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I got a chance to catch up on my NCAA College Football 2008 on my Xbox.
As always, I played as the University of Louisville and took on Ohio State University. The Buckeyes hold a similar place in my heart along with Big East referees, ESPN constantly showing Rutgers fans rush the field, Linda Cohn and kicking puppies.
The Cardinals were ranked no. 11, while the Buckeyes were no. 12. It was quite interesting playing as the favorite against the real life no. 1.
Seeing the defensive line put pressure on the quarterback, amazing play calling by a genius coach (me), sure tackling by the secondary and a lopsided victory at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium all reminded me of better days of Cardinal football.
While all the aforementioned seemed somewhat out of place in the here and now, nothing was more bizarre than the stadium rating given to ‘The Oven.’ Cardinal Stadium was rated as the 14th toughest place to play in America. During my game fans were extremely loud, held clever signs and actually showed spirit during the game.
Unfortunately, this is a clear example of just how far from reality video games really are.
Let me first say U of L has some extremely passionate fans, who actually go to the games and when there they…get this…stand up and cheer. Every school in the country has rowdy fans. You can find die-hards that wake up to tailgate a 5 a.m. at football powerhouses like Syracuse University and University of Maine.
Schools don’t separate themselves by their most dedicated fans; they become spirited by their 25,000th fan waking up at 7 a.m. to paint their face and make it out to tailgate for some burgers, brews and camaraderie.
Here at U of L our 25,000th fan wakes up at 11:30 for a noon game, throws on a lime green shirt with Louisville written on it in pink and gets to the game just in time to golf clap for Harry Douglas’ touchdown.
And our 40,000th fan, well they stay at home to watch the UK game. I just threw up.
When you have thousands of open seats for your homecoming game, you have a serious issue.
The biggest issue of all may be in recruiting. Those being recruited by the likes of Florida, Clemson, Wisconsin and dare I say it, Kentucky, where fans show a pulse, won’t even consider a school like Louisville, where fans don’t support the team. This doesn’t bode well for the futre.
I tell you this because it is the week of Nov. 2, when U of L defeated West Virginia last year. Kirk Herbstreit, who travels across the country to different football stadiums, called that one of the best college football atmospheres he has ever seen.
I remember leaving the stadium that day, high-fiving strangers decked out in Louisville gear, hearing the C-A-R-D-S cheer ring down Floyd St. and feeling like a part of the Cardinal community. It appeared we had become a bonafide football powerhouse.
And then I remember leaving the game against Pitt this last weekend. As I walked out the stadium I decided that 2007 should be remembered as the EVERYONE STAYED HOMEcoming.
I miss the good old days.
