OK, time for a politics-free discussion. I love football – all levels of it. In my hometown of Maryville, Tennessee our high school team has won 63 games in a row and roughly 111 out of the last 112. They’ve won 4 straight Tennessee 4A state championships, and 7 of the last 8. Yeah, you could say Maryville High School is pretty good. ESPN ranks them 7th best in the country at the high school level. Our big rival, Alcoa High School, has also won 4 in a row, though in a smaller division (2A). Here in Blount County two high schools have garnered 8 straight state championships!
At the college level, things are interesting as always. I used to be more of a Big Ten guy, but now I follow the SEC more. The rivalries down here are absolutely bloodthirsty. It’s always fun to drive up to Newfound Gap in the Smokies and see all the cars from U of South Carolina or UGA coming over the mountain with their flags flying. Everybody wears Vols orange around here, though I’m still struggling to become a fan of them. Until they get a playoff system in place I’ll always show a little less enthusiasm for I-A college football than it deserves. After all, head over the mountain to the east and you get two-time 1-AA playoff championship Appalachian State. Yeah, football’s big in these parts. As for me, I’m a Penn State fan.
But in the end, nothing gets the juices flowing more than the NFL. I’m a lifelong Denver Broncos fan. One thing I enjoyed more than anything else at the DNC was Joe Biden’s reference to Floyd Little. The Broncos are not supposed to do much this year. But if the Chargers fall apart after their heartbreaking loss to the Panthers then anything can happen. And hey, Tom Brady is out for the season too.
So, use the comment section to chime in with your favorite football teams and your prognosis for the season.
Here’s mine:
College National Championship: Oklahoma
NFL Super Bowl: Pittsburgh Steelers (they’ll be back this year)