Here we are at the beginning of another religious revival in the South. I'm not talking about the white tent set up on the frontage road just off the four-lane highway. No, I'm referring to another one of those arbitrary seasons we all love; I'm talking about college football season!  It's that time of the year when you wish the weather would turn cool and friends come together after a long hot summer, only to wonder if their team will make a respectable showing this season and the smack talk begins.

I grew up going to FSU games when the stadium was a nothing more than a high school field on steroids.  Back then, the weather was cold, fans dressed for the occasion and a tailgate was just that, drinks and chips on the tailgate of the station wagon.  Someone would have an FM/AM radio playing another game while we tossed the football in the parking lot.  No satellite TV and catered parties in those days. It was so much more civilized and a simpler time. Wow, how times have changed.

I will have to admit this whole college football thing used to ruin my life.  If we lost over the weekend, it took me a week to move past it and to be able to look forward to the upcoming game.  It was pitiful, and when I look back at my behavior, it's embarrassing.  I felt that if the players knew how much I cared, they would play harder and not jump off-sides so much.  Fast forward 25 years and you have to remind me what time they are playing and if they are playing at all.    

Our days of going to ballgames are few and far between.  We do enjoy getting the invite to go check out some SEC stadium where we really don't care who wins.  As for games at FSU,  if we are feeling adventurous, we might go out for a tailgate and a beer or two, but when the game begins, we are back home on the couch and straight to bed when it is over.  Maybe we are getting old but to us it's the perfect formula.  Nowadays, I look forward to ESPN Game Day and coffee on Saturday morning and then off to piddle on a project in the carport with a game on in the background more for the nostalgia of it all.  When I look back, it was a wonderful time in my life and just pretending that I care and is enough to bring back those fond memories that warm my soul.   Go Noles!