College Football 101
Class has begun and the Florida Gators start the year as head of class By Brian Richie
The dorm halls are full, the bookstores are buzzing, and the campus police have pumped up their bike tires and replaced their flashlight batteries. In the minds of thousands of college students only one resounding thought exists as a new fall season has arrived. No, not keg parties. College football.
As a resident of Gainesville I must say that if there ever was an atmosphere of anticipation and pride, this would be the time and place to experience it. Never has there been more pressure on the broad shoulders of Tim Tebow as there is this season. The Gators enter the 2009 football season as the most overwhelming favorite in preseason AP Poll history, with 58 of the 60 total votes scratched for Urban Meyer's squad. With a recognizably easy schedule and all of the key returning starters, a loss will not suffice in Gator Nation and may cost the Gators a shot at the national championship, thus scoring 2009 as a wasted season and a failure.
The Gators will not be the only students in class this year, however. Like at any university, there are several types of students, just as there are several types of football teams. You of course have the Gators beginning the year as teacher's pet and hoping to finish with top honors as well. Then there are the students who are extremely competitive, determined, and also very bright, which would be the 2009 Big 12 beasts Oklahoma and Texas. Then there are the students who pour their heart into their studies but just cannot quite grasp certain concepts and therefore never receive the respect they deserve, which of course would be smaller schools Boise State, Utah, and TCU. Then there always is the party guy that saunters into class late with a raging hangover with thoughts of the girl in the skirt the night before instead of molecular viscosity. He has potential but seems to waste it, and that obviously would be USC and Ohio State in the college football world.
Nonetheless some teams will develop into strong contenders and others will fade away like the GPA of a frat brother. If the Gators can stay determined and hungry but avoid arrogance and an embarrassing slip up, there is no reason why a repeat should not be in the books by January. For the Sooners and Longhorns, the season looks bright as well. Success in college football hinges on three factors: overachieving youngsters, returning starters, and evasion of injuries. The biggest positive factor for the Gators, Sooners, and Longhorns are the dominating starters each team is getting back, especially the three biggest leaders on the squads: Tebow, Bradford, and McCoy, respectively. The Heisman race should be one of the closest and most competitive in the history of college football.
Tim Tebow, John Brantley, and the fans.
Other squads that have put in late hours doing their homework are teams like Ole Miss, USC, Penn State, Virginia Tech, and Alabama, all of which should be thrilling to watch. The first big treat of the year will be in week 2 when #4 USC rolls into Ohio to take on #6 Ohio State on national television with national championship implications.
Whether you are a college student or alumni wanting to take a trip down memory lane, or even just a sports fan wanting to live the college football experience vicariously through me, take a seat and bring your game face. I'll grab the red plastic cups and fill the keg. College Football 101 starts September 3rd.
