STULTZ: Rambling on a weird, insane rivalry
There might not be another rivalry game that has been as weird, crazy, astonishingly exciting and downright insane as Auburn-LSU over the last 30-plus years. The moments are sketched into the minds of both fan bases, from the earthquake game to Bo Nix running for his life and magically finding Tyler Fromm to help break a 22-year losing streak in Baton Rouge for the Tigers.
The game has had interesting characters, from Ed Orgeron to Les Miles to Tommy Tuberville. Heck, in comparison to those three, Brian Kelly almost seems normal. There have been fires, phantom whistles, corndog jokes, Neck being played and all the other things that have made this game so damn fun on an annual basis.
Now, it is going away. I mean, LSU will still appear on the schedule randomly, but the invasion of the Bayou Bengals on the Plains and the trek to Tiger Stadium will not be as often. That's a shame because it truly is one of my favorite games of the year, and speaking to coaches and players, they look forward to it every season as well.
So, for now, let's enjoy Death Valley at night, one of the best atmospheres in college football. Onto some ramblings...
- I've heard Hugh Freeze sing – it's the same 6:30 a.m. speaking engagement at Liberty where yours truly fell asleep during the prayer and had to be woken up with a punch by the Auburn head coach – but I had never heard his Johnny Vaught impression until Monday. And, to be honest, it is actually pretty darn good. Is this a talent he's been hiding from us? I am going to dig a little deeper into this.
- Shopping at Kroger recently, I ran across a Maryland license plate that celebrated the War of 1812. That's a weird flex.
- Sometimes, I don't pay attention to my clothes when getting dressed. Fashion isn't exactly my thing. So, when I was wearing a red lanyard flashing my credential for the UGA game, it was none other than Crime Dawg who pointed it out. It wasn't as bad as Bryan Matthews wearing a Kentucky-blue Braves sweatshirt to the 2022 Kentucky game in Neville Arena, but pretty close.
- You know what time of year is coming up, right? Hallmark Christmas movie time! This is better than waking up on X-Mas morning and seeing the loads of presents underneath the tree.
- On that subject, I watched the Lifetime movie Amish Stud, based on a true story, and it totally delivered. I can't recommend it enough for brainless television.
- Jaylin Simpson has earned him a lot of money with his play so far this season. It's going to be exciting to watch him at the next level.
- The battle between Carlson kickers on Monday night had to be excruciating for the parents and family members in attendance.
- I mentioned this in a tweet during the UGA-Auburn game, but College GameDay needs a complete revamp, and here's how they do it: go back to a one-hour show, let Lee Corso retire with dignity, get rid of Pat McAfee and bring back Chris Fowler. It's become a sham of a show.
- The NCAA proved once again it is a total joke on Wednesday when dealing with Kansas basketball and its investigation into the program. Sure, Danjel Purifoy, Austin Wiley and Sharife Cooper have to sit out due to connections to either a rogue coach or, well, his dad, but the Jayhawks get away mostly scot-free. Amazing.
- We can all agree that the first four notes of LSU's pregame with the four-corner salute are awesome as hell, right? Chillbump inducing.
- It's no secret that Auburn's receivers have struggled this season, but it is incredible that LSU's Malik Nabers has just 10 receiving yards less than the entire Auburn roster combined. He's just another LSU receiver who will be a star in the NFL.
- I used to be a diehard Chicago Blackhawks fan until everything came out about the organization covering up the sexual assault of many people. Still, I did watch their season opener against Pittsburgh last night and the NHL debut of Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick and heir apparent to Sidney Crosby as the next great one. I can't imagine having that amount of pressure on me at the age of 18, but he seems to handle it well.
- TikTok of the Week: This fighter jet is traveling at speeds I didn't even know was possible. How do you possibly know where you are going at that speed?
- Finally, he's wanted – nay, begged – to be mentioned in my ramblings, so congratulations to Chuck Hunt and his playing partner on tying my playing partner and me in the member-guest at Moore's Mill this past weekend. I'm sorry I didn't get to see you choke in the shootout. Congrats, big man!