lions and tigers and gators and dawgs and oh my

In a way, I'm happy that I don't get all caught up in college football. I don't need more sports induced emotional upheaval. Here in the South, it's the closest thing to religious fanaticism I have ever witnessed. People live and die by their favorite college football team, and whether or not they attended said school is of little consequence. Well, I take that back. If you did attend the University of Florida, or any SEC/ACC/Big East school, you are more than likely a fan of that school's football team. I went to Villanova, and occasionally here the Wildcats' football score makes it into the paper (and even less occasionally, they actually get it right and it's listed under the 'East' section), and if we won, it brings a smile. We weren't a huge football school when I went there and we still aren't. It's not a huge deal if we lose. It's the people who didn't attend any of those schools, and adopt one, and get fanatical about it, that puzzle me...but if that's their thing, more power to them.

So it's with that kind of perspective that I watch college football. The games are pretty good...very good in some instances. Given my druthers in an SEC game, I'd rather see Florida win, because I live here, but it's not ruining my day if they don't. This past weekend I watched the Florida/Georgia game, sometimes called the world's largest outdoor cocktail party. The game has been played in J'ville for decades (except recently for two years when they rebuilt the stadium when the Jaguars were born in the 1990's). In the 80's, the Georgia Bulldogs dominated the rivalry. In the 90's and this decade the Gators have had the upper hand, to the point where the rivalry part of the game was waning. Gator fans didn't hate Georgia like they used to. They felt sorry for them. Georgia fans started whining about the venue, saying it's much closer to Gainesville then Athens, and holding the game in J'ville was more like a home game for Florida than a neutral site. I too, felt sorry for the Bulldogs. I would have liked to see them win...a few times, more to stop that whining so the game stays here than for any other reason. I like the tradition. I like the event that comes here annually, and seeing the craziness that comes to town with it. It's a great atmosphere.

So the game started, and Georgia scored first. In an apparent "orchestrated" move, the whole Georgia bench stormed the field. They got penalized for the excessive celebration, but it seemed to fire up the team, and piss off everyone on the Florida side of the field. Georgia went on to win that game, which only served to piss off the Gator Nation that much more. They didn't feel sorry for the Bulldogs anymore. The hate was, and is, back. The rivalry is back. The snarl is back, and as much as I don't care who wins or loses, I love seeing the passion back in this game, even if I'm just a spectator. It had become a milquetoast affair, and it has life again. Thank you Georgia Bulldogs, for stirring that pot that's been on simmer far too long.