The college football season is right around the corner and I'm dreading it. I live in Nebraska, attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and have had to negotiate the fact that I'm a die-hard fan of the Florida State Seminoles in a state where football is a religion. I remember going to a Nebraska game about 10 years ago with my grandma and I wore my Seminoles cap. Some dipshit sitting behind me constantly annoyed and mocked me. Of course, I have a mouth on me. So I just brought up 1993. After some "you guys paid the refs!" talk, he left me alone. It's been a tough go to be a Seminoles fan the last 5 or 6 years. When you are used to your football team kicking the crap out of everyone (except Miami...damn you Miami!), losing 5 ACC games is a realization that you've entered the dreaded "rebuilding" phase. This year sees an impossibly tough schedule. 3 out of the last 4 games are on the road @ Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Florida, not to mention the first game of the year, the Bowden Bowl, is @ Clemson. Add home games against Alabama and Miami, and you're looking at possibly a losing season. Maybe Xavier Lee can turn into Charlie Ward and save the program from impending doom. Mediocrity is one thing, sucking is another. If only we had a cream puff schedule like Nebraska....
Basketball season is also on the horizon. The big news of the past month was the ref scandal. If you were to ask me what my favorite sport is, basketball would the answer...by a mile. I used to live in Southern California and basketball is huge down there. Football doesn't hold a candle to the Lakers (which might explain why there is no NFL team in LA anymore). Once again, I was the odd fan out, as my favorite team was the Chicago Bulls (see Jeff, I've been contrarian from the get go!). I was in attendance at the Great Western Forum when Mike, Scottie, and the boys beat the mighty Lakers for their first championship. There's nothing quite like seeing your favorite team, as a kid no less, win a championship in person. The excitement and energy is amazing.
There was a comment made, possibly on the deadlantern forum,a couple years ago when we were following Miami-Dallas series. I was a huge supporter of Miami and still am as of today. Someone said something like "I can see how you can root for a college team and follow them, but how do you feel that connection with a pro team?". For me at least, basketball has never been about the "team". Basketball, more than any other sport, can hinge on one great player. Michael Jordan was so far better than anyone else, that he elevated his entire team. Sure, you need the 4 other guys to score and keep the game in reach, but in basketball, one guy can take on 5 and win. Basketball is a game of stars. For me, I've always followed my favorite player, not the team. In the 90's it was Jordan and Pippen. Those were my guys. When Jordan retired, he was replaced by Shaq. Currently, Dwyane Wade is the guy I follow on a day-to-day basis. Shaq and Wade are on the Heat, so naturally I'm just going to root that team.
Critics will call me a "fair weather" fan and that I'm just going where the championships are. I don't see it like that. I can't help it that I became a fan of Michael Jordan at a young age (along with millions of other people). I can't help that I really dug Shaq's personality and performance (I didn't know he was going to win 3 championships in a row). I also didn't know that Dwyane Wade was going to turn into the second coming of Jordan for 4 consecutive games (I had picked Dallas to crush the Heat). The Heat probably won't do anything of consequence in the next few years, but I'm still going to support them just cuz my favorite players are on that team.
With college football, it's different. I will be a Seminoles fan till the end of my days...but only football. For example, I could care less about how well the Seminoles basketball team is doing. But I'm a fanatic for the Tar Heels. Duke-North Carolina is pretty much the highlight of my sports year. I think the main reason for this is that college teams have a constant turnover of new faces and players. It's harder to get attached to players who only stick around 1 or 2 years, so the team becomes the loyalty and allegiance rather than the individual player. Plus, there are so many more college teams and so many more players around, the team just comes to the forefront more than in professional sports. I like college sports a lot more than professional, but the pros can be just as good when the situation calls for it. Those Miami-Dallas games were freakin' amazing. Those moments are just fewer and far between in the pros than in college.
So this year, I'll be closely following the 'Noles with my eyes closed, and I'll be hoping D-Wade can recover fully from his shoulder and knee surgeries (it would be a shame to see such a talent fade out so early in his career due to injuries) and Shaq can contribute more than just 14 and 6 every night. The Celtics made a big splash by acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. I don't think they'll be all that great, though. Garnett, Allen, and Paul Pierce are all in their 30's and prone to injury. The Celtics will be improved, but no Finals contender. My pick for the finals this year is: Bulls vs. Suns, Suns winning in 5.
Trying to pick the finalists in college is so much more difficult. Every game is important in college football and with all those computer systems and their equations and formulas, it's a crapshoot. Anybody can be upset on any given day. But, I'll throw caution to the wind and say Texas vs. California in the championship, with Cal coming out on top.
As for my Seminoles..I'll sadly predict 6-6. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a losing record though.
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