It's the most wonderful time of the year

College football season has arrived. I awoke on Saturday every bit as giddy as a child on Christmas morning. I drove to and from the hospital listening to the local radio station hyping the game in NearbyUniversityCity with a silly grin plastered across my face. I arrived back home to a Tivo'd College Gameday, lots of snacks, and a full afternoon of college football gluttony. I was raised by college football fanatics, and, in retrospect, I realize that I never had a chance to be anything but a fanatic myself. My high school won the state football championship my freshman and senior year and went to the playoffs during the intervening years. I went to a major college football power school during it's glory days. Football Saturdays kicked off early in the morning with pitchers of bourbon and Coke and beer. Each Saturday night was a victory celebration. The question was really never whether or not we were going to win, but by how much. I became a very, very spoiled fan. My entire adult life has been spent in or just outside a major college football mecca. I feel most at home in these places. (In other words, I don't feel like such a freak!) The interesting thing is, that wherever I resided, that particular team would win a conference or national title during my tenure there. The streak has continued, even to my current residence. The tides have since turned on my alma mater's football program, and apparently I have now become hell to withstand during their games. I yell at the TV as if they could hear me. I chant superstitious gibberish on each major play. I whine and moan about the coaching staff, and, even if it doesn't show, I love every minute of it. Luckily for me, Mr. Whoo shares my passion, and we are striving to pass it on to our daughter. I'm afraid she doesn't have a chance, either. So, this weekend, we are opening all the windows in the house, cooking up some chili, and I am praying for a less than 5 loss season for my team. They play for the first time on Monday night. I am scared. Go 'Noles!