So saith the Tigers.

Auburn's 13-0 Tigers finished second in the AP and coaches Top 25 polls, but have been declared the 2004 Peoples National Football Champion.

College football fans across the country were allowed to vote on their choice as the national champion. Auburn emerged No. 1 ahead of the two other undefeated teams following the bowl games--No. 2 Southern Cal and No. 3 Utah.

ESPN television and radio football analyst Jim Donnan is expected to make the national championship trophy presentation on the Auburn campus in January after announcing it on Thursday evening on a television show on the CSS network. [...]

"Who knows, I think we have the best team in the country," [Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville] says. "This peoples polls will give us an opportunity say we were national champs. It means a lot to us and we look forward to having a trophy and putting our name on a ring saying we are 2004 national champs."

Never heard of the People's Poll? Perhaps that's because this is the inaugural year. The award was created by a frustrated Auburn fan, pretty much for the sole purpose of crowning his favorite team the National Champion. While I agree that Auburn got a raw deal, that they are taking this bogus award so literal is frankly, a little sad.