College Football

It is not even July and I am already excited for the upcoming college football season. My alma mater, the University of Utah (“U of U”) has been accepted as a member school of the PAC 10 and will commence PAC 10 conference play next year. I think that all of the recent hubbub about athletic conference expansion and realignment has sparked my early interest in college football. (Don’t you love the word “hubbub”?) The PAC 10 has always been my favorite athletic conference and I cannot tell you how excited I am for the U of U becoming a member with Washington, Oregon, Cal, Stanford, UCLA, USC and the others. When I was a kid, the U of U was in the WAC along with Arizona State and the University of Arizona. I remember how disappointed I was when those schools left the WAC for what was then called the PAC 8.

Many of our Palm Desert friends are Oregon, Washington or Northern California and have close alliances with PAC 10 Universities so it will bring added interest to the football games when our teams compete. I don’t necessarily believe the PAC 10 is the best conference, but it has always been my favorite conference. I can hardly wait for these PAC 10 opponents to come to Salt Lake for football games in the near future.

The Lovely Sharon is a Nebraska native so we have also been following the Cornhuskers move from the Big 12 to the Big 10. The Big 12 now has 10 schools and the Big 10 now has 12 members. How is that for confusing? That’s like calling 10 eggs a dozen eggs. I assume the PAC 10 will change its name to the PAC 12 but who knows. I have heard a couple of tongue and cheek suggestions that the conference name should be changed to “12 Pack.”

This season, the U of U plays Notre Dame in South Bend on November 13th. I think I may try to get a ticket for the game. The Lovely Sharon has indicated she does not want to go inasmuch as she would have just moved back to Palm Desert for the season around that time. I might see I if can get a buddy to go with if tickets can be found at an affordable price.

Yesterday I stopped at the U of U Campus Book Store on the way home from work and bought a couple of red U of U logo shirts and a logo golf visor. I am telling you I am stoked for the upcoming season. I think this weekend I might practice wearing one of the beer guzzling helmets that have a can of beer on each side of a helmet with straws attached to your mouth. Heck, I don’t even like beer that much but this sounds fun. I think I may paint the Lovely Sharon’s face red while she is sleeping. How angry can she get, her Nebraska Cornhusker’s colors are red too. Maybe I will drag the barbeque grill out into the driveway and tailgate at home.

Lately at night I have been lying in bed quietly singing:

I am a Utah man, sir, and I live across the green. Our gang, it is the jolliest that you have ever seen. Our coeds are the fairest and each one's a shining star. Our yell, you hear it ringing through the mountains near and far.

Who am I, sir? A Utah Man am I. A Utah Man, sir, and will be 'til I die; Ki-yi! We're up to snuff; we never bluff, we're game for any fuss. No other gang of college men dare meet us in the muss. So fill your lungs and sing it out and shout it to the sky, we'll fight for dear old Crimson,

for a Utah Man am I.

And when we prom the avenue, all lined up in a row, and arm in arm and step in time as down the street we go. No matter if a freshman green or in a senior's gown, the people all admit we are the warmest gang in town.

Who am I, sir? A Utah Man am I. A Utah Man, sir, and will be 'til I die; Ki-yi! We're up to snuff; we never bluff, we're game for any fuss. No other gang of college men dare meet us in the muss. So fill your lungs and sing it out and shout it to the sky, we'll fight for dear old Crimson,

for a Utah Man am I.

We may not live forever on this jolly good old sphere, but while we do we'll live a life of merriment and cheer. And when our college days are o'er and night is drawing nigh, with parting breath we'll sing that song:

 "A Utah Man Am I." Go Utes!

Hum along with it, check out:

http://fightmusic.com/mp3/mwc/Utah__Utah_Man.mp3

Well for now back to summer, to the garden, to barbeques, to summer golf. I will try to limit thoughts of football to late nights when the house is dark and quiet.

Who am I, sir? A Utah Man am I. A Utah Man, sir,