College Football: Bringing The Love

As the days slowly tick away to the start of the college football season, it is always interesting to read all the articles on this site and others about all the hate. 

Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com wrote an article about why teams hate each other, and it is really good.  But on Bleacher Report I see it every day, "Ten Reasons why the SEC Sucks" or "This is why I hate Ohio State." 

Where are the stories about what is good about college football?  I thought I would give it a shot, because to me, the love really outweighs the hate.

I LOVE:

Crisp Fall afternoons with the kids playing touch football in the park.

Shapely, adorable cheerleaders.

Waking up in time to watch College Gameday, no matter how late I was up the night before.

Toe Meets Leather, It's Saturday Night in Death Valley, It's Football Time in Tennessee

Howard's Rock

Houndstooth Hats

Hearing Rocky Top, Hail to the Victors, Yea Alabama, Wake up the Echos, Ramblin' Wreck, and all the other great/annoying fight songs 55 times a game.

Tailgating in the Grove with southern belles and their sundresses

Tennessee's Checkerboard Endzones

The Gator Chomp

The Tomahawk chop

Touchdown Jesus

Win one for the Gipper

Walking down the piers of the Vol Navy with people happy to hand you a cold one and fill up a plate.

Smokey, UGA, Bevo, Ralphie, Mike the Tiger, Reveille, War Eagle, and all the other live mascots.

Looking for the ghosts of the Bear, Woody, and Bo

The House that Knute Rockne Built

Hail Flutie

The Sea of Red and the Sea of Orange

Old school nicknames: The Four Horsemen, Mr. Outside and Mr. Inside, Hacksaw Reynolds, Charlie Choo-choo Justice, Galloping Ghost, Crazy Legs Hirsch, John Hurry Cain, Bad News Cafego, Rocket Ismail, and so many more.

Dotting the i, Running through the T, Go Blue Banner, Miami's Smoke, and all the other great entrances

Marching Bands performing at halftime

Punt Bama Punt

Roll Tide

Army vs. Navy, where they will always play hard for pride and country

"Oh the BAND is out on the FIELD!"

Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust

General Neyland's Game Maxims

"Whoa Nellie"

The Old Oaken Bucket, The Jeweled Shillelagh, Paul Bunyan's Axe, The Little Brown Jug, The Egg Bowl, The Freemont Canon, Floyd of Rosedale, The Golden Boot, The Megaphone, The Stanford Axe, and all the other great rivalry trophies.

The Iron Bowl, The Third Saturday in October, and Clean Old-Fashioned Hate

The Granddaddy of them All

Ohio State vs. Michigan

Harvard vs. Yale

Wide Right I, II, III

Any "Game of the Century"

and...Rocky Top you'll always be, home sweet home to me.

So that is just a little taste of some of the things I love to see every college football season.  I hope that got your mind off all the hate for just a little bit. 

Don't worry, the season will be here soon enough.