Auburn football: Fans get ready for their defending BCS national champion Tigers to open season

Darsie Rogers has owned University Barber Shop on North College Street in Auburn since 1960. He’s been cutting hair there for more than 50 years. He also has been talking Auburn University football for that long.

It’s been more than seven months since Auburn beat Oregon for the Bowl Championship Series national title, but, to Tiger fans, it seems like yesterday. Asked if there has been much discussion about the season that begins Saturday, Rogers laughed and said, “Man, we’re always talking football.”

Asked if he has noticed anything different from past seasons because of last season’s success, he replied, “Auburn never changes.”

He added that football “experts” never change, either. “They never think Auburn’s going to do much.”

Not everything has been wonderful during the offseason. Somebody poisoned the oak trees at the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and College Street, affectionately known as Toomer’s Corner. They are the trees traditionally rolled with toilet paper following an Auburn victory.

Their limbs are pretty bare. A fence surrounding them keeps people at a distance.

“Oh, they’ll be ready this year to handle as much toilet paper as we can throw up there,” Rogers said.

From his front window, one that features the 22-19 score of the national championship game as well as the scores of every Auburn victory over Alabama since 1989, he has a good view of the oaks.

Wednesday, Ashlea Stanfill, a 1993 Auburn graduate, had her photo taken by the trees. She drove from Atlanta for that purpose.

With her was her 10-month-old son. “These trees are historic,” Stanfill said. “My child will never be able to throw toilet paper on them like I did. I wanted this for my baby.”

Mark Linton, a businessman from Philadelphia -- that’s right, Pennsylvania -- sat on a bench near the barber shop. He watched his three children, ages 13, 11 and 7, eat ice cream. Wife Marianne held a bag of Auburn football-related items. Linton said he has not been to a home football game since he graduated from Auburn in 1986.

“It was time for the children to see what it is all about,” Linton said. He was inspired to fly down because of the success of last season.

Linton, who has relatives in Columbus and Phenix City, toured the campus. As does Rogers, he believes the 2011 Tigers will be successful. “Traditionally, we play better as an underdog.”

He said it will be nice to watch a game with other Auburn fans. He said he knows an Alabama fan in Philadelphia he can give a hard time.

Betsy Robertson, communications director in the office of Auburn Alumni Affairs, said the office has received telephone calls about tickets but nothing extraordinary. “Football tickets are always in demand at Auburn,” she said.

She did mention that those who eat in the alumni tent will get a treat this season because the traditional free hot dogs are being replaced by sandwiches from Momma Goldberg’s. This week, it’s turkey delight sandwiches around 9 a.m.

Fans will notice new color portraits honoring football award winners adorning Jordan-Hare Stadium. Two are of last year’s starting quarterback, Cam Newton.

Coaching an undefeated team doesn’t get you much. There are no photos of Gene Chizik, Tommy Tuberville or Terry Bowden.

There are no statues, yet, but stone pedestals are ready for the likenesses of Auburn’s three Heisman Trophy winners to stand upon.

Wednesday, Auburn University clubs and organizations set up tables on the Haley Center concourse to entice students to join. Groups such as the Auburn Water Ski and Water Board Club and Auburn Sailing Club, seemed to draw a lot of interest but not so much Auburn Atheists and Agnostics or the student government.

James Florkiewicz, a junior from Daphne, Ala. was at the Auburn Ice Hockey Club table. The team plays its home games in Columbus.

He said confidence gained from last season will carry over, but he is “a little nervous.”

“I can’t wait for it to begin,” he said, as he handed out team schedules.

Krystal Bodie, a senior from Nassau in the Bahamas, said she wasn’t a football fan until last season.

“I hope we can start off with bang just like we ended with one last year,” Bodie said. “People here are eager to see if these players will come out with the same focus and dedication as those last year. It’s an early game, and a lot of students who live off campus are making arrangements to stay somewhere on campus Friday night.”

“I’m pretty excited,” Riley Cisco said as he waited in a ticket line at the Auburn Arena. The junior in environmental design from Birmingham, Ala., is a friend of Barrett Trotter, the new starting quarterback.

“He’s going to surprise people,” Cisco said. “I think this team will.”