-defeat for Bama, we just need to get these kind of nights out of the way before we start raining 3’s in March.

I’ll have more analysis on the team by the start of the big dance, but for now I recommend tuning into this team because the games are usually full of chaos and big runs. Mark Sears and Grant Nelson are those dudes who I expect to come up hugely in March though – get those futures in while you can. If you made it this far, thanks for reading. Roll Tide

Cakes