College Football: Top 25 Ways to Kill Time Until the 2011 Kickoff

The most difficult time of year for most college football fans in from mid-April until mid-August.

The excitement (or disappointment) from last season has worn off.  Spring practices come to a close.  Like a grizzly in the dead of winter, the college football world goes into hibernation between the time flowers blossom until its almost time for the leaves to change color.

What's a fan to do?  Four months with no news?  A third of the year without any peep from our favorite programs?  How will we ever get through this maddeningly long season of dearth?

Here are a few suggestions.

25. Get Your Lawn Looking Like the Field

Probably without the yard lines or end zone artwork, though.

There are a number of companies that actually make fertilizer the get your grass to grow just like it does on the field of your favorite stadium.

And if your lawn is big enough, once you have that nice turf, you might as well give it a work out with your friends or your kids.  I mean, didn't God invent grass for football?

24. Redecorate the Office

How many times have we walked past that cubicle at the office?

You know the one.

The 40-year-old, single woman with twenty framed pictures of her cats.

Family Circus cartoons printed out and thumb-tacked to the walls.

Stuffed animals on the shelves.

Well, it's time to fight fire with better fire.

Visit your local store and load up on paraphernalia from your team.  Deck out your cubicle and let the cat lady know she's got some competition now.

23. Get Some Sun

There's nothing worse than looking like you haven't left the house all summer when September rolls around.

The beach is a great place to waste some time.

Not everyone has the luxury of living in Florida, or California, or Michigan, or South Carolina, or any other state with a plethora of beaches.  But that doesn't mean you can't get a little sun while out and about.

Do the rest of your fellow fans a favor.  Don't blind us with your pastiness when that autumn sun glances off your skin.

22. Watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs

If there's no football to watch, you might as well watch the next best thing: hockey.

There are few things in the world more manly than football and hockey.  Hockey players spend sixty minutes slamming into one another while wearing far fewer pads than football players.

They also do it on ice.  On skates.  With sticks.  Three times a week.

Plus, there are fist-fights!

21. Watch the NFL Draft

It's always hard to lose that star player to the pros, but we all knew the day would eventually come.

For many, these days, that day of departure seems to come a little sooner than it used to, but we still have to admit, we care about where he ends up playing.

Cam Newton led Auburn to a national title.  Do Tigers fans really not care about where he plays his pro ball?

Of course they do.  While some player selections are foregone conclusions, others are a mystery.

Besides, the NFL Draft is like graduation day in the college football world.  Proud parents never miss their son's graduation.  Proud fans shouldn't miss their favorite player's graduation, either.

20. Join Your University's Alumni Association

Believe it or not, these organizations do a lot more than hound alumni for donations.

Most have a pretty good relationship with the athletic department, and you may be surprised at how much easier it is to get tickets at some university.

Heck, you may get lucky, and at a select few, they offer alumni discounts!

19. Scout New Viewing Party Locations

While some might view this as an excuse to visit every bar within a 50-mile radius, diehard college football fans know that there's nothing worse than a sports bar that has poor satellite reception, bad food, lack of drink and menu selection, or worst of all, a staff that doesn't care about your ability to watch the only football game on Saturday that matters.

18. Learn Your Team's Fight Song

This seems pretty simple, but you'd be amazed how many people do not know the words to their team's fight song.

Fight songs are one of those things that makes college football unique.

Sure, some old franchises in the NFL have them, but can anyone instantly recognize them?

Every half-decent football fan can identify "The Victors" or "Notre Dame Victory March" or "Boomer Sooner."  Not too many can identify NFL fight songs.

17. Watch That Old Commemorative Championship DVD

For those of us who are lucky enough to have watched our team plow through the opposition en route to national title, it helps to revisit that glory to rekindle our excitement, enthusiasm, and optimism about the upcoming season.

Hope springs eternal, and in the summer, every team in 0-0, and everyone has a shot at the BCS title.

Even if reality slams home come the fall, for a few fleeting moment while watching that commemorative DVD, anything seems possible again.

16. Finally Teach the Game of Football to Your Wife

This suggestion will probably require a great deal of patience.

It's no secret that women come up with all sorts of things to do in order to spend time with their men.

Unfortunately, most of these activities in no way interest men.

If our women are really that anxious to spend more time with us, the best way to do that is to learn to love our favorite pastime.

15. Butter Your Wife Up Now

Speaking of the ladies, now is a pretty good time to get all of that romantic mushy crap out of the way.

Whether it's driving hours back to your alma mater or settling in for twelve hours of college football coverage on Saturdays in the fall, there's bound to be something about college football season that makes your better half bristle.

If you're fortunate enough to have a wife that loves college football as much as you, congratulations.  After you finish reading this, go buy her some jewelry, because she deserves it.

If you haven't married her yet, get on that.  She likes college football.  What else do you need to know?

If, however, you are like most married men, you will need to do a little cajoling to keep the lady of the manor happy on those autumn Saturdays.

Now is the time to prepare.  Random dinner dates go a long way.  And since women seem to have an unfailing memory, we should be able to use that trick, too.  If it helps, write down all the times you take her out to her favorite restaurant or sit through a mind-numbing chick flick.

When she doesn't want you to spend the day watching football, now you can simply remind her that you didn't want to spend that Saturday in July watching the entire fourth season of Sex and the City with her, but you did.

14. Relive Last Season's Glory on Your DVR

It's not quite the same as watching it live, for the first time.  But, hey, reminising about that great catch, or tragic drop can be a lot of fun.

And frequently, you'll notice things about the game, a coach, or a player that you haven't noticed before.

Then, go ahead and delete these games.  It's time to make room for 2011.

13. Play Fantasy Baseball

Football fans and baseball fans have a number of things in common.

One of those things is a love of statistics.

Getting a fantasy league together is a great way to stay more involved in the league.  Plus, you can work on those fantasy coaching skills for the fall NFL and College fantasy leagues.

12. Watch the Masters, the US Open, and the British Open

Three of the four men's golf majors happen during the late spring and summer months.

If you don't play golf, it might be hard to appreciate the sport on television.   That said, you should probably play a few rounds.  Most people enjoy it.  More on that later.

 If you do play, you're probably already watching these events.

It's a great way to get through four days without even realizing the passage of time.

11. Redecorate the Den

Just like the hibernating grizzly, every man needs his cave.

To complete the dedication to your team, visit your university's website, and find the university's official color scheme.

We're not just talking "Scarlet and Gray" or "Maize and Blue" or "Burnt Orange," but the actual, official color.

For instance, for Ohio State, scarlet is PANTONE 200, and gray is PANTONE 429.

Take that information to your local hardware store, and get a few gallons in each color.

Go nuts.

10. Hit the Links

One of the most popular off-season activities for athletes can be just as much fun for the fans: golf.

Golf is a fairly easy game to learn, although mastering the game can take a lifetime.  Just remember: you're not Tiger Woods.  If you shot par or better on every hole, you'd be on the PGA TOUR.  There are worse things than taking an eight on that 550-yard par 5.

Golf is also becoming more and more affordable.  While not everyone can pony up the $10,000 or more for a private country club membership, there are thousands of public golf courses in the United States and Canada.  Golfing at these courses can be $40 per 18 holes, or even cheaper.

A decent set of starter clubs won't break the bank any longer, either.  Several companies are producing starter club sets, which include every club you need to get started (and the bag) for under $200.

And if you're lucky enough to live by one of the 70 or so universities that have golf courses, you'll never know who you will run into at the clubhouse.

9. Plan out a 2011 Road Trip

It's hard to believe, but there are people who actually do cheer for the other teams.

One thing every college football fan should experience is the mystique of an away game.

Spend a day or two planning out a road trip to an away game, preferably against a rival.

8. Plan a 2011 Trip to a Stadium You've Never Visited

The sports world is full of stories about the guys who vowed to see a game at every major league stadium before they died.

There are over 600 NCAA college football venues in the United States.  It would be pretty difficult to see them all.

But there are a select few that every fan should visit, at least once.

Even if your team isn't playing in that particular stadium on that particular Saturday, some stadium experiences shouldn't be missed.  Make it a point to visit one of these stadiums in 2011.

7. Watch "Rudy"

Even USC, Purdue, and Boston College fans have to admit the this is a great movie.

6. Attend a Practice

Spring practices are underway right now.  Many teams have open practices, or at least open spring games.

Beginning in August, many of those same teams have open practices.  Go take a look at the 5-star recruit.  See if your favorite player's knee is standing up to pressure after that injury.  Go see how the new coach is adjusting and how the players are adjusting to him.

5. Get a Tattoo

Nothing says devotion more than permanency.

Nothing says permanency more than a tattoo.

Some of the most dedicated fans have tattooed their teams logo on their arms, chests, or backs.

4. Join the Booster Club

Booster clubs have received a few bruises over the past couple of decades due to the illicit affairs of wealthy boosters and their questionable relationships with star athletes.

But the vast majority of booster club members are great people who love college football and love their university.

Plus, they typically get some pretty nice perks come game day.

3. Buy EA Sports' NCAA Football 12

Visit EASports.com to vote on who will appear on this year's cover!

The marketing geniuses over at Electronic Arts time the release of the next installment of NCAA Football perfectly.

Every summer, just when every college football fan in the country is jonesing for a quick football hit, along comes EA Sports with their must-have video game for any fan of the college gridiron.

One of the greatest features of the game is the dynasty mode.  Every year seems to have new innovative features, giving players more control over their team's entire program.

Nothing helps those summer football withdrawal symptoms than a few hours of nothing but college football—all under your control.

EA Sports is also letting fans decide who will be on this year's cover.

2. Visit the College Football Hall of Fame

South Bend, Indiana is a Mecca of college football for several reasons.

Sure, there's a pretty good college football program in town, but there's also the College Football Hall of Fame.

Like Canton or Cooperstown, South Bend is home to the shrine of the best ever to impact the game of college football.

Every college football fan should visit at least once.

1. Hone Your Tailgating Skills

Like all great skills, tailgating requires practice.

Why waste the first home game scrambling to get your things together only to discover you've forgotten the buns, didn't put the ice packs in the beer cooler, or overcooked the meat?

Practice, practice, practice!

There's nothing quite like the taste of a perfectly cooked burger, or brat, or whatever regional or university-specific specialy you prefer.

Take the next four months and prepare your favorite tailgating treats to make sure you don't get rusty.

Throwing in a few rounds of beer pong, flippy cup, or other tailgating game wouldn't kill you, either.