The right way to win

Iowa players set a great example after thumping Michigan

On a cold, misty Saturday in the south end zone of the Big House, Iowa right tackle/conductor David Porter stood before his grass-stained, bloodstained, giddy glee club and said, "Ready? One. Two. Three. ..."

The Hawkeyes launched into their fight song, and the deliriously off-key fans in the seats behind them joined in. Minutes earlier, having just humiliated Michigan 34-9, the Wolverines' worst home loss since 1967, the Iowa players raced over to the stands, lined up and began high-fiving their fans, one after another, along the end-zone wall.

There may be no sweeter feeling in college football than singing your fight song in your opponents' largely empty stadium. In an era when good sportsmanship has become as dated as tech stocks, there was something quaintly uplifting about the Hawkeyes' celebration. The players' eyes shone in the late-afternoon gloaming. They didn't belittle the team they beat, a refreshing and, as Hawkeyes might point out, refreshingly Iowan viewpoint.

Georgia did mock its hosts after the Bulldogs beat Kentucky 52-24, but the Wildcats had it coming. They had spent last week publicly discussing the delight they would take in tearing down the Commonwealth Stadium goalposts after they beat Georgia. Following the game, Georgia players danced around and hugged the very goalposts they had saved. Belittling the vanquished as a response is perfectly acceptable: Georgia didn't start the argument, but the Bulldogs sure finished it.

At Neyland Stadium on Saturday night, Alabama had every right to celebrate: The Tide's 34-14 victory over Tennessee broke a seven-game losing streak to the Volunteers. Alabama physically dominated Tennessee. After the game, Tide players grabbed a giant crimson-and-white flag from the cheerleaders and paraded it before their fans. They danced and they hugged and, in the confines of their locker room, they sang their own version of Rocky Top, which included the stanza, "Rocky Top, you'll never be, home sweet home to me/F--- you, Rocky Top, Rocky Top Tennessee."

It's vulgar, it's funny, and the Tide had the good taste to sing it in private. Teamed with the PG-rated joy that the Iowa players expressed Saturday, it's refreshing to see clubs celebrate without mocking the school they beat.

Learn from the Hawkeyes. The way they're playing, they're going to be celebrating every Saturday.

Extra points