Auburn Pegged as Most Delusional Fanbase; Don’t Laugh, Alabama, You Aren’t Far Behind
College football fanbases are a passionate bunch, with each group having its own unique culture, history, and perspective on the game. Among the SEC schools, Auburn and Alabama have long been bitter rivals, with each fanbase believing in the supremacy of their respective program. In a recent survey conducted by a well-known sports outlet, Auburn was pegged as having the “most delusional” fanbase in college football. However, while Auburn’s fans may have taken the brunt of this title, Alabama, often considered the epitome of college football dominance, isn’t far behind when it comes to its own brand of delusional thinking.
The phrase “delusional fanbase” is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it speaks to the high expectations, irrational belief in future success, and sometimes outlandish opinions that characterize many fanbases. For Auburn, the label can be explained by a variety of factors— from their erratic football history to their often unrealistic expectations. But Alabama, with its rich history of success under Nick Saban, isn’t immune to criticism either. Despite the dominance of the Crimson Tide in recent years, there are growing signs that even Alabama fans, long accustomed to winning, may have developed a case of “delusion.”
This article will take a deep dive into why Auburn fans are often labeled as the most delusional fanbase in college football, and why, despite their history of success, Alabama fans aren’t entirely free from this label. It will explore the concept of college football delusion, the reasons behind Auburn’s wild expectations, and the corresponding trends seen in Alabama’s fanbase.
The Auburn Fanbase: Expectations vs. Reality
Auburn University, despite its storied history and long-standing rivalry with Alabama, is often seen as a program that lives in the shadows of its more successful counterparts. Since its inception, Auburn has had moments of brilliance, including their 2010 National Championship, but they have also been plagued by inconsistency. This inconsistency leads to a unique dynamic where Auburn fans—expecting greatness at all times—are quick to forget the program’s failures and hold on to the moments of success like they’re set in stone.
Auburn’s fanbase has, on more than one occasion, been seen as overly optimistic about the trajectory of the program. They believe that any year could be the year that the Tigers return to the pinnacle of college football, but that belief is often clouded by reality. Since their national title in 2010, Auburn has had more ups and downs than a rollercoaster. They’ve seen coaching changes, mid-tier finishes in the SEC, and inconsistent play. Yet despite all this, Auburn fans regularly believe that they’re on the verge of greatness. In fact, every offseason, you’ll hear murmurs from fans that the Tigers are poised to be a sleeper team for the College Football Playoff or that they can finally break through and dethrone Alabama from its SEC throne.
This perennial optimism, sometimes bordering on irrational, has become a defining characteristic of Auburn’s fanbase. While it’s admirable to have such unwavering faith in your team, the reality is that Auburn has a very checkered history, especially when it comes to their football program’s overall performance. The Tigers have been to the College Football Playoff only once, and even their SEC Championship wins (in 2010 and 2013) are viewed as anomalies in what has otherwise been a mixed bag of seasons.
Auburn fans often seem to believe that their team is just one good recruiting class or one magical season away from being the next Alabama. It’s the kind of belief that doesn’t always align with the actual circumstances of the program. This kind of “delusional” thinking leads to an overestimation of the program’s capabilities, and that’s where the criticisms come from.
The “Delusional” Reputation: How Auburn Fans Perpetuate the Myth
Auburn fans’ “delusional” label is perpetuated by several factors, one of the biggest being their ability to overlook major flaws within the program. Many fans expect success year after year, without acknowledging that their team simply does not have the recruiting power, financial backing, or sustained elite coaching staff that many of their rivals possess. This attitude frequently leads to disappointment and frustration, but Auburn fans don’t seem to accept it for what it is. Instead, they hang their hopes on fleeting moments of brilliance and play the “what-if” game endlessly.
Take, for example, the ongoing belief that Auburn is always on the verge of being a national title contender, despite significant roster turnover or challenges in recruiting. Even when Auburn struggles, fans talk about the potential of the team, downplaying the challenges the program faces in order to maintain hope for the future. Whether it’s an underwhelming coaching hire or a disappointing loss, Auburn fans have a way of rationalizing their circumstances with the promise of better things to come.
Perhaps the most glaring example of Auburn’s delusional thinking came in the aftermath of the 2019 season. After Gus Malzahn’s Tigers ended the season with a 9-4 record, many Auburn fans were still hopeful that Malzahn was the coach to lead Auburn back to the top. There was talk of getting back to the Playoff, but the inconsistencies of the program kept their dreams just out of reach. As Malzahn was eventually let go in 2020, the constant swings between optimism and reality created the narrative of a fanbase that refused to accept their place in the pecking order of college football.
Alabama: The Titan with a Hint of Delusion
The rivalry between Auburn and Alabama is one of the most intense in all of college football, and when discussing delusional fanbases, it’s important to recognize that Alabama’s fanbase, despite years of sustained dominance under Nick Saban, isn’t immune to the label either. While it’s easy to laugh at Auburn fans for their constant belief that they are just one great season away from breaking through, Alabama fans often exhibit their own form of delusion—albeit in a different manner.
First, let’s talk about the obvious: Alabama has won six national championships under Nick Saban since 2009, dominating the sport like few other programs have. Their success is unquestionable, and their fanbase is used to winning at the highest level. This has led to a sense of entitlement, where many Alabama fans expect national championships as the bare minimum. But that level of expectation, while certainly reflective of Alabama’s recent dominance, has created an atmosphere of entitlement that can be viewed as delusional in its own right.
For instance, Alabama fans are often quick to criticize the program after any season that doesn’t end in a national championship, even if the season was one of the best in college football. After losing in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game to Georgia in 2022, there were segments of the fanbase that were bitterly disappointed, despite the fact that Alabama had a stellar season and only lost in a close game to a great Georgia team. For many Alabama fans, anything less than a national title is a failure. That sense of entitlement leads to unrealistic expectations for every season, even when the program is facing a period of transition or rebuilding.
Moreover, Alabama fans tend to hold onto their past success as if it’s the only thing that matters, overlooking any mistakes or shortcomings in the present. There’s a belief among some segments of the Alabama fanbase that the Crimson Tide should never lose to teams like Auburn, LSU, or even Tennessee, simply because they’ve been so dominant in the past. While Alabama is undoubtedly a historically great program, their fans often fail to recognize that college football is cyclical. Teams like Auburn, with their strong recruiting classes and sporadic success, can occasionally catch Alabama on an off day. Yet, the Alabama fanbase tends to get overly critical and dismissive of other teams, expecting perennial dominance without acknowledging the factors that go into sustaining that level of success.
The Delusion of Online Fanbases
It’s worth mentioning that much of this “delusion” can be fueled by social media and online fan forums. Both Auburn and Alabama fans are active online, often engaging in debates that lead to wild projections about the future. Social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit allow fans to voice their opinions, but sometimes those opinions border on outlandish. Whether it’s overhyping a recruit or dismissing the abilities of rival teams, the online environment allows both Auburn and Alabama fans to inflate their expectations in ways that might not align with reality.
For Auburn fans, social media provides an outlet to continue believing in a resurgence of the program, often ignoring the reality of the recruiting battles they face. Alabama fans, conversely, use social media to voice frustrations over anything less than a national title, disregarding the fact that their team is already one of the best in the country year in and year out.