Ladies and gentlemen, Auburn is No. 1 in the Bowl Championship Series rankings. That's right, just let it sink in for a minute. Bask in its warm radiation, but tread lightly on this pedestal, friends--it's a fragile one.
For the past three weeks, the No.1-ranked college football team has lost. Let's do everything we can to reverse this trend.
The Auburn Tigers' No. 1 ranking means they are in a position to prove themselves, to show the nation they can beat any team they play.
It means that we as students have a unique opportunity to show the nation how we do things on The Plains, and we have to do it at football games. And right now, we have got to start acknowledging this opportunity and show the nation that Auburn deserves to be No. 1 on the field and in the stands.
It all starts with the mic man, Daniel Friday, the guy the student section looks to for crucial cues, the guy who starts "Bodda Getta" and who times the "Waaaaaar Eagle!" But sadly, that seems to make up the bulk of what he does.
Instead of simply telling people when to cheer, why not inspire them to?
Why doesn't he scream himself? Why no crazy intensity or crowd surfing? With our newfound national spotlight, the mic man has to step his game up, just as the team does.
He needs to set the tone of intensity and ferocity that should exist in the student section. People should look at him and think, "Man, he really needs to calm down."
I want the mic man to be so intense, so brimming with the Auburn spirit, that he makes mic men from other universities seem like lazy amateurs.
I want one of our highlights on SportsCenter to be the mic man, on a 4th quarter, 3rd and long, with neck veins bulging and face red, screaming at the top of his lungs and jumping up and down to get students pumped.
Imagine what would happen to our student section, which is already one of the top in the nation. There would be a new definition of intensity and a new toughest stadium to visit. We would strike fear into the hearts of visiting teams.
But for this goal to be realized, the student section must also make some changes.
Friday said he believes the student section has accomplished coach Chizik's goal to be the loudest section in the country, but there is always room to get louder.
For the LSU game, I sat behind the "G" in the South end zone, about 14 rows from the field.
Every time there was a timeout called, a play reviewed or any break in the action, about 60 people directly in front and surrounding me sat down.
Unacceptable.
Students in the student section are taking breaks to text and update their Facebook whenever the mood strikes, whether it's halftime or third and two on the 25 yard line.
Unacceptable.
Everyone who follows college football recognizes our name now. They wonder what it's like to come to an Auburn football game, to be the classmate of Cam Newton, Nick Fairley, Onterio McCalebb and Josh Bynes.
So let's let them know. It's time to push ourselves, to leave no doubt that we are the loudest, most spirited student section in all of college football.
I'll lay it out: if the team doesn't sit down, we don't sit down. If the team doesn't rest, we don't rest. If the defense is on the field, be loud--the whole time.
On first down, scream. On second down, scream. On third down, scream. On fourth down, scream. All the time, especially when the opposing offense is taking the field and in the huddle.
Friday said the louder the student section gets, the more it inspires him to get louder and do more cheers.
It's a mutual relationship between mic man and student section, one of mutual intensity and the constant feeding of one from the energy of the other. So get loud.
This could be the year of the Tiger. Let's not let it slip through our fingers.
We have the opportunity to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of intimidating visiting teams visits Jordan-Hare will be scared of our student section, not only our team.
What we do now affects the entire nation's opinion of us, and they are looking at you. So show them how it really is, give it everything you've got and leave everything in the stands. For Auburn.
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