Are you ready for some football?????

Ok.  The countdown has begun!  We are officially under thirty days till its time for some FOOTBALL!  Ready or not, its time to get ready!

Hopefully your season tickets are paid for and any day now they will be arriving in the mail.  At most schools, you are already used to sitting in the same seat you have had for years, with the same folks filling in the space around you.

At Mississippi State, its a whole new ball game.  The end zone redo is almost complete.  Seats have been reassigned based on your priority ranking and either you are in a new spot or all the folks around you are!  New skyboxes are now full of those people that have been on the waiting list for years.  Others have paid a bunch more money to enjoy all the new features down in the Zone.  To me, its still the Zone, and that new fancy video board is behind you.  And, in front of you, will be one big mass of humanity called the student section.  That end zone is gonna be wild with a whole lot of new traditions to come!

Up in Oxford its a different kinda thing.  With the construction of their new round ball arena right behind the stadium there is a new uproar in town.  They are building a parking garage to make up for the parking lot that's now a dirt hole.  That means the dudes that pay all the money have got to park somewhere else until that sucker is finished.  That means the regular folks have been reshuffled to other lots further away or no lot at all!  Some of those Rebel faithful are again not happy, especially after last years shutdown of campus traffic to those without the pass.  Plus, if you've seen the pictures of the construction, there ain't much room for those party people to stand around to finish off that last cup of Rebel Yell before entering the stadium.  Hopefully the dirt will be covered up with something to keep all those high heels from getting dirty!

Southern Miss has got some things to prove.  Its been a few years since Fedora left them high and dry for NC and leaving the talent pool totally empty.  There loyal fan base will be there in their finest black and gold polyester yelling for their Eagles.  We will see what they got real early, with a game in Starkville first up!

Those Rebels and Dawgs have lots to prove this year.  Rebs want that Golden Egg back after their boy did his version of "planking" a few yards short of the end zone.  They will be getting it all started in Atlanta vs Boise State.  All those  young horses from last year have a year behind them, hopefully some maturity will come with it!  The Dawgs have been hearing all the hype the past four months on the Dakattack and the others on all those watch lists.  Well we will be watching all right, me with my fingers crossed that there is actually something to all the talk!

For me, the games are just an afterthought.  I'm all about the pregame!  A whole new crop of freshmen are inbound and they are quite the sight.  Some haven't yet been schooled about the proper attire for Gameday  Saturday. One year I spotted a coed all decked out in her finest.  Problem was, she forgot to do the spray tan thing before the first game day. There she was, just a strutting down the street, all decked out, 3 inch heels and all, with lily white feet up to where she had been wearing ankle socks all summer.  I nearly wrecked the car!

 Whole new wardrobes have to be assembled. God forbid you wear something from last year!  Color selections are pretty easy, black and gold, maroon and white, and red and blue.  Shoes are a no brainer, heels in Oxford, and cowgirl boots in Starkville, and its up for grabs in the Burg!

Its time to start prepping for tailgating.  You have either already written your check to the tailgate setup guy or have taken out a second mortgage for the use of one of the Southern Tradition Tailgating black tents with all the amenities.  If not, then get to checking on your tent for broken poles or a faded or  torn canopy.  You find out real quick that its easier to start out new than find replacement parts.

I can't wait to see what's the latest gadget.  By now everybody has a fold up wagon.  I'm ready for one that you can actually steer.  I'm sure there will be a new chair design since those bag chairs are only good for a season or two.  Will there be a new game to play?  The satellite dishes will all be tuned into the new SEC network, and I can hear it "why you watching ESPN?"

You can't have a decent tailgate without the food.  Your babies chicken nuggets have been replaced by the chicken strip.  Remember when chicken came in a bucket and had bones in it? There will be ribs wet and dry, pulled pork and a brisket or two, and wings with all kinds of sauce. Chafing dishes will bring on the smell of sterno. The rotel will be simmering and there will be chips of all kinds and colors. The ladies will have their fancy dips and cheese spreads, and folks will get sick from something with mayo left in the heat a bit too long.

Hopefully the stadium concessionaires will have the hotdog thing figures out.  The dog of choice, Bryan, is history, and hopefully that Carolina thing will be just a bad memory.   Oxford will have new cup designs so you'll have to buy a whole new set for the unlimited refills.  Maybe MSU will have it this time around.

If you are new to this game, you have a lot of catching up to do.  And you thought the first semester tuition was a sticker shock!  But hey, its just an investment in something called Football Saturday.  I'm ready, are YOU?????