Heads and tales: Iron Bowl-topia

Stripe for the pickin’: Ye Olde Iron Bowl takes place Saturday in Auburn (2:30 p.m. CST on your CBS station). One ref makes his prediction for the big Alabama-Auburn game and shares some amusing on-the-field yarns. Then, he gets his (body part) stuck up his (other body part).
• Iron Bowl prediction [(Talladega) Daily Home]

Encyclopaedia titannica: If you need to bone up on, say, every Iron Bowl ever played, look no further than Wikipedia. It includes this bizarre dissection of the heated tradition:

“Like many intrastate rivalries between public universities in the United States, much of the animosity between the two schools stems from sociological differences between each school’s fan base (alumni and other supporters). Many of the more heated in-state rivalries involve a state’s perceived ‘flagship university’ and a land-grant university. Traditionally, flagship universities educated the more urbanized and economically upscale portions of their state’s population. Land-grant schools, which were specifically established to provide education in agriculture, engineering, and military science, drew heavily from rural and small-town dwellers.

“Although this is a gross oversimplification, and there are numerous exceptions to this rule on both sides, there is a core of truth to this divide. In the Iron Bowl, Alabama is the ‘flagship’ school and Auburn the land-grant school.”

All we can say is, “Good for Gary, good for Gary Hogeboom.”
• Iron Bowl (entry) [Wikipedia]

Failing upwards: Gore Vidal said, “It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail.” Or was it Ken Jennings? Anyway, the winner of the Iron Bowl will need LSU to lose at least one of its two last games to make it into the SEC Championship Game. To face off against “Jeopardy!” god Jennings.
• Surging Tigers, Struggling Tide Meet In Iron Bowl [Associated Press]

Shakeups and wakeups: ESPN columnist Pat Forde ranks the Iron Bowl as this week’s most important rivalry: “This game could have a pronounced ripple effect through the bowl picture: An Alabama win might be enough to propel the Crimson Tide into the BCS. That, in turn, would leave the SEC with at least one fewer bowl-eligible team than bowl commitments … If Auburn wins, the trickle-down scenario leads Tennessee to the Music City Bowl … and Florida to the Independence Bowl …” And you thought it didn’t mean anything.
• Iron Bowl tops the week’s rivalry games [ESPN]

Hooked on fanatics: Finally, something is being done about the sorry joke that is state public education. Introducing a set of DVDs to teach infants about Alabama and Auburn pride. Greg Scheinman, creator of Team Baby Entertainment, said, “The company is set to raise the next generation of fan. It is set up to teach kids about traditions and introduce them to different sports, marching bands and mascots.” Next up: Baby Beer Bong and Lil’ Tyke Sports Betting Palace.
• DVDs get baby on board Tide, Tiger bandwagons [Birmingham News]

Also:

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