It’s at about this time every year when it hits you. Football is just around the corner.
When I think of football season, I’m thinking about a crisp fall morning drinking my coffee. Then to follow: a fun Saturday centered about college football – either going to a game or hanging out at the house.
A new season, especially one with high expectations, is filled with so much promise you can’t imagine anything going wrong.
But here’s the thing: we live in the south and crisp cool autumn days only exist in November. And your team will always lose a game, or two or three or four. Or more.
With all of the anticipation we’ll have from now until Labor Day – about football success and fall weather – it will all come crashing down on an October Saturday when it’s 86 degrees.
Things don’t always work out like we plan. I’ve gone into so many seasons with these visions of how wonderful the fall will be. Back to school is like a second chance on New Year’s resolutions. You imagine yourself being the kind of person you want to be – and how wonderful it will be to reach your full potential in such comfortable temperatures and beautiful scenery. Christmas will be the icing on the cake after such a great fall.
Then when you realize that it takes until the first week of November to see the leaves finally reach the desired color, your team is 6-3 and now it’s raining?
Everyone wants to make a prediction. I’ve made so many predictions, and I’m not sure I’ve gotten any of them right. We do this because we are bored, and because we want to be the one who was right all along. But there’s no need for predictions.
My expectation this year is to have no expectations.
Think about how mad you would be if Mississippi State loses to Kansas State in Week 2. Or Kentucky in Week 4. Those are games they should win, but both teams are decent and the games are on the road….so it’s not that far-fetched.
Now think about how excited you would be if Mississippi State beat Kansas State in Week 2. Or Kentucky in Week 4. Those are tough games against a legendary coach and a team with a lot of returning starters – and they are on the road.
Odds are, you’ll be pretty upset if State loses one of those games. It would undoubtedly spoil the season, because there are several much better teams to play as the season unfolds. Without expectations, however, you might actually be excited if/when State wins those games.
I think back on MSU’s 2016 baseball season. They won the SEC, and had one of the most talented rosters in program history. Winning the Regional was a formality – just taking care of business. Getting upset in the Super Regional was pretty upsetting. That team had what it took to win the College World Series!
Fast forward to 2017, or better yet 2018. Those teams won a Regional and the fan base erupted in joy. Watching the trilling Super Regional at Vanderbilt felt totally different under the belief that the Bulldogs were playing with house money, rather than if we had felt as though this was our year…..like 2016.
We are about to embark on what could be a historic 2018-19 athletic year at Mississippi State. As a fan, it could not be more exciting. Between football, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball – it looks like it could be a spectacular run.
But how will I handle it? How will you handle it? Will I get all tied up in knots when State is inevitably playing close games against teams they should easily beat? Will I enjoy victories or just be glad we didn’t lose?
I believe the most enjoyable years are the ones when winning wasn’t expected, but it happened anyway. I hate the phrase, “they’ll be even better next year”. For one, that rarely happens as team chemistry is hard to replicate from year to year. Secondly, the feeling of being a fan during an unexpected run of success is totally different than being a fan during an expected run of success….so while the team should be better, it doesn’t mean it will be more fun.
This year, I’m going to go into every game with a different approach. I’m going to look at each game like the players are taught to do. That every opponent is worthy of respect – that any opponent can beat you – and therefore, a win is a win and is to be celebrated. A loss is a loss, and it can happen on any given Saturday.
I’m going to set my expectations aside, and enjoy the rest of the summer. I’ll hold my anticipation for fall weather, because I know it’s likely to be delayed. And I’ll take sports game by game without getting all worked up about it. If it turns out to be a special season, I’ll be able to treat it as such.
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