Today is Opposite Day at ATVS. While the rest of the crew is stuck at home, watching the game on TV, I'm on the ground here at Game Day Central. Tickets are in hand and my biggest decision today is what tailgate to attend.*
*BTW - this was an actual question asked of me: "Do you want to attend the LSU tailgate or the A&M tailgate?" On what planet do I decide to go to the tailgate with the worse food? It's bad enough I'm going to the game with Aggies, sitting in the Aggie section, but do I also have to eat Aggie food?
The mood in town is one of endless energy and excitm -- no, I can't even lie. It's almost impossible to tell there is a football game being played tonight. Much less two (FCS title game is on at the same time in the Metroplex!). There's a few banners in a downtown, but let's face it, most people in town have moved on. The holidays are over and the city has gone back to work. New Years seems like it was ages ago.
So, here we are. We get to put in a full day of work, and then head on over to Cowboys Stadium for a little bit of tailgating and then a football game which barely seems to exist. ESPN, bastion of journalistic ethics that it is, has been steadfastly ignoring the Cotton Bowl. Gee, I wonder if that has anything to do with it being one of only two bowl games on FOX?
I think the idea behind moving the Cotton Bowl to January 7th seemed better on paper than in reality. I think the organizers thought it would be seen as a big game, equal to the BCS Bowls, as it fits in the schedule between the BCS games and the title game next Monday. It would have the complete attention of the football watching nation. However, that's not the way things have worked. Most casual fans have moved on to the NFL playoffs and ESPN controls the college football conversation, and they have done their best to pretend the Cotton Bowl doesn't exist.
But that is not stopping us! It's a big game for Aggies and Tigers, and the Cotton Bowl ticket has been an extremely hard one to score. The secondary market has seen the prices just skyrocket, mainly because this is the biggest A&M game in nearly a decade and, well, Aggies are insane. I'm looking forward to ruining it.
I'm almost fully prepared for the game. I have my provisions: tickets, #18 jersey, flask, bags full of urine, etc. I've got Aggie fans to Tiger Bait. The nation may not care. The city of Dallas may not care. But I care. I'm pumped. It's Game Day!
GEAUX TIGERS!