That is exactly how much time is left until kickoff. Well when I started writing this anyway. Now that we are less than one week away I will be putting thoughts down on here a lot more regularly. I have a lot of things on my mind, so this will probably be one of those "Random Thoughts" posts that so many people like to do.
Thursday night is the Official Kickoff to the 2007 College football season. You notice the color of the text is purple in honor of one of the participants, the Bayou Bengal Tigers of Louisiana State University. Good grief that is a lot of words to have to spell out to try to say "Coon Ass." Yes I know that little name got the "Bionic Coach" in trouble but I have many a friend down on the bayou, and that is what they call themselves, so I will too. Back to business. The very highly touted tigers will make the short road trip north to Stark-Vegas to try to do their best Michael Vick impersonation. (I know that was bad, but every day on D & B some idiot makes the same joke about hiring him as coach at MSU or GA to put some fight........ you know the rest) Everyone has pretty much written off ol Coach Croom. They say he is on borrowed time, just thankful for each day his belongings are still on his desk and not in a cardboard box. Well let me be the first one to say this season........"Not so fast my friend," I am not so sure that ol Sly is not gonna make a game of it. I am not saying the Dogs are gonna hunker down and pull of a big upset, I just think the tigers are not ready for prime time yet. They may prove me wrong, but I think it will be closer than most. I think the tigers have a lot of talent, I just think they are gonna need some time to bring it all together. I am gonna say Bengals by 17. But I hope not more than that. Lets just say I bet lunch with a very healthy eater that it would not be a total blowout. So ring them cowbells, if you have to get down on your knees, just please, please, don't lose by more than TWENTY-THREE!!
I think for the first time today I heard some of the more delusional Bammers start to back up into the land of reality. I heard them start to back off of their 11 or 12 win prediction and start to come back to reality and admit that a 9 win season would be great and even 8 wins would be on the up-swing. But let me document it this way. Dawson, for all you non D&B listeners (And why not for that matter, http://www.dandbradio.com/ click on listen live 1 to 6 pm central mon-fri) is the definition of a delusional bammer, thinks they will be SEC if not national champions this year. Thinks the whole sports world gets out of bed each day just to see what the Bionic coach and the delusional nation are doing today. He made the statement today, that if they "do not win at least 10 or more games, then Saban is not near the coach they hired him to be." I am gonna hang up and listen, but I think those words will haunt our dear Rev. Dawson.
I got to thinking today what are some of the superstitious things that you all do on game day? Do you get up at a certain time? Eat a certain breakfast? I know as sports fans we get a little anal, and plum CRAZY enough to think that how we brush our teeth might affect the outcome of today's game. I do the same thing. I get up, will even set an alarm to watch college game day. I hate the show just as much as most, but I have to watch. I have to! I may play a game on the PS2 or if I have honey-do's now is the time to do them. I have an hour until the Lincoln Financial broadcast. (which is just enough time to go to my local watering hole to watch if that is the game plan) I will watch this, doesn't matter who is playing. Then at 2:30 if my Vols are not on the LF game I will switch over to the CBS broadcast. I may have time to go home, eat something, or talk to my wife, before the 6:45 ESPN or ESPN2 broadcast of the final SEC game of the day. Now here is where I get weird. The clothes I am wearing at the start of the games may not be what I am wearing when the game is over. I will change my shirt or jersey in a heartbeat if ol Rocky Top is not playin up to snuff. I think I was on my fourth shirt last year in the Georgia game before we started clicking. I have retired my #10 jersey. It just has too many losses on it. Am also retiring my current car flags. Also have losses, and a long road trip to the Outback Bowl in Tampa. Yes i believe what I do , and wear, determines our wins and losses.
Lastly. Tony Barnhart has finally lost his mind. He is usually an authority on SEC sports. He slipped. He wrote an article on the top five tailgates in the nation. http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/cfb/entries/2007/08/25/the_five_best_p.html Now he plain missed the boat on at least two of those. But It is nice that almost the whole five is (or should be) Sec schools. But how can you leave out beloved UT? Neyland? Vol Navy? Vol Walk? Let me lay out my day of tailgating. I think to me this is the perfect day. Wake up, go to adult beverage outlet, then make way to Episcopal church on Cumberland Ave. to tailgate. Drink almost all of your beverages, then make your way to Vol Walk. High-five all the players, Chest Bump Coach Taylor and then you feel like tackling someone yourself. Walk around the corner to watch the Pride of the Southland march dawn and do their traditional "Salute to the Hill" before marching in to the stadium. Go inside mother Neyland to see an already full student section yelling at the opposing team trying to warm up. Then watch the Pride in a "Pregame tradition un-rivaled in college sports." Then you lose your breath for a moment when you see them start to form the "T".........When it opens up and Smokey starts down the middle of the field running full speed leading the giant warriors in orange WOOOOOO!!!! I have chill bumps right now!! I am Ready!!!! Lets GO!! That is Game day!! That is Tennessee Football!! That is what I love!!
