Maybe it’s the fact that Alabama once dominated this league like nobody has since or before.
Maybe it’s the fact that Paul W. “Bear” Bryant is the most iconic figure in all of college football history.
Maybe it’s the fact that Alabama has been caught cheating each of the last two decades, serving three years of NCAA probation in the mid 1990s and five years of NCAA probation from 2002-’07.
Maybe it’s that obnoxious elephant roar at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Maybe it’s Bryant’s gravelly voice still being piped in over the loudspeaker at Bryant-Denny Stadium before every game.
Maybe it’s the fact that Alabama is … well, Alabama.
Love the Tide or loathe the Tide, how many college football programs stoke the passions of so many in one state the way Alabama does — not just every Saturday — but 365 days a year?
Just an extracurricular activity? Yeah, right.
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