It's Football Time in Tennessee!!!!!!

It's Friday. One day before the opening kickoff of the 2006 Tennessee football season. It is unusually cool here in Knoxville. Now, by cool, I mean high 70's, low 80's. If you were driving through town yesterday, and never got out of your car, you would have thought that it was an October day. It just had that look to it. As I was driving to campus last night for our girl's intramural football practice, I glanced at the sky. After all the rain we had received yesterday, it just had that look of a mid October afternoon following a rain storm. It's really a unique view and something you would recognize if you have ever lived in the south. Plus, add to the fact that it is a football weekend. Not only that, it's the opening football weekend. And, it's against a top 10 team. So you can imagine what the town is like these days. If you have ever been in Knoxville, or any other SEC town the Friday before a game, then you know what I'm talking about. K-town thrives around football and is a whole different place when the season arrives. Tonight, the strip will be hopping with college students and many others going from bars to bars. Boats will begin to arrive on the Tennessee River out in front of Neyland Stadium. RV's will start showing up across from Thompson-Boling Arena. You can almost smell the football in the air. And tomorrow will be even crazier. Campus will be swarmed with tailgaters from as close as Knoxville and as far away as California. All will be welcomed as UT has some of the nicest fans around. The team will walk down to the stadium for the Vol Walk. The Pride of the Southland Marching Band will salute the hill. The stadium will begin to fill up with anxious fans. All will converge towards Neyland Stadium. New found friends from California will soon become bitter enemies. Fans will be urged, "To pay these prices and to PLEASE PAY NO MORE!" The starters will be introduced. The band will take the field. Cal's fight song will be played. The interlocking UT will be formed and Rocky Top will be played for the first of many times to come. Down the Field will be played, the T will open up, and the team will appear. Both teams will lineup, and kickoff will happen. And over the roar of the crowd, one will faintly be able to hear, "It's Football Time in Tennessee!"

And I can't wait.