Charles Barkley Knows Who He'd Root For If Alabama Played Against Afghanistan

Charles Barkley wouldn’t be caught dead supporting the Alabama football team. Not even if they (hypothetically) faced off against Afghanistan. 

The Auburn Tigers alum delivered a highly passionate rant while sitting courtside at the Auburn-USC men’s basketball game on Sunday. The Round Mound of Rebound” certainly is no fan of Alabama because of its heated rivalry with Auburn. He added that he has a solid friendship with head coach Nick Saban, just not Saban’s team. 

Charles Barkley wouldn't pick Alabama even under the strangest of circumstances. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

“I can’t root for Alabama under any circumstances,” Barkley said. “I love Coach Saban. He’s been great to me. But I can never root for Alabama. Under any circumstances. I told you if they played Afghanistan, I’d be pulling for Afghanistan.”

While that might seem a little dramatic, I honestly get where he’s coming from. As a Boston Red Sox fan, I would only root for the New York Yankees if Joseph Stalin fielded a baseball team to play against them. Rivalry loyalties run deep, especially in the Alabama-Auburn context.

Barkley Hates That Alabama Is In The Playoff Instead Of Florida State

Barkley added that this year’s College Football Playoff disaster strengthened his hatred for the Tide. “Sir Charles” highlighted that the committee disregarded the fact that Florida State kept winning games despite challenges at quarterback. 

“Hey, you know how much I love Coach Saban and Alabama. I mean, I don’t like Alabama, I like Coach Saban,” Barkley said. “Winning with backups should have gave you brownie points, not penalize you. If we’re gonna play sports now where it only matters if you’re using your starters, I don’t want to be in that world. They won three games with a backup and another backup.”

Charles Barkley will hope Jam Miller (above) and the Crimson Tide don't take home another national title. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

His disappointment with the CFP committee’s semifinal picks is completely justified. The committee got a convenient excuse to leave out Florida State in favor of Alabama, in large part because they believed an SEC school deserved to be in the playoff (in large part) simply because they are an SEC school.

Barkley mentioned that he has no idea who will win this year’s national title. While Afghanistan didn’t make the cut for this year’s semifinal matchups, you can bet he'll root for anyone playing against the Tide.

Alabama and Michigan face off in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 at 5 p.m.