Is it Football Season Already?

So me and the family just got back from vacation. Well, not really a vacation, but a trip up to Lake Erie. As we drove up there, I couldn’t but help notice the highway signs. Toledo this way, Akron that way. I was in the heart of Northern Ohio, where 4 MAC teams call home.

It hit me like a sledge hammer.

It’s almost MAC football season. Wednesday, I’ll be headed back up in that direction for the MAC media day. During the offseason it’s fun to talk about abstract ideals, like the playoffs!? Now, we get to talk about the real deal. The nitty gritty. Who actually is going to win the MAC? Do you have predictions for coach of the year, player of the year, team of the year? Me too.

IT’S FOOTBALL SEASON!

Well, not quite. But we are close. I am trying to think up solid questions to ask the coaches and players as they embark on the next season. I have to filter it, because I have so many. Can this player be replaced? Can this scheme be enhanced with a freshman? Only time will tell. But I don’t want to wait. I want answers. Does the coach have them? In some cases, probably. Certainly in others he does not. It’s the mystery of the season. It’s why we play the game. Or why they play the game, since I last played in my living room when I was 4, and my brother tackled me into the old console TV and I required 20 stitches. (True story).

And that’s the reality of where we are at in the season. It’s all about the exquisite questions. No team has won a game, but more importantly, no team has lost a game. We are in the fresh. We are in the brand new.

Literally anything can happen. Last season, some probably thought WMU would go undefeated until they lost to Wisconsin. Both those guys look really smart right now. Even less likely, Miami lost 6 in a row before winning 6 in a row, and barely losing to an SEC team in their bowl game.

What does this season hold? The only certainty is craziness. We have a boat load of memories that are just waiting to happen. We have predictions that will come true, and we have reality that will slap our ego around. In essence, we have our favorite sport, and it’s close to kicking off.

Well, it’s not really close to kicking off. What is close to kicking off is our own predictions and expectations. Will they live up to the hype? In some ways, no. In others, yes. The key is enjoying the ride. Are you ready?