The Highs and Lows of Week 1

With the college football season just underway, excitement is beginning to reach new heights. Fans are rationalizing the best outcomes for their program, trying to ignore the inevitable challenges soon to be faced by their team. As fun as it may be to believe for the 4th straight year that the Alabama dynasty will fall off or that your team will finally win that rivalry game, there is a sense of pride that comes from being realistic with ourselves. Hope is valuable and we should take a moment to reflect on the highs that the year could have in store, but let’s also look at the low points of Week 1 as a college football fan.

LOW: UNAPPEALING SLATE

Given most teams do not enter conference play until late September, it should not be extremely surprising that the lineup of games starts off slow. As long as the College Football Playoff has been around, one of the arguments we hear every year is the lack of non-conference opponents that a team faces. For instance, is Georgia the best team in football? Possibly. Of their 4 non-conference games, is UAB their best opponent? Also very possible. This lack of tough opponents early on not only creates an extra headache in the CFP debate, but it leaves us fans wanting more to start the year. We waited 8 months and our Aflac Kickoff Game is Louisville vs Georgia Tech? Let’s grow a pair and sign some more home-and-home contracts with other top programs.

HIGH: THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN

Arguably the best thing on this list, it's hard to beat getting back into the groove of football season by getting the grill turned on, picking up some adult beverages, and spending time with your friends. We can argue all day long about what the best tailgating food or drink to have is, but let’s just appreciate College GameDay being back on and it being somewhat socially acceptable to have a beer in your hand at 10am. We have an awesome football season to look forward to, so let’s appreciate the small moments where we spend time with those closest to us. Don’t forget what your elders taught you, hanging out with the boys watching football is a top 3 vibe.

LOW: OVERREACTING FANS

You spent all offseason hyping up your team, and it pays off when your team wins your first week game 56-7. Except you played Southern Laundry Detergent University and will face a tough reality check when you play your first conference game. We love to live in bliss, but if your team is fraudulent, wouldn’t it save you stress to rip the bandaid off quickly? Too often we overreact about teams based on their week one performance. Those fan bases we hate, talking about you fat pig, tend to do this every year. We get it, you beat Western Carolina and KJ Jefferson had 6 total touchdowns; that doesn’t make him an instant Heisman contender. Go sit back down in your slop and take a few deep breaths.

HIGH: GAMBLERS NEVER QUIT

Every gambler who quit was one parlay away from generational wealth. You plug in an immaculate +65000 parlay, guaranteed to win, sending you into an early retirement. Congrats soldier, your children won’t have to worry about money. You did it. The return of College Football brings an added excitement to sports betting. Week 1 means a full slate of opportunities to become the next world’s richest man. Wake up this Saturday and pull the trigger on that bet. *we are not responsible for any money lost in response to reading this*

LOW: EARLY EXIT

In the NFL, you can lose a handful of games and still make the playoffs. In rare cases, you can be the luckiest quarterback of all time and make the playoffs with an 8-9 record because your division sucks (I’m talking about you Tom). In the college landscape though, there is little to no room for error. One loss, not entirely, but nearly, eliminates your championship aspirations. This makes each week so important, as you need to bring your A-game every time you step on the field. Losing that game early in the season, especially in Week 1, is one of the worst feelings that the season can offer. Reality sets in and you have to realign your aspirations to lower standards.

HONORABLE MENTION HIGH: KNOWING FOR A FACT TEXAS A&M WILL HOIST THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY THIS YEAR.

Enough said, 15-0 is on its way to College Station. God Bless.