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Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long)
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Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long)


Nov 12, 2018, 5:41 PM

I had the opportunity to experience gameday in Tuscaloosa last weekend.

(if you dont want to read about the town, nightlife, fan/stadium experience, and only want to talk football, scroll to the bottom)

What a town, and an awesome experience!

Obviously, the school is much larger than Clemson, but the differences are not that significant. They layout and appeal of the town are similar to Clemson: just a good ol', small southern town, nothing fancy, just lots of love and a good time (well, Tuscaloosa is not so small anymore, but they maintain that theme).

The downtown life is very similar to Clemson as well. Its not a "nightclub" scene like you find at UGA, or a downtown, big city dump like Columbia. Very much a classic, southern college town with a lot of the same culture. The Tuscaloosa bars were greater in number, and most were on par or better than the bars in Clemson in terms of what was offered. "Houndstooth" was my favorite, mostly because of the excellent top shelf bourbon selection.
The friends from Tuscaloosa weren't joking when they said they take the nightlife very seriously, the bars dont close on Friday night. We went out at 9:30pm, and before you know it I was looking at my watch in disbelief that it was almost 6am on Saturday and everything was still going full swing.

Gameday was a good time as well, though the tailgating left much to be desired. The folks I was with promised me tailgating was abundant, but in terms of Clemson standards, it was non-existent. There were certain designated areas around the stadium and allocated parts of campus for tailgating, but it was very cookie cutter. All white tents, cant really park at your tailgate, etc. You pay for your tailgate, and part of paying for your tailgate spot is buying a "tailgate package". You pay twice, once for the spot, and again for the amenities, and you have to by both in a lump sum. Your tailgate is set up when you arrive and is already catered. For some, I understand the convenience, but I'm not a fan. Its an easy way to tailgate, but it reduces how many people can tailgate (the price is a barrier to entry and discouraging). Supposedly there are parking lots waaaay on the outskirts of town that were more "Free for all", or the type of tailgating we know and love in Clemson. I did not get to see these as we were downtown/on campus and these free for all spots were 5-10 miles away from the stadium, they were also located in some of the sketchier areas that surround Tuscaloosa.


Everyone was so incredibly nice. I was wearing Bama gear, but I certainly advertised I was a Clemson fan and it was very clear that there is a significant amount of respect for Clemson among the Tide faithful. Not an ill word was spoken about the Tigers and everyone I spoke to was very excited to have a Clemson fan in Tuscaloosa for the first time. The crew I was with showed a Clemson-level of loyalty an hospitality, making sure I got the full experience from seeing the Bear Bryant Museum, to getting good seats, to getting a yellowhammer in the signature yellow cup from Gallette's, and waving a shaker and singing along to "Dixieland Delight". One of our crew was cheerfully adamant that I not only got to take home a "famous shaker" but that I knew all the words to the chant to sing along with Dixieland.


The crowd in Bryant Denny was very relaxed. NOT very hyped up at all, but that is not a bad mark against Bama. Its a different culture, and the stadium ambiance is more relaxed. The best way to describe it is that they are a "baseball crowd at a football game". Nice, easy, relaxed, but cheerful and excited about the game. They got loud when they needed to, albeit certainly not nearly as electric or as loud as Death Valley.

We sat in the student section, which was a really cool experience. The students dont enter through a concourse like the other fans. Rather, they enter through one of the tunnels on the sideline, and walk along a fenced area behind the sideline. The students enter the stadium much in the same way many football teams enter, and its very exciting and gets you pumped up. You walk in, go through a tunnel with a few twists, and suddenly, you are on the sidelines of Bryant Denny with the band marching across the field in full swing, with the huge stadium looming high over your head, and a 100,000+ Alabama fans waving their shakers and singing along to the fight song. It was such an inspiring and exciting way to enter the stadium with the fellow Bama students. I wish Clemson did something like this, though the logistics of Death Valley likely make it impossible.

Bryant Denny was also not as "intimate" as Death Valley. You really felt like you were in a big production. Clemson embraces the "family" atmosphere, all the way down to the way they built Death Valley. In Bryant Denny, its clear you are in a cathedral built to worship the game of football. The seating and the field is really nice, however, Death Valley is a nicer stadium overall. Inside Bryant Denny,t he concourses are very very narrow and incredibly cramped. Moving around between bathrooms and concessions was really difficult and not conducive to the high foot traffic they experience. Clemson's stadium is much, much nicer, and they difference can be measured in lightyears. Clemson has simply had more time to design how they would want a stadium to be built for a big time football program, and has done a better job with the logistics and traffic flow. Our stadium is just more accessible, looks nice inside the concourses, and more importantly, LOUDER. Granted, Bryant Denny is nothing to snub at, particularly the Walk of Champions.

The other thing I noticed about Bama: it is such a happy place! Most schools embrace some kind of theme. At Clemson, we try to advertise the "Clemson Family" and "Clemson Class". We've made it our brand to take pride in being a classy group of fans that provides an awesome gameday experience. From the outside, most people would think the Bama brand is about perfection, dominance, intensity. Nope. They brand themselves as "happy". "Bama Happy baby!" was a phrase I heard more than once. The theme of their brand, from a fan perspective, was to be "happy". Be happy that the sun is shining, Bama is playing, and we are all here to have a good time. I was expecting an intense, bloodthirsty "kick their ### and dont ask questions" type of ambiance, but nope. Everyone was all about "lets be happy and thank the lord he gave us another day to watch Bama play". I was very impressed, and the feeling is highly contagious. You can't help but want to be a Bama fan when you go there, its a great time.

All in all, the fan experience was awesome. They dont do anything over the top in Tuscaloosa, they aren't that big on pageantry or the tinsel town or nightlife appeal. They love to have a good old fashioned southern time. Nothing fancy, but everything is high quality and as you need it to be. Everyone is just so friendly and the "Bama Happy" theme is everywhere. Everyone is happy and smiling and beyond hospitable, even when you are very open about the fact that you are not a Bama fan. "Oh, you're not a Bama fan and this is your first time here? Well in that case, let me hold the door for you AND buy you a drink. Welcome to Tuscaloosa buddy!"


Watching the game: Dixieland Delight was PHENOMENAL! If you are a college football fanatic and want to experience different gamedays, seeing Dixieland Delight in person is a bucket list item. Bar none, especially if you can get seats in the lower bowl.

The stadium ambiance is very different in terms of the music they play. There was virtually no rap, hip hop, or electro/techno music. It was all down home coutnry music, and none of that new country-pop stuff. Alabama, George Strait, John Denver, Creedence Clearwater... the only thing they didnt play that wasnt country was "Taking it Easy" by the Eagles. All the piped in stadium music is good, clean classic rock or old school country. "The way its meant to be" some would say on TNet (I know there are a few on here that want this music above anything else in Death Valley, and I would agree after seeing it in Tuscaloosa).

Another thing that impressed me about Bama: they didn't yield to the political correctness plague.
Let me explain.

A few years ago, Bama banned playing Dixieland Delight in the stadium. The song plays through the normal chorus, and students and fans chant along their own intermittent lyrics to the song. At one point, the crowd chants "Beat Auburn....and LSU!...and Tennessee too!....Rooooooll Tide!". Well, over time, many students changed "beat Auburn" to "F*** Auburn", something we at Clemson have had to deal with as well with the Clemson spellout in Tiger Rag. I dont mind it, its jsut what students do (its COLLEGE football, if you dont like it well, pick another sport). Well, the "F*** AUBURN!" chant became noticeable on national television, so they stopped playing it for a while. However, this made people very unhappy and killed the crowd atmosphere, so UofA brought Dixieland Delight back, but with a caveat. During the part where the students would yell "F*** Auburn!", the University has added a soundbite to the original song, so that while the song plays, the stadium speakers belt out "BEAT AUBURN!" in such a loud enough volume that it drowns out or muddles the chant enough so that you dont hear any semblance of the "F-word" during the chant, even when you're next to someone yelling the F-word. Even then, the expletives are never uttered in spite. Temper and a hot head are just something that does not exist in the attitude of a Bama fan in Tuscaloosa on gameday. That may surprise you, but its true. What they did for Dixieland Delight is an excellent compromise and I applaud them for it in a time when so many schools would simply act weak and ban the chant all together. So I applaud Bama for sticking to it and finding a compromise and a way to make it work. I am afraid that if Clemson were faced with that problem in any of our chants (which we might in the future), we would simply ban said "cheer". I hope not, but that is my fear.

There was 1 person who was undesirable the entire time I was there. Normally I wouldnt mention it given what I've written, but the way the Bama fans (students in particularly) responded impressed me. The student section is opened to the general admissions after a certain point in the game (HEY DRAD, IF YOU WANNA FILL THE HILL, HERE'S A HINT). Some general admission fans show up. One man showed up with his college aged son and sat in the student section. A student standing near this man and his son was very visibly drunk, but was not being belligerent, or even a problem. We didn't notice he was drunk until the old man went psycho. The drunk kid was leaning a bit, laughing a little too much, but all in all he seemed okay, just really tipsy and in a great mood. The old man seemed personally offended about it, and raised absolute hell as if the world was ending. To the point that he began to antagonize the kid and had the kid removed from the student section, which most of us thought was unfair (the kid was later allowed to come back in the 2nd half, I'm guessing for good behavior, to a standing ovation from his peers). The old guy seemed proud about being a jerk, and beat his chest over it. He was proclaiming how morally superior he was for getting a drunk kicked out, all the while using expletives to describe his rant. It got old, fast, and the large body of students around him pressured him to leave. They didnt yell, or mock him, or intimidate and insult him. The students weren't rude, they were all business. They just looked him in the face and politely asked him to take off his Alabama hat and leave, informing him that he was not only being an #######, but they didn't consider him to be a real Alabama fan, and they didnt want him associated with Alabama. One student I had chatted with earlier (who also looked pretty buzzed) looked at me and said "I dunno who that guy was, but he isn't an Alabama fan. We don't tolerate that from our own and we dont want him associated with our program."

I rarely hear that kind of condemnation from a fanbase regarding the behavior of "one of their own" (I maintain that said gentleman is not a Bama fan though), much less from the students. I was expecting people to be oblivious or maybe tune him out, but they outright told him to get out and to stop associating with their school. I was very impressed that they were self aware of the way they represented their school and that so many were willing to police themselves enough to expel bad fans like that. I certainly wasn't expecting the student section, of all places, to be that classy, but it was.



As far as the game goes:


Well, Miss. State didn't seem like they wanted to be there at all. State really didnt even look like they were trying to play, they just wanted to go home. I suspect that if they had put up a fight, they would have given Bama a run for their money.

The fumble was most definitely a fumble. The refs gave Bama that one clearly (and they are being investigated for it, apparently).

Alabama did not look like the monster we know them to be. The defense seemed lazy, particularly the secondary. A few DLineman seemed to shine through, but not significantly. They just did not seem very motivated on defense.

On offense, they were not too bright either. Don't let the score fool you. Their offensive production was low. To Saban's standards, the offense was the worst it could have been.

Tua is hurt. He is hurt in a big way, and the ESPN cameras dont show it (Why would they?). It is very clear that Tua is no where near 100%, and I have a gut feeling by watching him in the game and on the sidelines that he is not well, and he knows it. I suspect there is a serious knee injury lurking there, and the coaches are playing him with the hopes that he can keep it together until after the playoff/natty when he can get repaired and rest for a few months through the spring. Saban and the Bama fans swear up and down "oh yeah, Tua is good to go, 100%, we aren't worried". But he is definitely not 100%, not even close. He is one Christian Wilkins or Dexter Lawrence tackle away from a season ending injury, and that has to amount for something. I am worried that the coaches dont seem phased by this and the coaches seem to want to ignore this in the media for now. Of course, why would the coaches want to let on that they think the key to their entire success is mortally wounded and likely not 100%? I wouldn't want that insecurity to be publicized, and neither does Bama. The way the coaches are trying to brush it off worries me and excites me. It worries me for the future wellbeing of Tua's health, but it excites me as a Clemson fan. The coaches KNOW something is very wrong, and I suspect what they know about Tua is worse than our expectations of what his injury is. They aren't letting on about it to maintain confidence and some secrecy, but they know Tua's knee is in bad shape and not getting better any time soon.


I think the laziness I saw in the secondary, the lack of offensive production, and Tua's hidden injury are going to be the key to beating them. Tua is a dang good QB, but he is not 100%. His knee is a serious liability, and I really think its going to affect them in a bad way in the near future. Its already hampering Tua's production currently, I think its only a matter of time before it gives out entirely.

Exploiting that, I think we have an excellent chance at taking down Bama if we meet them in the national championship game. I think Tua is good enough to get them there, but I think his injury is going to prevent them from sealing the deal. In addition to that, Jalen Hurts is out as well. He injured his ankle a few weeks ago, which required surgery. Alabama is keeping a tight lid on information regarding Jalen's status, but the consensus among Bama fans is that he is out for the season and post-season. However, don't sleep on Saban, because he may keep Jalen's status under wraps as a means to bring him back in case of emergency during the playoff or national championship.


That said, I think this weekend just turned me into an Alabama fan, or at least, made me not hate Alabama anymore. The experience I had, the hospitality, and what I saw was awesome. Just overwhelmingly awesome, you can't go to Tuscaloosa and not feel a sense of warm, exciting joy. That "kid on christmas morning" feeling is what I would describe the entire town, and it was contagious. Just a fantastic place to be on Saturday, almost as good as Clemson. You can't go to Tuscaloosa and not have a smile on your face.

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WoW “tokillagamecock” !


Nov 12, 2018, 6:04 PM

Great post which would have taken me a day to type but that said i learned many interesting & unknown things about our new National Play-off Rival. Thx much for sharing!

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Thanks for the writeup...


Nov 12, 2018, 6:26 PM

Almost makes me feel bad about how unhappy they'll be when they wake up on January 8.

Almost.

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Re: Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long)


Nov 12, 2018, 6:28 PM

I was in Tuscaloosa when they played Ole Miss, drove around the campus, went and checked out the stadium and even got a pic at the Nick Saban statue. Was very interesting and although I wanted to jump off a cliff if I heard "roll tide" one more time it was a nice little town to see and be apart of for the week!

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This is a really good piece and


Nov 12, 2018, 6:43 PM

very well-written. It gave me a pretty objective description of a Saturday in Tussa-Loosa from an outsider's viewpoint.
Thanks for taking the time and effort to do this.

Go Tigers!!! Beat Dook! Beat Dook!! Beat H*** outta Dook!!!

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Re: Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long)


Nov 12, 2018, 6:50 PM

Question: Are they killing turtles with balloons over there?

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Re: Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long)


Nov 13, 2018, 9:27 AM

Not with balloons, but the sea of yellow "Gallette's" cups has likely expedited the exit of a few endangered species. Mostly Auburn fans would be my guess.

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Re: Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long)


Nov 12, 2018, 6:52 PM

Excellent post tokill! Nice read about the Alabama experience. I would be interested to know though how that happy mood fares during a loss? That doesn’t happen much during the Saban years, but I know my mood is a lot different during a loss than it is during a win ??

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If people were as good as their obituary - and products were as good as advertised - this would truly be a wonderful world !!


Re: Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long)


Nov 13, 2018, 9:28 AM

Thats true. I was hoping to see a more competitive gave from Miss State to see if the Bama fans got rattled, but unfortunately it didnt happen.

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Re: Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long)


Nov 12, 2018, 6:56 PM

Thank you, I enjoyed that

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Go Tigers! Once A Tiger Always A Tiger


Very Informative, But why did you wear Bama Gear?


Nov 12, 2018, 7:07 PM

Did you're friends buy it for you? Not Busting Balls, just curious. I would have had on neutral colors.

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Re: Very Informative, But why did you wear Bama Gear?


Nov 13, 2018, 9:29 AM

My sister attends Alabama. During her freshman year when she asked me what I wanted for christmas, I told her I wanted a nice crimson shirt with a big Alabama "A" printed on the front, to support her. I had yet to find a reason to wear it though.

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I think Saban is playing Tua's injury down expecting...


Nov 12, 2018, 7:14 PM

trouble in Atlanta. Worse case is they get dropped to 4th if they cover up the fact that Tua is badly hurt and limits their offense. Saban is near the end and he just wants to look like he took Bama to ever playoff before he retires.

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ive had people describe going to games there


Nov 12, 2018, 7:16 PM

as too "over the top" as far as the shrine of college football stuff. Maybe it's changed in a couple years now that they are used to the winning.

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Re: ive had people describe going to games there


Nov 13, 2018, 9:36 AM

I cant say I saw that. It was certainly holy ground but, to be completely honest, if we want to compare which program appears to have the more "shrine" or "cult-like stadium" experience...it may be us. Alabama is all about simple quality, whereas Clemson is meticulous about tradition. Some of the Bama cheers are more old school, and remind me of the old school style of pageantry you see with stuff like the "Rock Chalk Jayhawk" at Kansas. They have that element, but the dedication to football legend at Alabama is worshiped by what the team puts on the field, not like Clemson where we are big on the pageantry and fireworks as well.

But I think that comes down to the history of the schools. Clemson is a former military college, and in the military, pageantry, parades, and decorations are a major part of military culture. The things we do at Clemson, with our cheers, our band, the way we decorate our campus and conduct some of our traditional gameday rituals, reflects a lot of decoration and pageantry. Alabama isnt big on this, rather they aim for a simpler, but higher quality approach to gameday.

Case in point, their uniforms are a simple crimson and white, but they make sure those uniforms are the most clean cut, meticulously assembled, whitest white, and "crimsonest crimson" youll ever see. If that makes sense...

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Nice review but....


Nov 12, 2018, 7:28 PM

...I'm surprised you wore Alabama gear. I don't know...I just refuse to wear any other teams' stuff. I'll compromise and wear their primary color such as red or crimson in this case but I'd never wears another school's stuff that is clearly branded for that school.

I know you were trying to be polite as a guest and that is the reason I'd wear a sweatshirt or T-shirt of similar color to their primary color; that's a far as I'd go...but gray is a good color to wear in these situations.

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Re: Nice review but....


Nov 13, 2018, 9:39 AM

I wore it to support my sister who attends Alabama. She has been to many many Clemson games, but most of my Clemson family have yet to go attend a Bama game in full colors. I did it to show support, besides my Clemson ring, I didn't wear any orange last weekend. Our family is almost 100% Clemson, except for her. So I imagine she may feel outnumbered, so I thought it was important to show her that support and put my mindset behind that. At Clemson we go "all in" and "give 110%", so I would expect any Clemson man or woman to go all in with supporting a sibling as well. She wasn't very vocal about my support, but I can tell it was an awesome weekend that she wont forget for the rest of her life.

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Why did she choose Bama for school?


Nov 13, 2018, 9:50 AM

Scholarship or in-state tuition reason?

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Re: Why did she choose Bama for school?


Nov 13, 2018, 10:31 AM

Combination of both, combined with the fact that they have her degree of study in undergrad and postgrad. Plus she is more independent and has always wanted to operate that way.

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This is fantastic stuff TKAG. One of my favorite posters***


Nov 12, 2018, 7:32 PM



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Best Is The Standard


Re: Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long)


Nov 12, 2018, 8:10 PM

Excellent summary. I've been to a few Bama games and I've been blown away each visit. They are a laid back baseball crowd, but the Iron Bowl was one of the loudest games I've attended. Seems like Bama fans only really get up for LSU and Auburn. I love the stadium, it was a clean and stream lined feeling. I enjoyed your post.

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Re: Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long)


Nov 12, 2018, 8:12 PM

Great read. +1, I think you should have wore your Clemson gear, everybody would have still shown you the same hospitality.
Go Tigers!

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Quit reading at where you were wearing Bama gear. Nope.***


Nov 12, 2018, 8:22 PM



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Brad Brownell: Only Larry freaking Shyatt has a WORSE overall winning percentage among Clemson basketball coaches since 1975. Let that sink in. It's Larry Shyatt & then Brad Brownell.


Re: Quit reading at where you were wearing Bama gear. Nope.***


Nov 13, 2018, 9:41 AM

I wore it to support my sister, who attends Alabama and gets a lot of #### from the rest of the family because every one else went to or is a huge fan of Clemson. She IS a Tiger, and grew up with Clemson, but she's the only one of us that doesn't have a ring. If you can't get past that well, I don't know what to tell you.

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You don’t need have to answer to me - imma nobody at all -


Nov 13, 2018, 10:37 AM

but SOMEDAY you’ll have to answer to your Maker and He is CLEARLY a HUGE Tiger Man.


( Cue the zealot responses ...... )

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Brad Brownell: Only Larry freaking Shyatt has a WORSE overall winning percentage among Clemson basketball coaches since 1975. Let that sink in. It's Larry Shyatt & then Brad Brownell.


Re: Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long)


Nov 12, 2018, 8:43 PM

Jeez that was long! I’ll give you some history to go with your modern day visit. The on campus stadium known as Bryant Denny was an absolute trash heap as late as the 1980s. I think capacity was under 50,000. Bama always played their big games in Birmingham at Legion Field. That way the big money people had nice hotels and big city nightlife to enjoy on game weekends. They could care less about students going to games as the stands were filled with sidewalk alumni. Once Pat Dye got enough clout at Auburn to force the Iron Bowl to be played on campus at Auburn in 1989, the whole paradigm changed. Legion Fields days were numbered and Bama was forced to address their on campus stadium blight. This is why there really are no traditions and real tailgating close to the stadium. It was pretty well boxed in by buildings and houses.

Alabama is the State school and has a huge Greek culture. That whole main road running to the stadium from the east is lined with massive, very new fraternity and sorority mansions the likes of which probably only exist at Texas. I would imagine half the student population does their tailgating at those houses.

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U of Alabama expansion


Nov 12, 2018, 9:26 PM

In-state enrollment % has dropped considerably as the admins throw first year scholarship money at kids in the higher income suburban zip codes across the country.

Many take the money, get immersed in the football-social culture and don't maintain the GPA necessary to earn scholarship money in subsequent years. Once hooked, the university collects large out-of-state tuition for the remainder of the undergraduate years, funding an aggressive enrollment expansion plan. UA is now the third largest undergraduate university in the SEC and aims to surpass A&M and UF using this approach. Over half of the campus' buildings have gone up in the past decade, leveraging a high level of debt at relatively low interest rates.

In-state taxpayers are starting to push back but things will not likely change as long as a successful sports program keeps the money pump primed.

It just means more.

http://www.wbrc.com/story/37969666/out-of-state-students-fueling-enrollment-growth-at-the-university-of-alabama/

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Re: Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long)


Nov 13, 2018, 9:44 AM [ in reply to Re: Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long) ]

Spot on buddy.

Bryant Denny is a really nice stadium, but you can tell in some areas where it used to not be as nice. There are some places that remain "meh" in the stadium despite obvious renovations. The concourses in particular were not good, very cramped and crowded.


But my god, the concession were awesome. Dreamland BBQ, Alabama's version of Maurice's Piggy Park in terms of fame, works all the concessions. They have these BBQ nachos that are phenomenal.

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Excellent post and great reading! Bama folks can be


Nov 12, 2018, 8:43 PM

somewhat laid-back, because they are used to winning. That allows them a luxury not many programs offer.

There is another thing: close friends, who happen to be Carolina alumni, told me, "You go to games EXPECTING to win. We go to games HOPING to win." That in of itself allows a little laid-back attitude.

I've been to Tuscaloosa, and it's a college town with a shining golden temple for Bama football. Frank Howard, Danny Ford and Dabo Swinney wore the Bama colors, so I tip my hat to them.

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Re: Excellent post and great reading! Bama folks can be


Nov 13, 2018, 10:36 AM

Another thing I found: the Paul W Bryant museum is FILLED with Clemson stuff that most Bama fans dont realize.

Obviously, Bama had museum pieces that showed Bama defeating Clemson. However, lots of other things speckled here and there. They had a big wall of the rosters of every championship team, and every team that Bear Bryant coached. Lots of Clemson names. Pictures of Dabo from the 1992 team were scattered everywhere, though I wonder if that was by design to honor Dabo (and possibly lure him back to Bama).

Another interesting facet about the Bear Bryant museum, they honored EVERY team and EVERY player Bear coached, including when he was at other schools before Bama. It was Bear Bryants ultimate dying wish: that ALL of his players received the same honors he received over his tenure as a successful coach. All of his players are summarily recognized and honored like he is at Alabama.

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Great recap! But can't agree with you on one point...


Nov 12, 2018, 9:47 PM

Afterall -- and after all -- I am still NadaFanaBama!

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Not a recap. Expose' yes. Recap no.


Nov 12, 2018, 9:53 PM

Good stuff just the same.

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Classy post - what are Bama thoughts on Gamecocks?


Nov 12, 2018, 10:04 PM

How many times did you hear the awesome "Sweet Home Alabama"?

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Re: Classy post - what are Bama thoughts on Gamecocks?


Nov 13, 2018, 11:02 AM

Honestly, never! I heard a lot of songs by the band "Alabama" though. I did get the chance to throw out the fact that the band "Alabama" may be from the state of Alabama, but they got their big break in South Carolina!


The Bama fans showed an indifferent disgust towards South Carolina. Its pretty clear they view USuC as an insignificant school thats not even on their radar. Kind of the same reaction when you see goose crap on the sidewalk, you just ignore it and walk around it. Bama fans dont ahve much appreciation for South Carolina.


They do have a lot of respect for Clemson though. A LOT of respect. While they dont view us as equal, they view us as the only team that is a threat to them. The way we play, the way Dabo has built the program, the similarities between schools in cultural terms, and the ties Clemson has to Alabama garner a lot of respect from Alabama fans.

They enjoy having an out of conference rival they can go toe to toe with.

My impression is that Alabama has sat on the top of the mountain, alone for so long, they are happy to finally have some respectable company.

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nice read. I think Tua has what DW4 had his freshman year


Nov 12, 2018, 10:16 PM

and will need surgery after the season.

Message was edited by: tigertrain®


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My wife is from Ala. & I find what you say as true, most


Nov 12, 2018, 10:35 PM

of all the part of a place to worship football.I had to take alot of heat from her whole family as all are as btg a ala. fan as me Clemson.In fact Kirby Smarts Daddy choached her brother in HS & Kirby's mother taught my wife.I hope I can dish a little back this Yr.

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sorry about the spelling***


Nov 12, 2018, 10:37 PM



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Good write up but Dixieland Delight sux***


Nov 13, 2018, 12:00 AM



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I prefer Song of the South if given a choice***


Nov 13, 2018, 12:05 AM



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Re: I prefer Song of the South if given a choice***


Nov 13, 2018, 9:45 AM

I would love to see Clemson adopt "Song of the South" as one of our things.

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I live a 10 min walk from Dt Athens


Nov 13, 2018, 12:11 AM

Please tell me where this "nightclub" scene is. I must be missing it.

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Re: I live a 10 min walk from Dt Athens


Nov 13, 2018, 11:03 AM

UGA has bars and nightlife that you would expect to see more in a city. They dont have outright night clubs, but their bars are more like night clubs than Animal House, college dive bars.

Clemson and Tuscaloosa are very much still that old row, dive bar, animal house type scene. UGA is more upbeat and electric.

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Re: Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long)


Nov 13, 2018, 12:45 AM

Very interesting and well written....thanks....

I find it very sad that Tua's obvious injury is covered up. That's a coaching choice and a very low one, in my opinion. I do not think Dabo would allow that - his concern would be the future. I don't believe he would risk a player's career on a few wins in one season.

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Re: Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long)


Nov 13, 2018, 9:47 AM

I think they are trying to downplay it so that way other teams cant scheme around Tua's injury. I also think they are overplaying Jalen Hurts' injury with the hopes of Jalen getting a speedy recovery so they can bring him back in case of emergency, to the surprise of their opponents.

If you don't know Tua's injured, you cant scheme and exploit his injury.
If you don't know Jalen is healthy and ready to go in the locker room, you cant prepare to defend against Jalen in Tua goes down.

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Re: Recap of my Tuscaloosa trip (long)


Nov 13, 2018, 6:09 AM

Good read. Thanks.

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THANK YOU for the "trip" to Tuscaloosa! Have always wanted


Nov 13, 2018, 2:30 PM

to see a game there and wander around campus. If I don't get to go - now I feel like I've been there! Good comparisons between Clemson and Alabama.

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