Tennessee once drew 70,000 fans to its spring intrasquad game. No SEC team ever gives up the quest for football glory. South Carolina hired Lou Holtz to breathe life into its football program. Holtz, who seems to be a cross between Woody Allen and Elmer Gantry, is one of the best-ever coaches in college football. It's hard to imagine that happening at Indiana or Iowa State.
Southern fans are a little more serious.
Oh, they like the fall foliage, the tailgating, hanging out with friends. Southern fans don't merely watch games-they suffer through them until the outcome is clear. SEC fans demand victories, and when they come, they remember them as others might remember a family wedding or a graduation. Big victories are chewed over for months, relished for years. Most SEC fans aren't even graduates of the schools to which they are so devoted.