We’ve all been there. That mixed-bag feeling of being excited that training camps are opening, and the realization that you’re actually excited to hear that training camps are opening.
But fear not, fellow football fan, for you are not alone. There is a nation of rabid college and NFL fans that are have been getting that same itch for months, some suffering through that drought since the Monday after the Super Bowl.
There’s hope, and it is literally just around the corner. Just a week from tomorrow, you will be able to go to sleep knowing that it will be your last night of rest without football. That training camps are closing, and that preseason begins the evening of August 3rd, with Buffalo taking on the New York Giants in the Hall of Fame Game, and the rest of the league’s preseason schedule kicking off as early as August 7th.
So your favorite NFL teams and players will be seen live in stadiums and on television sets across the country in less than two weeks, some happening in just 8 days. Granted that’s not really NFL football to some, but it’s better than nothing to those needing a football fix.
Two weeks of preseason football and then you can really whet your gridiron appetite with a slate of should be/could be entertaining college games taking place between August 28th and September 1st.
The best odds for entertainment (even if they’re not the best matchups):
Texas A&M at South Carolina – The Aggies start life without Johnny Manziel against the Gamecocks, who are entering year nine of trying to get Steve Spurrier back to where he was in 1996 (trust me, it makes sense).
Appalachian State at Michigan – a rematch of Big Blue’s 2007 season opening nightmare. It’s been 7 years and both teams are coming off lackluster seasons in 2013, and need a spark to get 2014 going. Will it be another major upset in the “Big House” for the Mountaineers, or just another opening week cupcake at home for the Wolverines? Many will tune in to find out.
Clemson at Georgia – a rematch of their “instant classic” season opener last year will have a different look, as the Tigers are without offensive stars Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins, and the Bulldogs will take the field without Aaron Murray for the first time since the 2010 season. Without three of college football’s best players in 2013, this one could still be great, but it isn’t likely to be the back and forth razzle dazzle affair last year’s opener became.
Miami (FL) at Lousiville – This year’s Labor Day Classic will be a rematch of last year’s Russell Athletic Bowl, which was anything but classic. The Cardinals destroyed the Hurricanes to the tune of 36-9, the last of 4 lopsided losses the ‘Canes would suffer in their 2013 campaign, but Louisville starts this year without last year’s Heisman Candidate and Miami native QB Teddy Bridgewater, which will level the playing field at least at QB. It could be a blunder bowl, it could be the next instant classic, it could be somewhere in-between. Whatever it is, on the night before you say goodbye to summer and hello again to work or school, whatever it is, it’ll be good.
Just three short days after the Labor Day Classic, it will be September 4th, which every NFL fan must be dying to finally show up on their calendars.
For Seahawks fans specifically, it’s their first chance to see their beloved team pick up where they left off since their 43-8 dismantling of Denver and the NFL’s best offense in the Super Bowl.
For all football fans in general, it’s a chance to gather with family and friends on a Thursday night and see the NFL’s best defense featuring the Legion Of Boom secondary, that only gave up 20 or more points four times throughout the regular season and playoffs in 2013. On the other side will be Green Bay, a top 5 offensive unit that averaged 30 points per game before QB Aaron Rodgers went down with a fractured collarbone in week 9. It will be an uphill battle for the Packers and their history of meltdowns against pressure defenses, with the winner claiming victory and an undefeated season going in to week 2.
Regardless of the outcome, it’s the launch of the NFL season, and that’s something to celebrate, which is a win for everyone.
After that, the NCAA and NFL football schedules really pick up, with great games every Saturday and Sunday all throughout the fall and deep in to winter.
For a five month season to have a six month offseason does seem unfair, but football and justice are just around the corner.
Just one more Sunday, and then football is back.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
