A football fan in the worst way

Obsession is a strange thing.

To be completely focused on one person or one object for an extended period of time takes a level of concentration and dedication that most people don't have, or want.

It's amazingly unhealthy, I know from experience.

In case you were wondering, I am just the kind of person that grows absolutely infatuated with all sorts of stupid things. Not a surprise, I know.

One semester in college, I had a strange fixation on country music superstar Kenny Rogers. I had a picture of him as the backdrop on my computer and talked about him constantly.

I listened to "The Gambler" at least 25 times a day and made all my friends learn the words so that we could sing along in my car on the way to football games.

I was verbally threatened numerous times.

In high school, I wasn't much better. My locker buddy and I spent all four years trying to make the most disgusting locker possible, putting all of our trash in the top compartment - everything from banana peels to milk cartons to stuff we found on our shoes.

There were flies, smells you wouldn't believe and several angry janitors.

Some phases, like the year I wore gloves to school every day as a fashion statement or the numerous times I've thought about shaving a mohawk/mullet into my hair, eventually passed.

Others, like my current Heart's Greatest Hits kick, hopefully won't.

But there is one that will never fade away, and I can promise you that.

Hi, my name John and I am addicted to college football.

I can't get enough of it. I live for it. In fact, I am going to go out on a limb and say that college football is my favorite thing on the planet.

The only reason I'm admitting this affliction is because tonight, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005, my University of South Carolina Gamecocks will take on the hated University of Central Florida Golden Knights in the debut of our new head ball coach, former Florida Gator mastermind Steve Spurrier.

As a kid, I lived in Knoxville, Tenn. a place where pictures of Spurrier were posted in bars on dartboards. In college at USC, we badmouthed him as if he'd punched our moms in the face.

In short, we learned to hate.

Now that he's our coach, well, I've had a change of heart.

I think I'm learning to love. Maybe a little too much.

I've talked about this day, and Spurrier, for months. I've given a day-by-day countdown to everyone in the office and have spent numerous mornings reading all about practices and recruiting.

Um, I mean researching stories. Yeah, that's it.

Honestly, today has the potential to be one of the best or worst days of my life. If we win big, I'll be thrilled and I'll be in the office tomorrow, wearing a smile and probably a Spurrier tattoo.

But if we lose to the Knights - who are riding a 15-game losing streak - well, you might never hear from me again.

I'll probably lock myself in my room, listen to Heart on repeat and try to quit football cold turkey.

Hopefully, it won't come to that.

John VanVleet is a writer for the Hungry Horse News.