As many regular readers of this column will know, I am a fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide — not an easy feat during the last couple of years, especially in the state of Georgia. Being a native of Bulloch County, I’m obviously a fan of the Georgia Southern Eagles as well, but my team is the Crimson Tide.

How did I become a Crimson Tide fan? Well, if you’re a football fan in the South, you already know it’s almost like a religion. My maternal grandma was an Auburn fan, so my mom grew up in a home that wore orange and blue on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for the infamous Iron Bowl rivalry game. As a kid, I don’t remember watching football in our house very much, but the Braves were always on TV. I didn’t really care anything about whether someone said “Roll Tide” or “War Eagle” — didn’t know what they meant or which school they represented. How exactly does a Tiger mascot equal a battle cry of “War Eagle!” and what does the ocean have to do with an elephant?

My senior year of high school, I started dating my now-husband, Jason. When I met his dad’s side of the family, it was obvious that football was a big thing for them. Saturdays were spent in front of the television in a team shirt. Beverages were consumed out of glasses adorned with mascots. Christmas trees? You guessed it — decorated with the emblems and mascot.

So for Jason to date a girl who didn’t say “Roll Tide”? UNHEARD OF. I was his first serious girlfriend, but either way, it was unacceptable for me to utter the words “War Eagle” in the presence of his Grandma Judy. (Not that I cared either way.)

As many people have done over the years, due to love, I quickly began studying the teachings of college football and the Crimson Tide. I learned about Bear Bryant and the legend that he was.  In a nutshell, I converted.

I sometimes watched the games in the pre-Nick Saban era, but we really started watching more after coach Saban came to Alabama, mostly because that’s about the time we moved in together.

Here we are, over 20 years later, and I’m a bigger fan than my husband.

Now my Christmas tree has Big Al ornaments and houndstooth décor, and I own a few cups with a big elephant head on them. I’ve got a shirt riddled with holes and stains that I consider my lucky shirt — but after these past two years, I think it’s getting retired as a game day shirt and becoming a sleep shirt. I sometimes sit in the floor during high-intensity moments of the games with a bottle of Malibu straight from the fridge. I’ve taken quite a few pulls from that bottle. I’ve covered my eyes and watched from behind my fingers, and I’ve even cried after a loss.

Still, I’m pretty thick-skinned. I can take a lot of s***-talk, and I can talk a lot of s***. But the thing about college football in the South is that people do not know how to do it respectfully, or even with a sense of humor. Many people take it entirely too far or, even worse, don’t know enough about football to have an educated discussion about the game, the players or the choices the coaches are making.

I’ve heard some stories of downright mean, hateful behavior and borderline assault by fans against rival fans — people being spit on, having drinks thrown at them and being called horrible things. That is just ridiculous behavior — and over something as simple as college football? Get a grip.

I love nothing more than a Saturday text message from a UGA fan talking crap about how Bama has a cupcake schedule. I can laugh it off and say something smart right back, like how Georgia’s matchup that week is with a JV team from a podunk high school. My smack-talk is always done with the intent of being fun and funny, and the people I enjoy smack-talking with do the same.

Granted, they (and I) might cuss and scream at the television screen when a ball is dropped or a tackle is missed, but we’re not going to lose a friendship over a football rivalry. Honestly, if a friendship can be messed up over something like politics or football, were you truly friends to begin with?

These last few years in Georgia wearing the colors crimson and white have not been particularly fun by any means, but each football program has its struggles.

It's going to be really strange in 2024 not seeing Saban on the sideline, snatching off his headset and throwing a temper tantrum. I like to watch a comedian on social media named Jermaine “FunnyMaine” Johnson, a Bama fan who has made many videos talking about the games and how Bama fans react to them. He likes to call coaches who have coached under Saban at Alabama “Saban assistants.” As long as there are Saban assistants who are winning championships, the legacy is carried on, and I’m OK with that.

Here’s hoping that DeBoer can boost the program back to what it was when the Crimson Tide pulled off that glorious play against the Georgia Bulldogs that is surely in the history books — the ol’ 2-and-26.