The 2015 college football season is less than a couple of weeks away and I feel woefully 
unprepared. SoManyStadiums.com moved its base of operations from the friendly confines of the Mid-Atlantic to the hot and muggy Houston landscape. The move has taken up a ton of time and much of my annual season pre-work has not been completed. This college football schedule also seems to lack in the opportunity to create double and triple headers. So despite being in a new area, my game total doesn’t even break double digits.
My other barrier, err, exciting event is that I celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary this fall. My wife grudgingly lets me attends the college games, but I have got to give up a couple of weekends or there will be no year 26. And of course, I never know what curve ball work is going to throw my way. So with more disclaimers than a Viagra ad, here’s my tentative 2015 stadium schedule:
Game 1: Saturday, September 5th – Tennessee Tech at U of Houston. At first I was stoked for this game, but that’s because I thought it was Texas Tech versus Houston. Tennessee Tech, a middling FCS school who is coached by the all-time leader in D1 loses, Watson Brown, is not likely to put up much of a fight against the Cougars. I had no luck finding a good game at a home stadium in the first weekend. The games worth seeing are almost always at a neutral site. Everywhere else I looked, it was nothing but cupcakes. It practically makes made me a diabetic. Sometimes, you just have to tick the box.
Game 2: Saturday, September 12th – Iowa at Iowa State. This might not be a great game, but rivalry games are always hard to call. They also tend to be a lot of fun. I fly into Des Moines on Friday night for my big weekend. Des Moines and big weekend – cue the Sesame Street singers “one of these things is not like the other…” However, my buddy is hooking me up with free lodging and some Iowa State gear so base case, it should be a good weekend. And if the Cyclones show up, it could end up being a great weekend.
Game 3: Saturday, September 19th – Auburn at LSU. Now we are talking – a classic SEC match up. I assume I will be paying out the nose for this game, but I also have huge expectations. I am going to roll into Baton Rouge early and get my game on. Back in DC, I played in college alumni league and my alma mater, Carnegie Mellon, used to hang out with the LSU team because they could really party. I expect nothing less from a 100,000 of them on a Saturday.
And then I go on hiatus for almost a month. I have a big anniversary to celebrate with the wife. There is a double opportunity with Oregon State playing on Friday night and Oregon on Sunday but I don’t have the courage to go away four weeks in row. I may sneak in a game somewhere that month, but it will definitely be a last minute deal. Fortunately, the new digs of SoManyStadiums.com has a man cave with wet bar and 5 TVs so I won’t be missing much action.
Revision
Game 4: Saturday, October 17th, – WVU at Baylor. Picked this game up when my wife pointed out that I am out on her birthday. As always, flexibility is always the key.
Game 5: Saturday, October 24th, – Army at Rice. Dropped the La Tech and picked up Army due to work travel conflicts. Still definitely easing my back into the schedule with this one, but at least I will have some company for this game.
Game 6: Thursday, November 12th – Va Tech at Georgia Tech. Game 7: Saturday, November 14st, Alabama at Mississippi State. It is time to get my Hokie on. It is my son’s senior year at Virginia Tech so my opportunity for ACC stadiums is coming to an end. The plan is to meet my son at Ga Tech and pick up my car from him. I will then spend Friday driving to Mississippi State for the Saturday game.
Revision
Game 8: Saturday, November 21st – Rice at Texas San Antonio. Dropped
Game 8: Friday, November 27th – Baylor at TCU. If Baylor can hold it together, this could be a marquee game. It’s the day after Thanksgiving so I should be able to get my sons to come along.
Revision
Game 9: Saturday, December 5th – Troy at La Lafayette. Dropped Texas versus Baylor and picked up the trip to see the Ragin Cajuns. Not exactly a Sun Belt classic, but the teams should at least be evenly matched.
There is definitely some potential for a couple of really good games with likely national playoff implications. Based on Sports Illustrated preseason rankings, I will be seeing six top 25 teams this year. The U of H game is the only one that seems to be guaranteed to be a blowout. The beauty of college football is that any game can turn into a memorable one if not an all-time classic so maybe I will get lucky. With no double headers this year, I should be able to step up in the tailgating department.
If you happen to be at one these games, keep an eye out for me. Mention the site, I will throw some swag your way.