It's finally that time of year again: football season. I'm not a huge, diehard football fan, but I do love football season. The start of football season means always having something to do on Saturdays. It means having an excuse to not do homework until Sunday. It means day drinks and tailgating, frat yards filled with college kids and parents decked out in their school colors. It means fun-filled weekends with family and friends, red solo cups, and keg stands. And don't forget about the good tailgating food.

Football season is a time when everyone can come together and celebrate and cheer on their team. It means excitement and action. It means crowds of people jumping up and down, clapping, screaming, and making the stadium roar. It unfortunately sometimes means disappointment and depressed fans after a loss too.

The start of football season also means the start of fall. It means cooler weather and relief from the daily back sweat. It means not having to wake up extremely early just so you can run outside without dying from the intense summer heat. It means putting away the flip flops and pulling out the comfy sweaters, flannels, and boots. Football season means leaves turning from green to a kaleidoscope of reds, oranges, yellows, and browns and falling from tree branches to become scattered across the ground. It means the crunch of the dead dry leaves under your feet.

Of course, if the start of football season means the start of fall, then it also means the return of Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes and basic autumn pictures on Instagram. It means afternoons spent apple picking and carving pumpkins. It means I have to start thinking about what cool costume I'll wear for Halloween too.

Sadly, the start of football season means that school is actually a real thing now. Syllabus week is long over and midterms are in our near future.

Most importantly, though, the start of football season means we're even closer to the start of basketball season!