The First Weekend

The first weekend of college football has been extended. A few years ago, all games were played on Saturday. This year it started on Thursday and ended on the following Monday. TV is responsible for that. Football is relatively inexpensive to produce and rakes in a ton of money. The colleges like the income, the networks like the income, and the fans enjoy the extra games.....especially when there's not much else to watch on television.

Still there's nothing like it. The marching bands, the cheerleaders, the 50 and 60 year old alums pretending to be 18, 19, or 20 again. The tailgating, the pep rallies, the bon fires, and the hidden spirits. At Ole Miss they're found in "Grove Cups". Elsewhere they're just covered up with insulated can holders. All the young college boys have to try a flask at least once in their lives. A little nip added to the coke raises the enthusiasm a tad.

Then there's always the group of boys nekked to the waist, painted like clowns in the school colors and making their Mommas proud of them when the TV cameras make them instant celebrities. "Look, there's my son. Doesn't he look like a scholar?"

Suddenly, the camera pans the student section and Daddy sees his darling daughter hugging a pierced SOB that gave him the finger last week as he passed in his black Corvette. Daddy loses interest in the game for a few minutes and vows to be on campus for the next game.

Then there's the kickoff, each team beats up the other in a virtual standoff until some poor freshman linebacker gets the slip and a senior end makes a huge score. The beauty of college football is that the game is so emotional. A blocked punt, a recovered fumble, a big kick return, and intercepted pass can change the tempo of the game almost immediately. Teams that looked sluggish and whipped can suddenly get an emotional high and whup the snot out of you.

They may not win, but by golly you'll remember you played them when the soreness sets in on Sunday and the bruises actually turn dark. Then again, they may just take your breath away and stomp you in the dirt during the last five minutes of the game.

Coaches coach, trainers train, and most players play. Some do it better than others. I think one of the most frustrating jobs in America has to be that of a college football coach. If he wins, he's a hero. If he loses, he's a scumbag. He may be the greatest coach in the land, but a pimple faced teenager can make him look like a dog. College coaches have to know how to motivate more than anything else. They can design the best plays, provide the best facilities, have the alums eating out of their hand, and some zit faced teenie bopper with shoulder pads can bring it all down and turn lives upside down in a matter of seconds.

Damn! That's college football! I love it!