That loud sigh of contentment you heard coming from Smyrna last night was me. Why? Because college football was back in full force. Three games on cable at the same time, giving me a preview of many Saturdays to come this fall, kicked back in the easy chair, flipping between games. (Well, at least until Tennessee is playing and then all attention is focused on that game, of course).
Is there any better time of the year than the opening weekend of college football? This one weekend, everyone has the same record and potentially could be the next national champion. Every team (even Vanderbilt) can have hope for a big year, a winning year and being the last team standing come January when the national champion is crowned.
Come Tuesday, a lot of those hopes and dreams will have changed or been brought back to reality, but for now, we can savor the hope and the excitement that is the opening weekend of college football.
I watched bits and pieces of the three games, though my greatest interest was, of course, the opening salvo of the SEC season with Mississippi State hosting South Carolina. Being a Tennessee fan and hating Spurrier so, I was hoping for Mississippi State to pull the upset, but alas it was not to be. I felt for my fellow fans at Mississippi State as I watched their team be brilliant in places but them collapse at times, espeically as the game wore on. Yeah, welcome to what I went through much of last year watching the Vols play...
Watching that Thursday night game reminded me of my first UT game as a student many moons ago. We travelled up to Louisville to play on a Thursday night game that was on ESPN. This was in the dark days before they had wired all the dorm rooms for cable so I gathered with several hundred of my closest friends in the lobby of North Carrick to watch the game on the big screen. If I recall correctly, we won the game, including a big fourth-down defensive stand on their goal line. I recall high-fiving a lot of people around me and lots of cheering and fist pumping every time the Vols did something right. For me, it was a new experience because while I'd watched football games before and with a group of friends, I'd never been around a group of people who were as into the game and rooting for the home team as much, if not more, than I was.
I felt like
Annie from the musical and wanted to sing "I think I'm gonna like it here." OK, not really becuase then I'd have to admit I've seen
Annie, and quite frankly, in a manly post about football, that just doesn't seem like a good idea.
But, college football is back....and for one weekend we all have hope of winning it all. Man, you've got to love that feeling.
So let me say just one last thing...
GO BIG ORANGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
posted by Michael Hickerson at 9/01/2006 07:47:00 AM |
|