The great American philosopher

Conway Twitty once said that love

is a rose. While he might have

found love in that thorny flower,

had he lived another 20 years I

think he could have found love in

the same place I found it.

Just before lunch on Saturday

many years ago, I saw the most

beautiful thing imaginable on CBS.

Two groups of 11 people were

playing their hearts out in a packed

stadium while beer sloshed in the

stands and some band took its best

shot at playing “Iron Man.” If you

ask me which two teams I saw, I

couldn’t tell you because I was truly

invested in the moment. Some

forgettable college football game

took my breath away and I’ve been

crazy in love ever since.

The love of the sport has interfered

with my own love life from

time to time. If you have the

misfortune of knowing one of my

ex-girlfriends from high school,

she’ll probably tell you how I left

homecoming after 30 minutes to

catch the LSU/Florida game on

the radio. She can say whatever

she likes, but, in my defense, it was

2019 LSU we’re talking about. I’ll

take an unforgettable game over a

forgettable date.

As passionate as I am about the

Saints and the Pelicans, I probably

wouldn’t have rushed out of my

school’s atrium to catch a game.

College football is so much more

appealing than its professional

counterpart for one reason: emotion.

By the time these players go

pro and money is involved, it looks

like the thrill is gone.

I won’t tell you how to think, but

you can easily draw parallels to

the adult entertainment industry.

Once they get laid paid and turn

something passionate into a production,

it’s not the same.

While I respect every player who

worked their way through college

to get a well-deserved paycheck in

the league, it’s simply incredible

watching each of them try to catch

a scout’s attention in college.

I’ll take the college iteration of

almost any sport over the pro

version.

At this level, it’s so much more

exciting and unpredictable. I can’t

decide for sure if the key contributor

is all the rabid college kids who

have a few brews in their system,

the added support from the band

or the spectacle each Saturday

that’s bound to have more close

calls than you can imagine, but

they all make each game day feel

like a religious experience.

And like any devout believer, I set

aside time Saturday for football.

It’s not like the NFL’s three phases

on a Sunday. I’m watching the

noon-time kickoffffs all the way to

the fifinal games after midnight.

If I’m lucky, Hawaii has a home

game and I’m still watching football

in the wee small hours of the

morning.

I’ll toss my focus around between

the games I have on my two TVs

and one tablet setup for game day.

Yes, that sounds insane, but I can’t

afffford to miss out on any game.

Sometimes it’s the random

schools that give you the most

exciting spectacle instead of the

hyped-up headliner. Other times

it’s just enjoying a full day of

football.