Just under 6 weeks until kickoff

[gamecockfan01]

Who is getting excited?

I am ready to watch the Gamecocks back in action!

[crawfish]

This was the article in the Baton Rouge paper this morning. It was by SCOTT RABALAIS, Advocate sportswriter. Make sure you check out the paragraph in red. Rabalais' just having a little fun with Bama fans.

For most of you, college football season is still an agonizing six or so weeks away. Not for us in the media — or the players and coaches for that matter. The season begins this week, as reporters, coaches and players converge for the first scrimmage of the season — media days. The Sun Belt Conference gets things kicked off today in New Orleans, while the Southwestern Athletic Conference welcomes the media on Tuesday in Birmingham, Ala.. That’s a wise move to grab more headlines and airtime after going head-to-head on Fridays with the last day of Southeastern Conference Media Days for several years. The SEC takes the spotlight Wednesday through Friday in nearby Hoover, Ala.

This is, in a most democratic sense, the best time of the season as far as everyone’s concerned. All are undefeated. None have suffered crushing injuries or disappointing losses. Even the shortcomings and missing links seem like smaller problems that can be bypassed and overcome with the right player “stepping up.” Who that will be, we don’t know. That’s the beauty of the season about to unfold. Some will flop, some will surprise, and the only rock certain firmness-of-the-earth rule is that something will happen that no one predicted. I don’t know who has the better of it — you or me. You’re still aching for the thump of that first kickoff, but the pain of anticipation can be exquisite. Me, I’ll be typing my fingers off, but I get to be immersed in football talk. Much of the talk at the SEC days is sure to center on LSU. They may be saving the SEC’s best for last as coach Les Miles, wide receiver Early Doucet and everybody’s All-American Gavin Grey, um, Glen Dorsey, face the microphones and notepads in Friday’s final sessions.

There will certainly be plenty of conjecture about whether the Tigers are worthy of all the preseason hype. LSU is likely to be picked as the SEC overall favorite when the media voting is released Friday, and the Tigers could open the season at No. 2 when the major polls come out. The most rabid media frothing will come Thursday, when Alabama coach Nick — oh, um, his name is around here someplace — does one of his favorite things and addresses the media. They’ll be taking bets before he speaks to see whether Saban walks across the water in the fountain to get in the Wynfrey Hotel where SEC Media Days is held, or just walks in the front door like everyone else.

The SEC folks know what they’re doing when they schedule these things. Alabama and Auburn are never on the same day — Tommy Tuberville and crew are part of Wednesday’s opening session — and it seems little accident that LSU and Alabama won’t be here at the same time, either. Not that Saban and Miles are about to cross swords, but better to spread the wealth in terms of media coverage. So enjoy the reports as we bring them to you. Because there’s no question the best time of the year is just a two-minute drill away.