The Auburn Beat

Barbara and Buddy Sisson of Conyers, Georgia, have been coming to every Auburn game, both home and away, for years, and they choose to set up their tailgate on busy Magnolia Street rather than getting an RV. But that doesn't stop the Sissons from putting up elaborate decorations. One pole of the Sissons' Auburn canopy is the "Tiger snack pole," and they hang from the pole plush mascots of all the teams Auburn defeated last season. If they can't find a particular team's mascot, Barbara Sisson sews it.

Today, Buddy Sisson also dragged the Kansas State mascot behind his remote control car, driven by Aubie (see photo). That's a miniature version of what the Sissons do with their own SUV: they have a hangman's noose on the back and hang Auburn's opponent's mascot there when they drive to games. They said people often tailgate them on the highway to take photos of the back of their car.

But the Sissons' sense of rivalry doesn't run much deeper than decorations. As a group of Kansas State fans wearing purple togas walks past them, Barbara Sisson cries out "welcome to Auburn!" She says they often meet people from other schools at Auburn tailgates and then meet up with them at away games.

"That's what sports were invented for," Barbara Sisson said.