It's almost time

We can make it. The wait is almost over.\nReal football is less then a month away. No longer do we have to watch the development league in Europe or the arena brand of the game. \nSoon enough the leaves will start to change colors, the air will get crisper and the shorts and sandals will be gone in favor of warmer clothing. But more importantly, we will all be in the troughs of football.\nFootball is the only sport that I count the days till kick-off, well other than the World Cup, but that only happens every four years. All the other sports I pick up in midstream; there is no need to get excited about them until well after their start date.\nWho cares anyway what happens in the first 100 games of baseball and regular season basketball doesn't quite cut it. That is, all regular season basketball not coached by a certain Mike Davis.\nCollege football kicks of Thursday, Aug. 22. Virginia and Colorado State meet in an ACC/Mountain West Conference clash. My money is riding on the Rams beating up on the Squires.\nI can't wait for IU's first home game either. I need to thank the Athletic Department for adding a 12th game to our season. No longer do we start the season by playing three of four our first games on the road. \nCoach DiNardo gets to showcase his new team -- all three phases of the team -- against a tiny Division 1-AA school. The team also gets to show off the new retro uniforms. They better be good considering this will be the fourth time in five years IU has changed the team's look.\nThen there is the hard-to-mistake atmosphere of a Big Ten game on a Saturday in the fall. The thrill and hassle of waking up a little earlier than usual in the morning to get the best spot across the field for tailgating is hard to pass up.\nMmm, the smell of charcoal grills, stale beer and the sound of Buck Suhr on the radio giving play-by-play so no "real" IU fan can give up the serious task of tailgating to go watch the game in person. \nOn Thursday, Sept. 5, the NFL kicks of the season when my San Fransisco 49ers take on the New York Giants in the season's first game. I can't wait for that either. \nBreathe in and out; calm down. Football season is almost finally here. It is time for big catches, big runs and big hits. And I can't wait.\nFinally -- maybe the most important thing actually -- there will be something other than baseball on television.