Fall Saturdays are Meant for College Football

It has been a little dark here on the blog as of late.

Not that dark is bad. It's real. But I thought I would lighten the mood this Monday morning.

I love college football. The BCS, the PAC 12, the staunch rivalries and the unexpected upsets. I love waking up on a Saturday morning, making a cup of coffee (or enjoying a special Starbucks treat that my husband has gone out to get me) and sitting down to watch College Gameday. There is nothing that says fall to me like the opening theme song for College Gameday. For some people pumpkins and the leaves changing colors are what alerts them to fall, for me it is watching Kirk, Chris, Desmond and Mr. Corso. I was sad when Erin Andrews left for Fox. I am sure in time Samantha and David will mean more to me, just as Desmond has found a seat at the adult's table in my mind they will someday too.

My love for College Gameday has caused me to do some crazy things. Well one really. On a Saturday in November 2011, I got up early - very, very early - and went to see the actual, live and in person College Gameday crew when they visited Stanford University which was once upon a time just up the street from us.

(Confession: My husband had to actually get me out of bed because I am not a morning person and Gameday is shown live everywhere which means at the time it was on from 7 - 9 am on the west coast. Another confession: I watch Gameday on my DVR because even here in the Midwest 8am is earlier than I like to get up on a Saturday. Well any day really. And he didn't get me up because he wanted to go. College Gameday is my thing. He just wanted to make sure I did something I really, really wanted to do even if my body just wanted to sleep a little longer.)

Anyway, back to my story... We took our crew to see College Gameday being filmed on the Stanford Campus. The Cardinal were hosting the Ducks that night but my boys wore their Beavers black and orange proudly. This was PAC 12 country. To this day, most of my boys wear Beavers gear on Saturdays in the fall. Added benefit of being a fan of Oregon State University is that you are also dressed in Halloween colors.

Wow, I am full of tangents this morning. But isn't that the point of a Saturday morning, of spending the day watching sports. You can be as passionate or listless as you want. You can cheer for your team, cheer against your team's rival, cheer against the SCC just because it's the SCC. You can wear odd color combinations and trash talk with people in a way you would never do in regular life. You can debate and philosophize and calculate the rankings, the calls, the personnel, the coaching decisions. You can be involved in a community event without ever leaving your couch or Twitter feed.

I love college football. So much more than the NFL. Because in college you only get 4 chances to win it all. Five if you redshirt. Each team is special and unique and desperate to win and united in their losses. No one is jumping ship over a losing season or a higher pay scale. Perfection is what gets you into the big game, anything less and you are praying the computers love you just a little bit more than the next guy.

And here's the thing...

I've always been a female. Always will be. And I love college football. And hockey. I don't enjoy making crafts or trying out the newest pumpkin recipe (though I do enjoy eating pretty much anything pumpkin related). I like debates and problem solving. I enjoy flannel and chips with queso.  I like paper plates and am never quite sure what to do with flowers.

But I am a woman.

A woman who loves sports.

A woman for whom fall is announced on the first Saturday in September when Big and Rich let me know that ESPN is coming to my city.

So please stop trying to put me in a box because of my gender.