Here we are, less than two weeks until kickoff for the 2008 college football season and I couldn't be more excited. I can already smell the five days of games to kick off the season. My countdown clock says three months and four days until Ohio State plays Michigan—but I'm getting ahead of myself.
It is time to make sure I have everything in order so that I am not to blame if the Buckeyes lose a game. Here is my list of superstitious activities. Some may be stupid (OK, they all probably are) but I'll bet you have some that are even dumber.
1. Never, ever, ever go back to Columbus to watch a game in The Shoe unless you know for sure you can't possibly cause them to lose. Remember a few years ago when OSU was undefeated and they laid an egg against Michigan State? Yep, I was there. My fault. I take full responsibility.
2. Get the "Block O" flag up early in the morning. I used to make sure to fly it exactly at 7:00 am on game day. I've eased off a bit, allowing myself to put it up any time between 6:45 and 7:15. I also hum "Buckeye Battle Cry" while doing this.
3. Wear the right game gear! Nothing screws up your team more than getting this wrong. I spent about $75 on a No. 25 red OSU team jersey just in time to wear it and cause the Buckeyes' worst loss in years to the Gators in the National Championship.
Why did I think I could just throw that sucker on without game testing it against Kent State or Indiana? Dumb, rookie mistake. I thought about selling this jersey on eBay, but decided that it might be inherently evil so it sits in the back of my closet thinking about the wrongs it has created.
Don't get me started on game day underwear or the extra effort put forth on Michigan game day (no yellow or blue of any kind).
4. Drink the right beverages. I normally am a big micro and home brew drinker, but on game day that all changes. It is hugely important to drink PBR, Genny Creams, and Rolling Rocks. Old Style is also acceptable. That is always backed up with an expensive bottle of tequila—shots after each score. This rule changes based on opponents and kick-off time. Some games can and will get WAY out of hand. I also have a friend who drank claret wine during the games. That was almost as wrong as Clarett himself.
BONUS: If OSU wins big and we kill the bottle of tequila, it gets a Buckeye helmet sticker and goes up on the basement shelf next to the other bottles and the Woody, Tressel and Bo (face down) bobble-heads.
5. Seating arrangements are also key. I had a friend (yep, same wine guy) that had to sit on the same corner of my big sectional. The day he came over and it was replaced by a new couch he completely freaked out.
Also, the front row is for OSU grads only and it trails off to the back where my Gopher and Badger friends sit. For the Michigan game, my super stinky Michigan friends are allowed in the house but their kids all get their pictures taken wearing buckeye hats.
6. Just before kickoff I make sure to get Coaches Woody and Tressel bobble-heads nodding yes and smack the crap out of the Bo bobble-head until he falls over. If lucky, Bo gets chipped in some way. He has been known to land in the toilet and the diaper genie as needed during the Michigan game.
OK, I just went back and proof read this article. My wife might be correct in that I do need to get a life. Nah, this is my life, and between late August and early January I wouldn't have it any other way!
24 comments Last one added 10 months ago — Leave a Comment
Onalee Carson 10 months ago
I am still laughing from this article! Well done! I know a lot of us have interesting superstitions, thanks for sharing yours.
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Dan Boss 10 months ago
People should not be allowed to go to their first OSU game if its a big game. For the Illinois game, I know two people that it was their first OSU game. Outside of OSU, my mom and ex-girlfriend, went with me to their first Cavs game. We were playing the Suns and lost. My mom's coming to the OSU-YSU game and its her first. Thank goodness its not possible to lose....I hope! Great read, gotta love superstitions!!
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Edmon 10 months ago
This had me cracking up. Good write. On game days, I don't wear any Gator stuff until after the game is over.
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Kristofer Green 10 months ago
Oh my god...so funny. I have a sick little ritual of driving by the stadium on the friday before an away game, also humming "Buckeye Battle Cry"...the whole thing. I do this no matter what, that is unless I will be attending the away game, in which case I don't do the drive by in fear of placing my good energy at the wrong place.
Great article. 5 stars and POTD.
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Alex Ferguson 10 months ago
Right.....for all games I attend I never wear home colors. Actually, I wore them once to watch QPR play in the playoff final, and they lost. Never done that again.
Every time I go and see Penn State - a rarity - I'll wear an Arizona State cap. I never wear PSU caps durng the season.
Yankees games it's likewise. I'll never wear Yankee stuff.
Sad? I think so!
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Doug Kraus 10 months ago
I have to say it is always a good rule to "never wear Yankee stuff". Go Cubbies!
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Brian 10 months ago
Not sure why you would wear anything other than your team's gear, even if you're on the road. You don't truly care about the other team (in your case ASU). You care about your team, which is likely the reason you spent the money to purchase your ticket rather than staying at home to watch the game. Team, school, and organizational unity wins out over the fear of "causing" a loss by wearing your own team's apparel.
I second
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Brian 10 months ago
I second the Yankees comment.
My computer locked out and posted my first comment without allowing me to continue, hence this reply.
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Alex Ferguson 10 months ago
Yeah, but that's how I feel.
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Matt Madrid 10 months ago
I know exactly where you are coming from on this one! My girlfriend is mad at me because I won't let her go to another game because her first was the Illinois game. She wants to try and get a winning percentage by going to the YSU and OU games but I told her she will see God first. I wonder who took their girlfriend to Michigan Stadium to see Apalachian State last year???
Great post.
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Doug Kraus 10 months ago
You should break her in on easy win road games. I'm sure she'd love to travel to an Indiana game! The drive alone is worth the trip.
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Jamaal Foster 10 months ago
I'm glad there's someone else sharing responsibility for the Florida loss. I made sure I had my red polo on at kickoff and then my wife hands me my teething 1-year-old with an alligator bib on. At that moment, I knew.
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Angel Cielo 10 months ago
Thanks for the article.
I had a habit of never wearing the colors of the opposing team on gameday, then accidentally wore a Wisconsin shirt (given to me by a friend) on 10.11.03 and we lost (I blame myself for that loss), thus making it not just a habit, but a rule.
The entire Michigan week requires no dark blue or yellowish colors.
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Casey Newman 10 months ago
This is great...I have to listen to Le Regiment and Hang on Sloopy before every game, usually very loud and to the dislike of my roommates. If the team is down, I usually will not move a muscle until things start to get better. Most of my friends think i'm nuts, which is true, but they just don't understand.
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Doug Kraus 10 months ago
Hey, better safe than sorry, huh Casey? I'd hate to have Tressel at my doorstep after I caused a loss with careless behavior!
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Mitch at sportschatplace.com 10 months ago
True story, two years ago I go to the Michigan State-Northwestern game up in Evanston. It's almost mid way through the 3rd quarter and it's blow out city, I mean the Wildcats are up by 35 mid way through the third quarter. So Sparty is doing his little dance in the South endzone entertaining a bunch of kids when some fat security guard comes over and tells them he can't stand there and he has to go behind the MSU bench. The kids are all disappointed but Sparty listens and moves. The guy sitting next to me screams out "that guys an #$%hole, now your gonna lose". Sure enough came the largest come back in college football history. Don't ever underestimate the whole karma thing. :)
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Justin Goar 10 months ago
this is great stuff!!
you may be a little worse than me on superstitions but maybe not by much.
during the LSU-bama game in 05, we were watching at a friends' house and bunch of us went outside at halftime. our (LSU's) offense was looking pretty bad, well when the 2nd half started we drove down for a score and everyone had come back inside except for my buddy, scott.
b/c we scored, we made him stay outside the rest of the game. with him being the most superstitious of us all he agreed and we constant went running back and forth with updates.
we won in OT, so it was completely justified. oh and he was drunk too.
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Doug Kraus 10 months ago
That is a great story - I love it!
Come on people, keep the stories coming. Who can top purposefully not watching the rest of the game for fear of causing a loss? WOW.
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Jordan Furbee 10 months ago
At my high school we had to wear ties to school everyday, and before the 2005 season I bought a tie with about a million little brutus buckeyes on the tie, I wore it every friday before OSU games with the exception of the Texas game (because it was a dress down day) and the PSU game(No school), I still blame myself for those losses, and also whenever I've worn the tie we haven't lost!! Believe me it will be on during USC and I'll be there to watch it in person!!!
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ross stansbery 10 months ago
about ur drinking beverages at iowa there is only hawkeye liquor (not because of the name but because its so cheap) and busch or Natty light beer nothing else is acceptable
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Joe G 10 months ago
Great list!
I've got a ratty old Michigan State hat that gets brought out every time I watch them play, with the exception of when I was in the Spartan Marching Band (violation of uniform protocol, but I made up for that by wearing it during gameday rehearsals). It was tucked under my seat when at the Breslin Center when we upset #1 Wisconsin (not worn because of Spartan Brass uniform protocols), it was on my head when we beat Notre Dame to advance to the Frozen Four, it was on during the comeback victory against Northwestern that Mitch mentioned...you guys get the idea.
It's disgusting. Had it for almost five years now, and it's been thrown around my living room, worn at marching band rehearsal every day for a full season, and used to shag fly balls in the absence of a glove. Can't seem to get rid of it though.
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Doug Kraus 10 months ago
God bless your hate for beating ND in hockey!
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Thomas Brown 10 months ago
haha nice
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Doug Kraus 10 months ago
So, I guess I need to read my own article. I had tickets and went back to Columbus last week when OSU played OU. I figured I couldn't cause a loss, but just to be safe I got rid of my tickets and watched the game with my dad and his friend on the tube. Christ, I about fumbled one for the team.
Lesson learned.
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