Countdown to Football

Five years ago I was new to Michigan and had never watched a college football game in my life. Growing up, I watched NFL football with my dad every Sunday (you really have to be of strong character to be a Cleveland Browns fan). I had no clue about the world of collegiate sports.

My first fall in Ann Arbor was quite the eyeopener. I will never forget the spectacle of being downtown during a home game against Penn State. Streets filled with people. Ann Arborites standing in their driveways advertising parking for $5, $10, $15. Maize and blue everywhere. I'd never seen anything like it.

The following fall, G and I were a couple. Since he was an MBA student at the U of M, he had season tickets so I not only attended a few games (in a stadium that holds 115,000, the largest in the U.S.), but I also experienced tailgating for the first time. We had a blast. One game started at 11am on a Saturday, so we were up and tailgating at 7 o'clock in the morning. We grilled bacon and sausages, scrambled some eggs on the griddle, ate donuts, and poured Bloody Marys.

Each year, I've become a bigger fan. Last year, we watched each Michigan game, but we also followed our rivals--Notre Dame, Michigan State, and the villainous OSU. The 2007 season starts in less than a week and I can't wait to be glued to my TV set for the next twelve Saturdays. In Ann Arbor (and Columbus and State College...), Saturdays become the Sabbath. We pray, we worship, and we rejoice.

GO BLUE!