College Football: A Love Affair

No, thank YOU, Stanford. | November 7, 2013

As someone who is emotionally invested in Florida State Football, I quickly learned the messy love affair that is college football.

Last night, a number of Seminole fans (myself included) huddled around televisions to cheer on the Stanford Cardinals as they played the Oregon Ducks. The Nole Nation was invested in this game, as a Stanford victory was a step closer to a BCS National Championship game between Alabama and Florida State. That investment and that support from Nole Nation was obvious scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed with so many Seminoles going as CardiNoles that evening, but it also lead me to wonder, How many times have I hoped a team would fall short one evening only to cheer for them later in the season?

In retrospect, I can't count the number of games I've watched when I found myself glancing at another screen (or channel) to check on another game. However, I do recall moments during FSU home games when they'd update the crowd with scores from other games going on around the country. In those moments, the crowd would hoot and holler when outcomes were in our favor and of course, whenever the Gators were falling behind.

Now, I'm not going to go into the complexity of college football, the rankings -- AP Poll, Coaches Poll, BCS -- and how a team's record, coupled with their conference determines who and when they play. However, I will say it's the reason for the love affair, it's the reason you cheer for other teams and it's probably the reason it's so much fun.

There's a certain level of friendly rivalry and camaraderie within college football. I will go ahead and admit, while I'll cheer for an ACC team whenever they play out of our conference, I won't cheer for them when they play Florida State, but I believe it's that small link that ties college fans together. No matter where you are in the season and whom you may be playing that evening, it won't always be a lose-hate relationship and it may very well be the only accepted love affair.

I hope y'all have a great weekend and may your football team(s) take home a victory. Go Noles!

Sincerely,

Cybill

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