To quote an avid college football fan, Darius Rucker, “There are two seasons for me. Football season, and waiting on football season.” He is not alone, as all college football fans are waiting anxiously. With the countdown to kick off now in double digits the pre-season hype machines are starting to warm up. There are pre-season polls, Gameday has hinted at its first stop of the season, and the TV times are starting to be released.
Fan Off-Season – Winter
January. The 2016 college football season ended in epic fashion as Clemson beat the all-mighty Alabama in the National Championship Game. Your team’s season ended in December after their bowl game. And now, you have been counting down to kick off from the moment that bowl game ended.
February rolled around, and you get hyped about signing day and the potential of your future teams. Then – *cue drumroll* – the 2017 football schedule was released. Let’s be honest; you printed it off, added it to your calendar, and emailed it to several people to start planning football weekends.
Fan Off-Season – Spring
March started to warm up and you welcomed spring ball, where you wore your team hoodie while attending any open practice or scrimmage you could get to. You planned a football weekend around the spring game. Any reason to tailgate, right?
April brings the NFL draft, where you religiously read the draft reports on “your” players. You frequently check and recheck the numerous draft boards. You watch and cheer as your team’s players are drafted one by one.
May. The recruiting machine is back in high gear, as you devour any tidbit of news on any new recruit that is interested in your school. You do a happy dance when the next big game changer commits. You try not to get too excited however, just in case the kid changes his mind.
Fan Off-Season – Summer
June. We are now under 100 days until kick off. You have officially made it over the hump. Thankfully, there are plenty of summer activities to keep your mind off of football, as you have graduations, weddings and barbeques to keep you occupied.
July. Enter family vacations to tourist locations, of course while wearing your team colors. FINALLY, SEC Media Days will start July 10th and run through July 13th in Hoover, Alabama. The SEC network will have nonstop coverage and over-analyzation that will carry you through the end of July.
August. FALL BALL will start! Just a few more weeks to football season. All the while, your school of choice will have: “players to watch” stories, Periscopes, and countless YouTube videos to keep you entertained. The early polls will be released, and along with the pre-season hype will come reports of coaches that are “coaching for their jobs.” Everyone will have their own opinion on why their coach should get another year to prove himself. Meanwhile, the TV analysts will speculate on why they should be tarred, feathered, and run out of town at the first “big loss”. Your head coach will brilliantly spin his “coach speak” to give the media the perfect quote. Hopefully, it won’t end up being the perfect quote for an entertaining meme.
FOOTBALL SEASON
Before you know it, September is here and ultimately you have survived another off-season. Congratulations, you have made it to football season. The DVR will be set for every game you can think of. The first weekend of college football, you will be at a game or on the couch watching EVERY game. The “lucky” outfit will make its debut as you hope it still has the same good mojo from last season. Get to those games and cheer for your team. Wear the school colors proudly. Be a good sport and take it easy on your head coach he has a tough job. Make memories with your family and friends. Happy Football Season, Y’all!
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