Countdown: 30 -- Is It Football Season Yet?

It has been a long 7 months. It's a punch to the gut when the clock runs out on the bowl game. Eight months of hockey, basketball and baseball are staring you in the face as you try to catch your breath. Sure, you could watch classic games on TV, but how many of those games feature Tech? And of those games, how many of them involve us on the winning side? The B1G Network wouldn't be replaying the 2012 Sugar Bowl as often — if ever — had the referees made the correct call.

I will freely admit that my love of college football began in earnest during my freshman year in 2002. Prior to that, I had no rooting interest, and I have always struggled to fully engage in meaningless games if I have no dog in the fight. But with each passing season, Hokie football has become increasingly important to the point where fanatical is a strong understatement. If you're reading this piece, we are probably traveling through the offseason in the same boat.

A disclaimer for those of you currently enrolled at Tech: The love affair continues to grow the longer you're away from Blacksburg. You look back on the experiences you had in and around Lane Stadium and you can't help but wish you took greater advantage of each opportunity and savored every moment a little bit more. You will wish you didnt leave early during a September game against an FCS Directional University, and you will almost certainly wish you went a little bit harder before, during and after that big night game against a conference rival.

It's not just about Enter Sandman and the Hokie Pokie, key plays or "stick it in." There is The Walk, the lead up to Enter Sandman, standing continuously for 3+ hours and screaming until you temporarily blackout from the lack of oxygen. It is all in support of your friends, fellow alumni and brothers-in-arms. Football reminds us of how much we love our university and the Tech community, and it all revolves around us gathering in similar clothing to watch a game played by kids. Funny, isn't it?

I grew up going to Yankees and New York (football) Giants games. Bob Sheppard, "The Voice of God," was the long-time PA announcer for both teams. I remember the first Giants game that I went to and heard his voice; it was strangely comforting, hearing him say "Jeff Hostetler" in a similar tone as "Don Mattingly". Whenever I hear the Hokies PA announcer at football and basketball games, live or on TV, I can't help but have the same warm and fuzzy feeling.

These experiential elements have come to re-define the fall for me. It has gotten to the point where "Fall" isn't really a part of my lexicon. "Autumn" has always seemed a bit pretentious to me, kind of like when people pronounce it toh-mah-toh. "Fall" is correct from a descriptive standpoint, as leaves eventually drop off the trees. I have gotten to the point where I associate leaves changing color and falling to the ground with football season, and not the other way around. How does that bumper sticker go? "If God isn't a Hokie, then why do the leaves turn orange and maroon during football season?"

My love for the football experience has become freakishly augmented to the point where it has altered my mental response to certain sensory experiences.

Cool nights and crisp breezes remind me of football season.

Campfires and the smell of meat on a charcoal grill remind me of football season.

Bacon reminds me of...*shudder*...noon kickoffs during football season.

Sunblock reminds me of...you guessed it...football season. (I'm pale to the point of being clear, and I learned quickly that 3:30 kickoffs in the East Stands will light up my nose and turn me into Rudolph).

As time has passed, my perception of the calendar year has evolved into a football-centric one. There is "football season" and "offseason." The aforementioned sensory connections that my brain makes only contribute to this perverted viewpoint.

We spend our offseasons obsessing over recruiting news, updated weights and max testing results, depth chart adjustments and future scheduling announcements. These rare morsels of information help feed the obsessive beasts we have all become.

During the season, we live in this constant cycle of emotional peaks and valleys. Gamedays involve an anxiety level at DefCon1, followed by a day spent recovering emotionally and then 5 days eagerly waiting for the next game. We repeat this masochistic cycle for weeks on end, before we are graced with a weekend off that is spent catching up on all of the tasks we had put off. It is also the only weekend a sane and loving friend or family member can acceptably schedule a wedding.

Football season has become the anchor to an otherwise mundane calendar year. When you enter the workforce, the weeks and months typically blend together into this endless string of 5 workdays and 2 days off. For us Hokies, the monotony is broken up by two things: vacations and football.

We pass the time, accomplishing what we need to get done to free our schedules come September. We're not necessarily going through the motions — that would devalue what we do each day — but physically and/or emotionally trying weeks just feel more enjoyable in October knowing that there is a key matchup waiting for you on Saturday.

Sure, this all sounds a bit crazy and obsessive, but I can't be alone...can I? Is it football season yet?