It's that time of year again. We've all opened presents and gained five pounds. The holiday season is upon us. And with that comes Bowl Game season as well. I have such a love hate relationship with Bowl Games.
Bowl Games are great fun. It's fun to get to travel somewhere and cheer on your team. There's a sense of camaraderie between fans and players that's special to Bowl Games. When you see other members of your fan base, high fives are usually shared, and you have a lot of pride for your school. You play teams that are usually equal in talent with your team, and it's fun to get to play schools in different conferences to help bring about fun rivalry. It's great that players can take a fun trip somewhere and be truly appreciated for the hard work they put in to their programs. It doesn't matter if their program is one of the top in the country, or one of the more lesser known programs, each player is given an opportunity to celebrate their hard work over the past year, and I think that's something to be commended. And of course, the break from cold winter air is nice too.
But, with the positives of the Bowl Game season come the negatives. It's always bittersweet watching that first bowl game of the year because the end is upon us. In a few weeks, college football will be done with for more than six months. That is just a tragedy. No more Saturday game days. No more traditions. Sure, there is college basketball, but college football is truly an event like no other. College basketball doesn't give you the one day a week where all you have to do is focus on cheering on your team as loudly as you can. College football brings so much pride to many people, probably because thousands of fans come together and cheer their lungs out. It's sad that after the hard work from players and coaches, it all ends after the bowl game.
Bowl Game season is like the holiday season. We wait all year for it. Who's going to be in the playoffs this year? What bowl are we going to get to go to? It's waiting for Santa to come on Christmas morning. But then, during the bowl game itself, I always have a sinking feeling that this is the last time I'll get to watch my team for so long. I have to wait almost a full year for football to return.
But with every end comes a new beginning. If your team didn't make a bowl this season, there's the promise of next season. If your team exceeded expectations, there's the promise of next season to see if this new standard will live up. It may be sad to see the senior players leave your program and college football to leave viewers' televisions for eight months, but the wait is worth it. Because when that player kicks-off for the first time next September, footballs fans everywhere will be filled with that pure excitement of a brand new season upon us.
