A Conference of Passion: The Southeastern Conference

A wise person once told me that a person needs two passions in life.

The first passion is the man or woman they want to be with for the rest of their lives.  The second passion is a hobby where you can escape the toils of the everyday and just envelop yourself in the experience.

For many in the South, college football is that escape.

It really does not matter what conference your team is in down south.  Every college football fan has a team that he or she cheers on, but every one of those fans most likely has an SEC football team. 

My experience has seen the passion these fans have for their SEC schools.  Each place has its own different charm, or intimidation factor in some instances.

Some like it classy like in Oxford, some like it on water with the "Volunteer Navy," some like it loud like down in Baton Rouge, and some like it when the rooster crows at night such as in Columbia.

Each place has its own ways of doing things, and every one has that "Southern Hospitality" mixed in with it.

Fans around here take great pride in their schools and communities.  People from different parts come to their centers of football heaven.  People who have gone to games for years and years watch their kids and the kids around them grow up over time.  

Every Saturday is like a giant homecoming: kids watching their childhood idols on the field.  College students loving the time of their lives and living it up.  Alumni and fans alike coming back and reminiscing of days past and carrying on with traditions and superstitions passed on from their forefathers. 

There is no better place to be in the South than at a football game.  Every fan will tell you they have come to this place and tailgated at this spot for years, and it never gets old.  Food and beverages are always abundant, and I have never met a person saying they had too little to eat or drink.

It is where over 100,000 people can gather in one spot and not be considered a mass riot (though it can seem like it under certain conditions). 

This is true across the country, I am sure, but in the South, it just feels like home.  It feels like life is normal again.  It is just part of life around here.

Whether you are a (takes deep breath) Razorback, Bayou Bengal, an Auburn Tiger, part of the Tide, Rebel, Bulldog from Mississippi or Georgia, Gator, Vol, Commodore, Wildcat, or Gamecock (exhales), this area of the country takes on a different tone during the fall.  The same can be said by our ACC brethren, I am sure.

The SEC is not just a football conference.  It is life here.

It is why we pride ourselves on our conference.  It is just part of our culture.  I cannot think of a place where college football thrives better in the country.  It just goes well with our laid-back demeanor.

I pride myself on being an Auburn Tiger.  I love my alma mater and its community.  Fellow writers here on this site and abroad can say the same thing about their respective schools, and many have already. 

To me, when it boils down to the nitty gritty, it's not just about claiming conference superiority.  It's about loving the game itself, and the different ways people in a region can enjoy the game of college football.

I hope everyone gets to experience a college football game in the South, especially an SEC game.

I guarantee it will not disappoint.