I grew up in Arizona where I attended several Arizona State versus University of Arizona games and always thought, "This is a great rivalry."

I despised U of A only for the sure fact that I lived in Mesa, just down the street from Tempe. Proximity was the driver of my loyalty.

Then I moved to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to attend the University of Alabama. My introduction to Alabama football began on a Wednesday when the parking lot my parking pass was good for was closed.

Why was it closed? So the parade of RVs invading campus (for a game on Saturday) would have a convenient place to park.

What? I was ticked, until of course I attended my first game. What a spectacle! $100,000 RVs decked out in Alabama gear. I could just hear Eddie telling Clark in Christmas Vacation "Oh, that uh, that there's an RV."

With all due respect to my home state and the Pac-10, there’s absolutely no place like the SEC for a football game.

As a rookie in the SEC my christening into the conference was a wonderful experience.

I learned several things quickly:

* Roll Tide is the battle cry. (No matter where you are in the U.S if you yell this in a crowd you will find out quickly if there is someone from Alabama there, keep in mind you will also find out just as quickly if there are any Auburn fans close by)
* Don’t ask who Bear Bryant is.
* Don’t question why we have an elephant for a mascot.
* The Rammer Jammer Cheer.
* Auburn is evil.
* Bourbon really does warm you up during a football game.
* And finally,  when the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn is over you only have 364 more days until the next one (great if you win and rough when you lose).

There’s a whole lot riding on this year's Iron Bowl with Bama ranked number 1. Auburn fans would love nothing more than to spoil the Tide’s perfect season. I just hope it’s not a trap game as Bama looks ahead to Florida in the SEC championship. Normally I’m not big on blow-out games. I like them to be competitive and close, but in the Iron Bowl I hope the Tide rolls all over the Tigers.

Whatever rivalry you are a big fan of, good luck to your team.

Roll Tide!

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving.