It's almost game time--are you ready?
The 2010 football season is almost here. It's hard to believe that USC at Hawaii and Pitt at Utah are around the corner, but before we get engulfed in the season that is almost upon us, let's remember what happened in 2009 and the off-season that shook up the world of college football.
There was Alabama's freakishly fast defense, Washington's epic upset over USC and of course, a moment that still has yet to heal in Western Pennsylvania--the Cincinnati Bearcats win over my beloved Pitt Panthers.
Smaller stories that inspired communities like Bill Snyder and his Kansas State Wildcats returning to the win column, TCU and Andy Dalton's path to a BCS bowl game against Boise State, who seem to be getting comfortable in BCS games, and my personal favorite--the Iowa State Cyclones head coach Paul Rhoads and his post-game speech that landed on YouTube after his squad upset Nebraska--kept mid-west teams in the headlines.
Yes, there were moments that made us sick like week one and LeGarrette Blount, Michigan's struggles at the Big House and Georgia ranking 80th in the nation in passing yards.
Furthermore, it was impressive and then awkward when Urban Meyer resigned only to tell us he was just kidding, confusing to many when Pete Carroll returned to the league he never thought he would, and uncomfortable when Lane Kiffin called a press conference in Knoxville. But that is the wild world that we all love and the reasons that get some of us through the day, let alone each passing week.
On the flipside, there were memories that also choked us up such as Jake Olson when he taught the USC Trojans how this game goes beyond the sideline and Bill Withers lesson for generation X regarding what award winning music sounds, looks and feels like.
Those moments spurred from the rock-solid foundation laid by Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy. And even though Tebow, Bradford or McCoy could not lead their teams to a National Championship trophy under the Pasadena Mountains, they did remind us why we love the men under center. They each represented the leadership, class, and poise that the Next Generation of Quarterbacks will carry into 2010.
Young men like Ponder, Locker, Luck, Mallet, Cousins, Johnson, Harris, Moore, Jones, Weber, Barkley, Foles, Gabbert, Crist, Gilbert and Brantley are set to become the idols of aspired QBs around the country and their journey will be one that we will surely follow with anticipation.
It's time for college football.
Hope you're well rested as we are about to do this all over again--it's almost game time.
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