The first week of school is in the books, and the roller coaster of fall semester is only getting started. Already you've had enough of boring professors and waitlist frustrations, bookstore angst and dining-hall chicken fingers. But it hasn't been all bad. You've scored some free Aggie ice cream and rocked out to some killer bands, scored some free trinkets on the quad and even found that "special someone" (although, I hate to break it to you, chances are you'll never see him or her again after next week). Heck, you've even got your Aggie game-day shirt, and have roamed the TSC humming "The Scotsman". Yes, sir, September has arrived, and with it, the college football season.
There's only one problem: But, before you write off the three-month marathon of college football which I affectionately refer to as "pure, unadulterated awesomeness," know that you can enjoy all the highs of this fall rite of passage without leaving the comfort of your dorm room bean bag chair. Not that I endorse such weekend lethargy, of course, but coming from the East Coast, I can appreciate the interest you may have in other universities' teams.
Fortunately, this season figures to offer plenty of excitement for fans with interests as diverse as a multicultural expo. For the college football enthusiast like me, the season we're about to embark upon isn't just a nice distraction from verb conjugations and statistical equations, it's a holiday. Like Christmas, you could say, except without the eggnog and that crazy uncle. So, without further ado, I present to you my A-Z viewers guide for the 2010 college football season. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
A is for Aggies. But not just the USU Aggies. Did you know that there are two other Aggie teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)? Watch out for the Texas A&M Aggies, who field one of the nation's best quarterbacks in Jerrod Johnson, and could knock Texas off its perch in the Big 12 south.
B is for Brigham Young University, which will play its final year in the Mountain West Conference (MWC) this season. The Cougars will travel to play USU before a nationally televised audience on ESPN Oct. 1.
C is for conference expansion, and the hope that it'll hit the back burner once the season kicks off. Watching dudes tackle each other is so much more exciting than talking about which conference dudes might be tackling each other two to three years down the road.
D is for Dobbs, as in Ricky Dobbs. The Navy quarterback broke Tim Tebow's single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback last season (27), and returns for his senior season to lead the best Navy team in decades. He's not just a Heisman trophy dark horse; he's an aspiring politician who wants to be President someday.
E is for ESPN3.com, which I will be glued to for the next three days. The website, which is free to view on campus computers, allows you to watch just about every game televised throughout the country. You have no idea how many dates I've turned down to devote my Friday night to watching Villanova vs. Temple.
F is for the Florida Gators, who'll enter a brave, post- Tim Tebow, new world this season. Can QB John Brantley lead the 4th-ranked Gators to an SEC title? We'll find out Oct. 2 when coach Urban Meyer's squad takes on defending champ Alabama.
G is for Georgia Tech and the great job Paul Johnson has done in making the ACC school relevant again. As a no-nonsense offensive innovator, Johnson's flexbone, triple-option offense won two national titles at Georgia Southern. Is this the year he proves it can do the same at the FBS level?
H is for hot seat, and the coaches who'll have to come up with winning seasons this year to save their jobs. Dan Hawkins' chair is burning up in Colorado, while Maryland could part ways with Ralph Friedgen if the Terps can't come up with a bowl berth this season.
I is for idiot, a term you'll likely be using many times throughout the season. Most often this will come in references to players, coaches, and officials. Eventually you'll even use it to describe yourself, especially after you've invested an entire day of watching football only to see your favorite team go down worse than the French in World War II.
J is for Joker Phillips, the first-year head coach at Kentucky. Don't look now, but he's already injected an infectious enthusiasm into the middle-of-the-road program, which could sneak up on SEC heavyweights this year.
K is for Kellen Moore, who might just be the best quarterback in the country, regardless of conference. Moore, who threw for 3,536 yards and 39 touchdowns with just three interceptions in 2009, will be the key for Boise State when they take on Virginia Tech on Monday in an opener with national title implications. You can catch the game at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
L is for Leach, the mad-man of west Texas. Mike Leach, aside from being a pirate enthusiast and all-around weirdo, was the coach of Texas Tech before being fired last season, but will take his off-the-cuff and dry sense of humor to the airwaves for CBS College Sports.
M is for Montana, a Football Bowl Championship school and perennial national title contender. The Griz open the year as the second-ranked Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team, and are led by senior running back Chase Reynolds.
N is for Nebraska, a team many people feel should easily win the Big 12 north and could even make a run at a national title. The Cornhuskers will play their final year in the Big 12 this year before moving to the Big 10 in 2011. Head coach Bo Pelini is a defensive mastermind, but the team will have to replace one of the most dominant defenders in its history with the loss of Ndamukong Suh.
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