This is my most favorite time of the year....Football season. It's full of passion, pride, and pageantry, girls plan their weddings around it (if she's a good SEC girl) and it's the topic of ever men's breakfast from August through December. It's not always about who wins or loses, but it's about the traditions and the memories made along the way. The air feels different this time of year, my face always smiles a little bigger (especially after an Auburn win), and it always seems to go by way too fast. So, I want to take this moment, before the season starts, and embrace this feeling I have right now. Before I know it, I'll be packing up the tent for the final tailgate, I'll be rolling Toomer's cornor for the last time of the year, and I will be saying goodbye to a stadium for another year. So, if you are reading this, and love football as much as I do, take a deep breath and soak it up. It's going to be a great year, whoever you pull for. Look forward to the memories!
And I read this every year...and it is so true...enjoy!
“Planning for the fall football season in the South is radically different than up North. For those who are planning a football trip South, here are some helpful hints.
Women’s Accessories:
NORTH: ChapStick in back pocket and a $20 bill in the front pocket.
SOUTH: Louis Vuitton duffel with two lipsticks and waterproof mascara. Money not necessary – that’s what dates are for.
Stadium Size:
NORTH: College football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
SOUTH: High school football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
Fathers:
NORTH: Expect their daughters to understand Sylvia Plath.
SOUTH: Expect their daughters to understand pass interference.
Campus Decor:
NORTH: Statues of founding fathers.
SOUTH: Statues of Heisman trophy winners.
Homecoming Queen:
NORTH: Also a physics major.
SOUTH: Also Miss America.
Heroes:
NORTH: Rudy Guliani
SOUTH: Bear Bryant, Archie, Eli and Peyton Manning, Bo Jackson
Getting Tickets:
NORTH: Five days before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus and purchase tickets.
SOUTH: Five months before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus and put your name on the waiting list for tickets.
Friday Classes After a Thursday Night Game:
NORTH: Students and teachers not sure if they’re going to the game, because they have classes on Friday.
SOUTH: Teachers cancel all Friday classes
Parking:
NORTH: An hour before game time, the University opens the campus for game parking.
SOUTH: RVs sporting their school flags begin to arrive on Wednesday for weekend festivities. The really faithful arrive on Tuesday.
Game Day:
NORTH: A few students party in the dorm and watch ESPN on TV.
SOUTH: Every student wakes up, and rushes over to where ESPN is broadcasting “Game Day Live” to try to get on camera and wave to the idiots up north, who wonder why “Game Day Live” is never broadcast from their campus.
Tailgating:
NORTH: Raw meat on a grill, beer with lime in it, listening to local radio station with truck tailgate down.
SOUTH: 30-foot custom pig-shaped smoker fires up at dawn. Cooking accompanied by live performance by The Dave Matthews’ Band.
Getting to the Stadium:
NORTH: You ask “Where’s the stadium?” When you find it, you walk right in.
SOUTH: When you’re near it, you’ll hear it. On game day, it becomes the state’s third largest city.
When National Anthem is Played:
NORTH: Stands are less than half full, and less than half of the fans stand up.
SOUTH: 100,000 fans, all standing, sing along in perfect four-part harmony.
The Smell in the Air After the First Score:
NORTH: Nothing changes.
SOUTH: Fireworks, with a touch of bourbon.
Announcers:
NORTH: Neutral and paid.
SOUTH: Announcer harmonizes with the crowd in the fight song, with a tear in his eye because he is so proud of his team
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