College Football

College football is a sport like nothing else. I will not lie I love football in general whether it is high school, college, or the NFL, but there is just something truly special about college football. The passion, the pride, the traditions, and the pageantry are second to no other sport. Your team represents you, your state, your alma matter, and your youth. College football is built on loyalty. True fans do not flip flop between schools or conferences. Simply put if you are a Mississippi State fan you do not like Ole Miss or Alabama and if you are an Ole Miss fan you do not like Mississippi State or LSU. If you are fan of one of the above schools you never pull for Ohio State, Texas, Oklahoma, USC, etc because they go against everything the SEC stands for.

There is no argument that the SEC is hands down the best college football conference. Really there is not even a close second. There is no 1A and 1B when it comes to talking about the best football conference. You have the SEC then you have everyone else. The Southeastern Conference is just another level of football compared to the Big 10, ACC, Pac-10, etc. College football in the South is part of who we are.

When I think about college football versus the NFL I make one major comparison, attendance. Think about this: Which sport has 16 stadiums that average more than 80,000 in attendance? The NFL has one. Which sport has four stadiums that average six figures in attendance? It isn’t the NFL. Not only do the fans attend the games, but they come hours and hours before and stay just as long after. Traditions pull people of all walks of life together and give them a common ground and bonds the hearts of players and fans. Without traditions, we’d just be watching a group of men chase a funny shaped ball. We probably wouldn't be watching at all. Because of traditions, when you watch a college football game, you’re watching history. People are at the game because they care. On a fall Saturday afternoon in the south you don’t even have to ask where people are because you know they are watching football.

Over my time I have been lucky enough to witness some very special football games. Most of the games I was not even a fan of one team or another I was just there as fan of the game and the atmosphere. I have seen flyovers that brought chills to my entire body, kickoff returns that made an entire stadium shake from people jumping up and down, and last second field goals that made 95,000 people go completely silent. I have seen players absolutely dominate a game and players just fall apart from the pressure. Both are amazing sites in their own way.

The greatest part about college football is that it is completely unpredictable. One play will never work like another, one series will never be like another, one game will never be like another, and one season will never be like another. Yes, at times the outcome will be the same, but the games and seasons are each their own story. Every year it seems like I anticipate college football season more and more, and it never ever lets me down. It will always be there the first weekend of September with more excitement than it had the year before. That is why I love college football and always will.

Things that bother me 1 (Bad Drivers)

Bad drivers are going to be my first topic of discussion under things that bother me. This series is going to either be three or four parts. After this topic I will talk about better things. The first thing I am going to mention about this is that I am a very aggressive driver. Many people will not understand what I am talking about with some of my comments, but the ones who do will know exactly what I mean. Never will I say I am a perfect driver, but I sure as hell am a lot better at it than most people on the road. I will come back to this next comment many times throughout my blogging. If you don't like what I write then I have a solution for you don't read it. Simple enough so here we go....

People who pull out in front of someone and go 5-10 mph below the speed limit. I have narrowed down why people do this to a few things. 1. They just don't see you. If someone pulls out in front of me and honestly just did not see me I can get over them driving like they are on a Vespa(Motor Scooter). 2. They think you are going too fast and need to slow down anyway. This reason is garbage. My dad always would say "They were probably going too fast anyway." No dad they were probably just a person with stuff going on in their life that didn't want to get stuck behind you going 30. 3. The driver can not judge distance. Numbers 2 and 3 are not acceptable.

Slow drivers in the left lane on the Interstate. This makes me want to ram the back of the car and knock them off the road. I have no problem with people who want to go 60 on the Interstate as long as I am not driving with them, but why on earth do some feel the need to drive 60 in the fast lane. This is not acceptable, and I really think cops (Scum) should start enforcing this.

People who do not know how to or won't use a cruise control. A perfect example of this is letting someone pass you who then gets in front of you and slows down to a speed that is slower than you have been traveling the entire time. You then have to pass them back. After a few minutes this person will decide they want to go fast again where upon they will pass you and once again slow down forcing you to pass back. This is ridiculous. I don't care if you want to go faster than me, slower than me, or the same speed but make up your damn mind.

People with no sense of direction or preparation. If you do not know how to get somewhere ask or go to google maps. Don't ride around just hoping you will find the place you are going. There's too many roads to just get lucky and run into the place you are going. If you are taking a vacation and are not sure where exactly you are going then print a map. There's ten free websites that will give you step by step directions. Getting lost in today's society is really unacceptable because of the technology that is given to us. If you use all the tools provided and still get lost you probably just need to ride with someone.

People who obsessively use their horns. Come on please stop this. The only time I use my horn is when I am honking at someone to say hey. My first example of this is the lady that delivers mail to my house. If she has a package that won't fit in the mailbox she comes into the driveway and honks her horn 10 to 20 times. If we did not hear the first three then we are either not here or are not coming out. Honking 10 times is overkill. I can hear her going all of the neighborhood honking like a crazy person. My second example is when someone is honking to say F U to another driver. Instead of honking just roll your window down and yell at them. Hiding behind your horn is weak. Give them the real effect and yell.

This part does not go along with bad drivers, but most of the time it involves being on the road. Cops who think they are a king make me want to throw up. The first thing I will say is that I do know cops who are great people that this paragraph is in no way related to. I even have many relatives who are in law enforcement. Over my time I have had many dealings with cops that have taught me a lot about them. Most cops are sorry people. They have never had a life because no one liked them as they went through high school/college. If they had a life they would in most cases understand what is going on and be more lenient in their dealings with people. Hell if they had a life they probably wouldn't even be a cop in the first place. Cops who hide out and write people tickets are a joke. How is this protecting society?? Sitting up in the woods with your lights off where the speed goes from 65 to 55 to 45 in less than a half a mile is a speed trap. Now days I immediately think the worst of a cop when I first meet them. They don't respect regular people so why should I give them my respect. I will steal a line from a Corey Smith song to finish this paragraph. "for every cop who thinks his badge is a crown. This song is for you and I'll never bow down" Corey Smith "Fuck the Po-Po" go listen to it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YPc8FYA6D8

Most people are good drivers that know the laws, where they are going, and the common courtesies of driving and to those of you I tip my hat. I drive a lot with work and run into all these situations regularly. Anyone else who drives a lot will understand why this is my first topic of discussion under things that bother me. If you have any other bad driver examples please let me know because I am sure I will agree with you on it. Be Safe!!





Peace


Wally