Tales of a Transplanted Washington State Fan in the Heart of the SEC

On a personal level, this is a hard end to the college football season for me.

It's not the fact that a playoff system still seems very far off, at best. It's not that the bowl selection committee made the cowardly decision to have Boise St. and TCU face each other, rather than give them a shot at the major conference teams they deserve. No, it's none of that.

First, a little information about myself so you can better understand the bitter taste I have in my mouth. I grew up in Washington State, a diehard Northwest sports fan. As far as college teams went, there was only ever one that I loved: for good or bad, I bleed the crimson and gray of the Washington State Cougars.

It's a roller coaster ride to be a Cougar fan. Any true fan will tell you the same. Streaks of excellence always seemed to be closely followed by some of the worst teams the Pac-10 has ever seen.

However, I never waver in my fandom. If you're not there when times are bad, you have no right to be there when they are good.

Now I'm 23 years old, displaced from my beloved Washington State, away from the mountains and the beauty of the Northwest.

I reside in Alabama, where college football is king. Calls of "Roll Tide!," and "War Damn Eagle!" can be heard coming from every corner of the state; every bar, passing car, social gathering, and even the occasional church.

Fans. These people are the definition; they love their teams, and will fight for them. Alabama is on top of the world right now in college football. Their fans are proud, as they should be.

There I sit, every Saturday, watching the games. I have on my old battered WSU hat, but of course you can't get their games down here. So I watch the SEC, and more specifically the University Of Alabama. I'm sad to admit this, but I have grown to resent the Crimson Tide, and even to a degree, their fans.

This is wrong, I know.Yet I can't help it. The camaraderie of being around fellow fans is something that can never be fully explained in words. On game day Saturday, you are family. People you don't know, and may not even associate with the other six days of the week, become your brothers and sisters. You all live and die for that team, for those four quarters.

If Alabama defeats Texas for the national title, this state will explode with celebration. A well deserved celebration indeed. People from all walks of life will come together to enjoy that moment. It will create a momentary family.

I don't have that here, and I miss it. Soon I will be back home, and come Fall 2010, you can find me in Pullman with my weekend family.