In Tuscaloosa, football is supreme. Saturday is a holy day, Bryant-Denny Stadium is sacred ground, and Paul “Bear” Bryant and Nick Saban are proclaimed saints. Even with the nearest professional football team just 200 miles down the road in Atlanta, the NFL usually takes a backseat to the hometown Crimson Tide, even as Super Bowl Sunday approaches.

Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, pitting the New England Patriots (13-3) against the New York Giants (9-7), kicks off on NBC at 5:20 p.m. on Sunday. Meanwhile, students at the University of Alabama have mixed feelings about the big game. Freshman Will Delahay, a political science major from Birmingham, grew up watching UA football and, although admittedly not a fan of sports in general, he followed in the footsteps of his alumni parents and fell firmly into the Tide fanbase. Delahay said SEC football was always in the spotlight around him while professional football remained an afterthought. “You just don’t see someone sporting [Philadelphia] Eagles jersey or anything,” Delahay said. “That’s just not what it’s all about in Alabama.” Delahay, who has watched or attended every UA football game in the past three years, said he expects he will tune in Sunday night with a few friends despite his relative disinterest. However, his focus won’t strictly be on the field of play. “I like watching the game,” Delahay said. “But the commercials are always funny, and they have new announcements and trailers, too. That I’m excited for.” Whereas in-state students understand Tuscaloosa’s SEC rich environment, some students come with a different perspective. Raised in Quincy, Mass., fifteen minutes from the heart of Boston, freshman Colin Wilson said he was lucky to have grown up during the “perfect time” for professional sports in Boston. Over the past few years, he was able to see all four of its major teams take home at least one championship, and the collegiate world of sports was rarely mentioned. “It’s different down here,” said Wilson. “You’re so close to [UA football] that you have to be involved with it, and when you think of college football anywhere, you think of Alabama.” Wilson would not only frequently attend local games, but also worked as an in-seat runner, delivering food in Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. He said both cities’ relationships with their teams were full of passion and resulted in “two of the most dominant forces in sports.” Though he’d traditionally host a basement full of loyal Patriots fans each Sunday at home, his transition to Tuscaloosa has forced a shift in focus. “It’s been very difficult for me,” Wilson said. “Down here, I’ve probably only seen four Patriots games. I was excited to go back for Christmas break and be able to watch the games.” The Super Bowl, however, is a game he refuses to miss. After lucking into tickets through work, his father and older brother will be watching from the inside of the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, and, though jealous, Wilson said he’s content with his plans to meet up with some fellow Bostonians on campus and root for their beloved Patriots on television. For those seeking to watch the game off campus, few bars remain open, even on a Super Bowl Sunday. According to John Alford, the general manager of The Houndstooth Sports Bar on The Strip, they will open for the first time specifically for the Super Bowl at 2 p.m. However, not being able to serve alcohol past 9:30 p.m. on a Sunday in accordance to local law may prove difficult for business. Alford said he doesn’t believe the Super Bowl will garner the same enthusiasm or student presence as a Saturday home game. “The NFL’s just not very big here,” Alford said. “But it’s the biggest national game of the year, and I’m thinking there’ll be a strong turnout.” For students uninterested in the game, or football in general, the Honors College Assembly’s Arts Awareness branch is offering a “Super Bowl Alternative Event” with a special edition of their open-mic night, “Xpress Night,” at the Ferguson Center Starbucks. Whatever your preference, after Sunday night, the city’s football focus can return fully to its Crimson Tide, the approaching NFL Draft, this spring’s A-Day game and a fresh class of Alabama recruits.