I mean like, six, if you are counting. The guys over at obnug.com certainly are. They have the count down pretty tight. Six days from today. Next Saturday, to be exact. At 6 p.m. MST. If you want the exact minutes and seconds until kickoff, you can find it posted here. Six more days until the Boise State Broncos prove once again that they can continue to run with the big dogs (I mean Bulldogs).
Saturday's kickoff be exactly six years to the day that the Broncos and Bulldogs battled it out at the Bulldog's Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. The September 3, 2005 slaughter ended 48-13 and the Broncos suffered a humiliated defeat under former coach Dan Hawkins.
That was then. This is now. Six years have passed and the Dawgs now face a whole other team with a different head coach who is 65-5 since that defeat. Can the Broncos get it done this time? Can the little team from Idaho best the famed Georgia Bulldogs of the SEC? If you have any doubts and wonder if it will be deja vu all over again, you might check with the bookies in Las Vegas for some kind of assurance. They give the Broncos a win by six and those guys aren't in it for the fun.
I'm confident, but anything can happen: upsets and flukes and bad kicks. That's why I have a growing knot in my stomach. From the excitement that's building. I call it my pre-season jitters. And if I ain't careful by Saturday night I will be a total wreck.
I keep asking myself how are Boise State Broncos looking?
In answer I think pretty good, really. Forget the stats for a while and take a look around. A lot of good signs are out there. The new Unis are sharp and unique looking. Crisp and cool, and good fit for QB Kellen Moore and his herd of Broncos.The spirit around the school couldn't be better. Chick-fil-A Spirit Day on campus last week was great, with lots of food, fun and games. It was complete with a "Fire Up the Blue" restored fire engine all deckout out with blue and orange.
Ranking wise, CBSSports.com has the Broncos at No. 8, the AP at No. 5 and the Coaches Poll at No. 7. Those are needed confidence builders with Georgia ranked back in the top-25.
The pasture down at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is getting its final touch this week. Who cares if it ain't blue? The Broncos and their fans just look at the green field turf and think of it as Kentucky blue grass.
NASCAR driver Brian Scott will race a Boise State themed race car for the Atlanta NNS race Saturday. Its car #11, same number as Kellen Moore. That's pretty cool. That race begins at 5:30 p.m. MST, just 30 minutes before Georgia-Boise State kickoff and also on an ESPN channel.
Some eager Boise State fans have already headed out for the sunny south. It must be the sweet smell of magnolia trees and the taste of mint julups that are beconing, or perhaps the chance to experience the quiet solitude of a southern farmer's field baking under the final days of a summer sun. Better enjoy it while you can. In six more days all that will change.
At least at the Georgia Dome it will. The thick, humid air next Saturday night will reek with the smell of 200 sweat-stained jerseys, mixed with the blood from the noses and lips of modern day gladiators. The sold out stadium of 71,228 will be packed to capacity and roaring with football fans on their first outing of the season. No beer, I hear. Probably just as well, because the Georgia fans can get rowdy just fine without it.
But there are other big games in the MWC coming up this week: UNLV-Wisconsin, Thursday at 4 pm MST. Its on ESPN so gotta tune in and root for the Rebels to at least keep it close. Friday night, the TCU-Baylor showdown is also on ESPN at 6 pm MST. That will be a great game and the Frogs are favored. But Saturday is going to be the long day in the MWC. Besides the Boise State-Georgia game, Air Force takes on South Dakota at 12 pm MST (The MTN). Then Colorado State and New Mexico have a conference game at 4 pm MST (The MTN); Wyoming-Weber State kickoff at 7 pm MST; and San Diego State takes on Cal Poly at 8 pm MST (The MTN). Its funny reading how HC Rocky Long is trying to build up suspense with that "scary" contest. Still, as a MWC fan I will catch it if the BSU game is over, otherwise I will set the recorder. Opposite the SDSU game is future MWC member Hawaii taking on the Pac12's new member, Colorado. That will be on ESPN at 8:15 pm MST so I'll be setting my recorder for that one as well.
The BSU-Georgia game is all over the news so what can I add here? More stats? More speculation? Like most of you I won't be at the Georgia game in person. But I will be glued to my 48" Sony watching it all in HD. Six days from now I plan to be kicking back with two friends with an ice-bucket of beer, gobbling down chips and dip, a few handfuls of peanuts---and at halftime, polishing off a Subway sandwich loaded down with bacon, turkey, cheese, tomatoes, vinegar, and garnished with plenty of jalapenos.
That is, if the knot in my stomach has gone away by then.