Have you ever wondered where all the fans of a college football team go when the team stops winning?

It would seem like they blend into the crowd the way Al-Qaeda terrorists blend into the streets of Iraq after a bombing.

Someone please tell me where they go, and what the heck do they do with all those shirts, hats, and jackets?

Do they abandon them in a dumpster somewhere, or just keep them hidden in their closet for the hopeful resurrection?

As I walked with my wife through the mall over the weekend, it suddenly struck me that just about this time last year I was in the same mall and was saturated by the sheer number of Auburn shirts, hats, and jackets being worn by fans everywhere I turned.

Being an Alabama fan, it was repulsive and distasteful for me, of course, and it made the visit to the mall most unpleasant.

I swear you couldn't swing a dead cat and not hit an Auburn fan this time last year.

Now I look around, and except for the occasional 10-year-old kid whose mom dressed him that morning or the 60-year-old man who plans to be buried in that Auburn shirt, you would be hard pressed to spot anyone wearing anything orange and blue.

Are there now boxes in everyone's attic or basement overflowing with orange and blue outfit waiting to see the light of day when Auburn returns?

Auburn fans, ask yourself this question: How far has your Auburn shirt or jacket managed to work its way towards the back in your closet?

I myself only wear my Alabama colors on game day. It is part of my game day lucky routine. I feel that wearing it daily would be unlucky. 

I do, however, break that rule when I am playing golf—again a time when I need all the luck I can get!

My Dad, who I credit with both the blessing and the curse of introducing me to my beloved Alabama Crimson Tide over 40 years ago, swore until his dying day that there were actually people that owned both sets of apparel.

He claimed that these turncoat fans would join in with whichever fans won that year's Iron Bowl and enjoy the fruits of the victory.

That way they were always on the winning side. Good idea, if you have the stomach for that sort of hypocrisy !

I wondered if that may be true, as it seems that whichever team wins, Alabama or Auburn, all of a sudden everyone is a fan of that team.

Even when you are just riding down the street, you still are subjected to the onslaught of football fandom.

I am talking about the vehicle decorations of course. Everything from car tags to flags and windsocks. Where did they all go after the team lost?

Not to mention the tiger's tail hanging out of the trunk.

I have this image in my mind of people stumbling out in the driveway in the dark after Auburn lost to Alabama on Nov. 29 with a screwdriver and a flashlight in hand to remove their War Eagle tag off the front bumper of their car.

The Auburn flags and windsocks are now all MIA as well.

That's the problem with the vanity license plates; you are stuck with it at least until you can get to the Courthouse.

For the last five years you couldn't drive down a road in Alabama without wondering if there was an Auburn parade going on up ahead because of all the flags and windsocks on all cars and trucks you were passing.

Then there are the fans that feel as though they must write the score on their back window in case someone was in a coma and missed the outcome.

There was also the "Fear of the Thumb" reminders, as well as the one I saw that just said, "Alabama sucks!"

I wasn't really sure if he was an Alabama or Auburn fan though? At that time Alabama really did suck.

These days it would seem as though everyone is an Alabama fan.

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