Well, I guess we could have expected this to happen. College football is one of the most…no scratch that, the most deadly sport in America today. Rivalries are fierce, people literally get into brawls after games, cops are always needed on game days just in case and people lose thousands upon thousands of dollars on gambling.

However, at the end of the day, fans are civil when their team loses and they accept defeat with a smile on their face, right?

Last week, the Alabama Crimson Tide traveled 629 miles from Tuscaloosa to College Station, Texas to face the top-ranked Texas A&M Aggies. The Tide led by Derrick Henry, and the new revamped defense, were able to pull off a huge win over Kevin Sumlin’s Aggies, 41-23.

Now naturally two teams from the SEC are meant to act civil in a major win that shows playoff implications right? Well wrong again, America.

A recent article titled “8 Reasons Why We All Irrationally Hate Alabama Football” appeared on my desktop this morning as we in Tuscaloosa are getting ready for our next game against the Tennessee Volunteers. In this article, the writer mentions how most Alabama fans are uneducated, wear too much Houndstooth, that Big Al is lame and how we win a lot…all very true points.

Now full disclosure: I hate Texas A&M. Growing up less than 60 miles away from College Station, all I ever heard as a child was “Gig Em” this or “We’re the 12^th man” that.

When applying to colleges my name didn’t even touch an application form with the letters A&M on it. Personally, if I had to choose going to jail for a year or going to Texas A&M for college, I’d rather take the implications of my actions in jail.

While I should be doing homework or getting coverage for Tennessee vs. Alabama, I actually can’t think knowing an Aggie wrote a hate letter to Alabama fans. Sure, most people who are Alabama fans know they are hated in America, but come on…an Aggie is going to write why they hate us? No, that doesn’t sit well with me.

So why you may have eight reasons to hate on us, let me explain the eight reasons everyone in the SEC hates Texas A&M…period.

1. Johnny Manziel

You want to talk about Nick Saban being the center of attention? How about we just go back to February of last year when fans demanded you put in the title of new Kyle Field “The House that Johnny Built?" Texas A&M fans have still not gotten over their 2012 "man crush" and Heisman winner, Johnny “Football” Manziel.

Look, we get it, he is the greatest thing since sliced bread to someone like you who doesn’t have multiple heroes in your history, but let’s also look at the facts. While Manziel might have come into Bryant-Denny Stadium and beat Alabama, he also took you to the Cotton Bowl and the Chick- Fil-A bowl his two years as quarterback.

Nick Saban has taken the Crimson Tide to three National Championships, two in back-to-back years, and is always in contention. I think the Alabama fans will take a clean no-nonsense mean looking coach over a man-child who can’t even get his act together even after rehab.

2. College Station Itself

In Tuscaloosa, it’s all about having a wonderful small town that loves their football team. From sunsets overlooking the Black Warrior River to sunrises peeking out the top of Bryant-Denny Stadium, it is a beautiful, quaint city where people gather every Saturday as a family to celebrate southern tradition.

College Station has dirt. They also have some dirt, and if you look just over the hill, more dirt. Yes, they may have Northgate, where fake ID’s used by 16 years olds work all the time, but they also have a barren wasteland of dirt, dirt and dirt. Isn’t the “A” in A&M supposed to stand for “agriculture”? More like “Abysmal” to me.

3. Aggies

So you want to talk about what “Crimson Tide” means on Urban Dictionary. For starters, let's have a quick history lesson since you are new to the SEC. The nickname Crimson Tide began in 1906 during the Iron Bowl when sports writer Hugh Roberts said that Alabama’s defensive line was crashing into Auburn's offense like a “Crimson Tidal Wave."

For your information, a tidal wave is a natural disaster that can destroy a lifestyle for people who live near a coastline. To say we have a funny nickname when your nickname on the same site means “a crazy, loud and sometimes obnoxious small farmer” really isn’t that great. Sure ours is disgusting, but yours fits the stereotype right on the money.

4. Mascot

I won’t deny this, Big Al himself isn’t a scary mascot. He is a fun-loving, playful, happy-go-lucky elephant who is loved in the state of Alabama. But to actually say an Elephant isn't scary is nuts, especially when considering that your mascot is “Lassie." I’ve never heard of a time when a Border Collie trampled a guy to death. Sure I’ve heard of a Border Collie cuddling a guy to tears, but that’s about as much as I’ve seen from your “superior” mascot.

5. Yell Leaders

So you are going to make fun of Alabama for having “pompoms?" Okay, let me just explain that Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, South Carolina and Florida all use shakers at their games. Mississippi State uses cowbells and even Kentucky uses rally towels to cheer on their team on Saturdays. What do you have? Male Cheerleaders. Yell Leaders to be more exact.

Just because you don’t use “pompoms” doesn’t make you any better, it actually makes you late to the party compared to the rest of the SEC.

6. Wins

Alabama fans that did not grow up in the state of Texas have no idea how annoying it was to shake an Aggie's hand in 2013 and hear “hey man, 29-24?” Yes, you won, but then you went to the Cotton Bowl while we hoisted our 15^th National Championship trophy. The 3rd time in four years, I might add. Alabama does lose sometimes, but when we do, we lose with style.

Whether it be like Johnny Football’s Heisman-defining game, or in the “Kick 6" of 2013, Alabama losses are remembered. No one remembers A&M’s wins over Mississippi State or LSU. Yet you act as if you just struck gold beating a team like Lamar. We get that you don’t know how it feels to be a champion, so I guess we can let you enjoy those 9-3 seasons like they are National Championship title years.

7. Tradition

Texas A&M is known for tradition. While the Midnight Yell and the Ring Dunk are two very fine traditions down in College Station, not everything can be a tradition. It seems like every year there is something new A&M does and it becomes "a tradition." Well, it’s okay because they also have some new traditions that aren’t so great.

The traveling to Jerry World and having to "come back" in overtime to beat the Arkansas Razorbacks, even though they are a heavy favorite to win it: tradition. Giving the quarterbacks stupid nicknames only to see them leave before they graduate: tradition. Oh and my personal favorite, cracking under pressure when ranked in the Top 10: tradition. So if you are going to keep talking about all the tradition down in College Station, make sure to mention the not-so-fun traditions as well.

8. Losing

Texas A&M fans are the sorest losers in college football. Now this isn’t directed to every single one of you, but when 80 percent of the people say how you lost because of bad calls from the refs...yeah, you're pretty bad. After Alabama won last year 59-0 over the Aggies, Aggie fans actually said: “Well, Alabama didn’t win, Kevin Sumlin just wasn’t ready to play Kyle Allen yet,” or “If Kyle Allen was in all four quarters, it’d be a different ball game.”

One year later, Alabama won by 18 with Kyle Allen in at quarterback, and A&M fans again made excuses: “Well Kyler Murray is the future for the Aggies,” or “Kyle Allen had a bad day. If he would have been on his A-game you would have lost.” Plain and simple Aggie fans, Alabama won….as usual. You lost…as usual.

At the end of the day, we are all proud members of the SEC, one of the top conferences in college football. However, Texas A&M is new to the SEC and hasn't learned proper manners yet. As the big brother college of the SEC, it is only our responsibility to explain to them how things work 'round here.

But don’t focus on ruining our “Dynasty," worry about beating your lackluster 8-4, 9-3 win season. Try not to be too upset about the lost cause.

#AllWeDoIsWin

Gig’Em from Tuscaloosa.