Times are a Changing'

Yinzers,

I can remember my first official NCAA football game. It was in early September when my Father took me to University of West Virgina in Morgantown for the Home Opener against the University of South Carolina. I can tell you the score easily, it was something like 63-0 Mountaineers. I don't remember plays or names that day( Major Harris QB for WVU only ) but I remember the drive from Pittsburgh to Morgantown, how the leaves were changing and the huge crowd of tailgaters from in front of the Stadium, to the PITT eats Shit buttons everywhere. I can also remember the Blue and Gold of every ones jerseys, and how nice and cool it was for a noon kickoff.

This is the day I fell in love with College Football.

Growing up in a depleted era of non Pennsylvania winning teams almost scared me for life. Pitt was always rebuilding. Penn State was kicking ass but not for the National Title. WVU was Tearing teams apart. I can remember nothing about the middle of that season except that WVU played Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl that January. It was awesome, the Irish won and my First College Football season was in the Books.

The Next step of this Love affair with College football happened in High School at Serra Catholic, when everyone and their brother in the Northeast only pulled for one team and one team only. The University of Notre Dame. We were Catholic , and they Were Catholic so we pulled for Notre Dame. It didn't hurt that I looked like a young RUDY through those years also. Notre Dame had a hodgepodge of coaches and Star quarterbacks that never really panned out.We also had the pleasure of Having season Tickets to PITT panther football. I broke my ties with WVU and came back to my Cities forgotten sons. In the three years that we had tickets I think I witnessed about 9 wins , so that averages out to three crap seasons. So it was in my best interest, with the Steelers winning the Division year after Year it was time to take a break with college football.

It wasn't till my Senior Year of High School that I fell in love all over again. Moving to the SEC and the University of South Carolina was a real Eye Opener. Southern Football is bigger than life here. There is more Football talked about during Basketball season than one sports fan can stomach. I can remember my first southern Football game, it was bigger and louder and more proud than any other Football I had seen in my life. These teams had followings like Georgia , Florida and Especially the GameCocks. Clemson was also another school that had these hideous orange uni's and ...well I won't go there.

I can remember The first game I went to was USC- Georgia , the main thing I couldn't stop thinking was how violent it was. When these players hit , it was like freight trains. USC lost and then my ongoing love affair continues with the Gamecocks till this day.
I have been very lucky to go and See many teams play. Most Memorable are App State , Mizzou, Louisville and the NC state incident( ask me sometime) Most recently we have gone to Alabama twice last season. There are allot of things that as a 30 year old I can enjoy, The pageantry, the fans , the colors the sounds and the sense of pride that you have in your team and in your school. The Traditions and Rivalries and the memorable games that are played year after year.

With all the recent changes and the recent bowl realignments, I was kind of upset and interested to see where all the chips( teams ) lay at the end of this monumental year. But in the end one thing will never change, my love of College Football.

So what If I stayed in College for 11 years, the football was well worth it!

Wade