The Best Season Is Back: Football

College Football is Back, Y’all 🎉🏈

There’s a certain kind of magic in the South when September rolls around. The mornings are just a little cooler, the kids are back in school, and suddenly every weekend has a countdown clock attached to it. That’s right… college football is BACK. And if you’re anything like me, you’ve been waiting all summer for that first kickoff.

Now, let me go ahead and say it… college football is my thing. Always has been, always will be. There’s just something about those Saturdays in the fall that feels sacred. My husband, on the other hand? He’s an NFL man through and through. A die-hard Packers fan. While he’s counting down to Sunday, I’m over here decked out in maroon and orange on Saturday, ready to scream myself hoarse for my Hokies. We may cheer for different leagues, but football season in our house is a full weekend affair.

Around here, Saturdays don’t just happen, they’re planned. The house smells like chili or pulled pork in the crockpot, the kids are running around in their Hokie gear, and my husband is testing the speakers on the back porch like it’s game day at Lane Stadium itself. Even our neighbors know what side we’re on… maroon and orange through and through.

There’s just something about Virginia Tech football that makes my heart swell a little bigger this time of year. “Enter Sandman” comes on, and I don’t care if I’m standing in the kitchen stirring cornbread or folding laundry, I feel it in my bones. My kids don’t even ask anymore why mama’s jumping up and down, they just join right in. That’s how traditions are born, right?

College football in the South is more than just a sport. It’s family. It’s community. It’s teaching my kids how to cheer (and sometimes how to handle a tough loss). It’s long drives to Blacksburg with a cooler full of snacks, or cozy afternoons at home when we can’t make it to the stadium. It’s maroon pom-poms in little hands and the sound of “Go Hokies!” echoing through our living room.

This season, I’m just thankful for the return of the things that make life feel full—fall air, good food, and the joy of watching our Hokies take the field. Whether we’re celebrating big wins or holding our breath through nail-biters, you can bet we’ll be together, loud, and proud.

So, here’s to Saturdays in the South. Here’s to maroon and orange. And here’s to another season of Hokie football. 🦃♥️

Let’s gooooo, Tech!