Now that it’s Sept. 2, two days before the big day, having a good idea about your Saturday routine becomes vitally important.
There’s still another full day, Friday, to iron out the specifics. But as you read these words, my guess is the majority of KUsports.com readers already have an idea about what their routine will entail. Make it count, for the opening weekend of college football is one of the biggest sports days of the year.
My routine has changed dramatically since the glorious days of being a student at Kansas. Then, I was attending every game in person; now, I’m watching as many Big 12 games as I can on TV.
As a student, I remember leaving the bars early on Friday night, just so I could get a decent amount of sleep before Saturday, when I tried to hit a few tailgate parties and hang out with friends before the game.
I kept the adult beverage consumption to a moderate pace because I liked analyzing the game from the stands. And because I didn’t want to be that guy. You know, the overly intoxicated idiot who makes a fool of himself and screams “Go for it!” when the Jayhawks would face a 4th-and-10 situation from their own 10-yard line.
That said, I miss college (who doesn’t?) and would love to write about my routine as a student on Saturday, but I exhausted my four years of eligibility more than a few semesters ago.
My routine now is a bit more mellow. I’ll wake up around 10 a.m. (I’d wake up earlier, but I work until 1 a.m.) and immediately turn on College GameDay.
Once the games start, you have to be quick. This is the fun part. I really enjoy flipping back and forth between games at a rapid, but efficient pace. Admittedly, I only pay attention to Big 12 contests. The computer also plays a critical role. I’ll have several tabs going, with live stats from Big 12 games, to Twitter posts, to Facebook updates, to my fantasy baseball team that’s still in contention, to whatever else. It’s like a science lab for sports.
Yeah, so it’s a lot more dorky than when I was a student, but it’s a fun part of the job.
With Week 1 only two days away, how will Big 12 teams fare? For my answer, check out the latest episode of ConferenceChatterTV, where I make picks on each Big 12 game in the opening week:
Sorry for my voice being a bit under the weather, but I made it through. My prediction for the opening week is 12-0 for the conference. I’m picking every Big 12 team to win in Week 1. I think it’s not only possible, but probable.
That hasn’t been done in at least the past five years. The last five years, the Big 12 has gone 10-2, 10-2, 8-4, 10-2 and 9-2 in combined season openers. We’ll see.
**Thinking back to what I’m going to do for the games on Saturday made me think of a question: What’s sport’s opening day do you most look forward to?**
Here are a few choices:
• **College football:** Can’t go wrong here. From a college perspective, nothing remotely compares (sorry, college hoops nuts). The whole day is built around the games, and the buildup is an experience, whether you’re tailgating at the event, or at home mingling with friends/family before kickoff.
• **NFL:** A good choice as well. This opening day won’t take place until Sept. 12, a little more than two weeks away. With the NFL, there’s so much to take in. You have your favorite team, and then all of the games your fantasy football starters are playing. And Sunday is simply America’s lazy day. Perfect way to spend a sports day.
• **MLB:** For me, this one is way up there. If you’re a baseball nerd, you know what I’m talking about. The weather in early April is finally good, every ace on every team is pitching and there’s a slew of games on TV. Being at a live MLB opening day game, typically a sellout regardless of location, is quite the experience.
• **College basketball:** I love college hoops, but there’s not really much of an opening day production for it. If we’re talking about postseason, March Madness is tough to beat, but the beginning of the season is rather anticlimactic.
• **NBA:** Similar deal here, although with LeBron in Miami, opening day in the NBA should be a much bigger production than in previous years.
What’s your pick?
That should be all for now, friends. As always, discuss. And enjoy the games this weekend.
