Putting a bow on the 2024 college football season

Every college football season is different, but they each have one thing in common:

They go too fast.

Each year we wait seven-plus months for games, and in the blink of an eye –even in this new era of the expanded playoff lasting until the third week of January– we're right back to the off-season. Of all the major sports, nothing goes by quicker than college football. To be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Things like the transfer portal and the return of EA Sports' college football video game franchise have made February-August more eventful than it used to be. It's still not a 24/7, 365-day news cycle like the NFL or NBA, though - which I love. The time away gives us a chance to decompress from everything we just saw, get ready for what's next, and reflect on what was.

One thing I'm reflecting on from this season is how much I love the experience of going to games. Don't get it twisted - sitting on my couch for 15 hours with a rack of Coors Light is still my favorite thing to do, but there's nothing like actually being at a game and feeling the atmosphere for yourself. It doesn't matter if it's a big game or even involves the team(s) you root for, either. There's something undefeated about tailgating, the anticipation you feel walking into the stadium, getting to your seats, hearing the band, and being in a crowd. I got that feeling a few times this past season, and I want to share what I remember most about the games I went to.

It started with Stanford-TCU on a Friday night in week one. Despite TCU's close-ish 34-27 win, I can tell you it wasn't the most exciting or well played game I've ever been to. It did have its moments, though. Seeing the ACC logo on Stanford's field was a trip, and I'll fondly remember this interception fromm TCU d-lineman Tymon Mitchell:

The true high-point of the night was capturing this once-in-a-lifetime sight of three random guys standing by each other, all wearing No. 5 jerseys from different teams (Ohio State, Florida State, Stanford):

Maybe that does nothing for you, but it's the kind of shit I live for when I go to games. Plus, the weather was nice and the tickets were cheap. You can't ask much more than that from a Friday night week one game.

Then there was Cal-Miami.

Since I moved to The Bay in 2018, I've made an effort to go to at least one Cal game every season. I've had the privilege of seeing stuff like The Big Game, and a primetime ESPN matchup with USC. It's not like I'm a huge Cal fan, either, but I do make it a point to root for the home team when I'm in the building. That's why I was bummed when I watched them throw away what should’ve been a huge win over Auburn in 2023. They upped the ante this year with what they did against Miami the same day they hosted an electric edition of College Gameday.

The whole experience was as college football as it gets. A record-breaking heatwave hit The Bay that week, with temperatures still hovering around the low 90s for a 7:30 PM kickoff. By the time it actually started (almost 8:00) I was sweating my ass off, the stadium was packed to the brim –with plenty of loud Miami fans, I'll add– and Cal had the chance to close out what was already one of the most epic weeks in recent memory. That same day, Vanderbilt beat No. 1 Alabama, Arkansas downed No. 4 Tennessee, Texas A&M smacked No. 9 Missouri, No. 10 Michigan lost their national title rematch with Washington, and Minnesota scored two late touchdowns to shock No. 11 USC. The funniest part? None of us had a clue any of that besides the Alabama game happened until 9:30 PM local time because service in the stadium was such a disaster. Anyway, it looked like Cal was about to join the fun when they led the No. 8 Hurricanes 35-10 late into third quarter. Instead, they blew it in historic fashion, allowing a Miami TD with 26 seconds left to lose 39-38.

After watching them fail to pick up what would've been marquee wins in back-to-back seasons, then not getting out of the parking garage we were in for over an hour and getting home at 1:45 am - I have some serious evaluating to do over the offseason on whether I want to give Cal Athletics any of my money in 2025. I'm not even a Cal fan, and that's still how this game makes me feel thinking about it! At least I got a classic Michael Irvin moment out of it:

As terrible as it was seeing Miami fans other than Irvin happy (he's my GOAT - I could never hate him.) I can't just throw away watching a great game in person like it's nothing. The same goes for watching great players.

A month-and-a-half after Cam Ward's magic against Cal, I saw another Heisman finalist prove why he earned his trip to New York. Ashton Jeanty came to San Jose State and put up 159 yards rushing and three touchdowns as he and Boise State marched on through their historic season. It wasn't just some ho-hum game, either. The Spartans led 21-14 into the third quarter, and had a decent chance to win before Boise pulled away late. Spartan (and Boise) fans showed out to the tune of the largest crowd at CEFCU Stadium in over a decade. Nick Nash set the SJSU record for most receptions in a season. Boise fans looked at me disgustedly for wearing my Travis Hunter jersey. It was a great time. As much as I waxed poetically about going to Cal games, I'll take a trip to CEFCU over it any day. Everyone deserves to have a local G5 program they support, and the Spartans are mine.

Speaking of the Heisman winner, I finally got to see him and Colorado play in-person for the first time since 2019. The day after Christmas, my brother and I drove from Colorado to his place in Austin so we could go to the Alamo Bowl. The result of the game sucked for us, but making the trip just to see them was worth it. They've done so much for the program in such a short time that saluting Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders, Deion and the rest of the team as they walked off the field was damn near as good as a win itself. I had as much fun watching them this season as any team I’ve ever rooted for. Travis won the Heisman, Shedeur broke the school record for career passing touchdowns, the program's in the best spot it’s been at in two decades, and I got to celebrate that by going to a game with my brother for the first time in 20 years. I wouldn't trade all of that for anything.

To cap it all off, I went to Atlanta to watch Ohio State win the national championship. If you're this far into the article, I don't think I have to explain to you how much of a rollercoaster my Ohio State fandom is. Shit, I'm the guy who wrote that Ryan Day should be fired after the Michigan game:

The Ryan Day era at Ohio State is over

It’s time for the Buckeyes to pull the plug.

Two Stripes with Colton DenningColton Denning

Less than two months later, I was in the crowd as he led the Buckeyes to a national championship that seemed impossible when the playoffs started. As I watched Ohio State's players lift the CFP Title amidst a storm of scarlet and gray confetti, two things ran through my mind:

1) "I've had a lot to drink - getting back to the hotel is about to be an adventure."

2) "How awesome is this?"

I've been to a national title game before, but being present for Ohio State winning it all was a special feeling I'll carry with me for the rest of my life.

The trip itself was one for the ages. The day of the game, I found out my buddy Trevor lives in Atlanta and I got to kick it with him for about three hours before I went to the stadium. We drank Budweiser while talking about ball, life, and how to navigate the crazy world of working in sports. It honestly was just as memorable as the game itself for me. Trev, if you're reading this - you're a real-life legend and that visit's going down as an all-timer in my book.

After the game, I managed to hazily navigate Atlanta's MARTA system back to my hotel, pack up my stuff, and get about two hours of sleep before enduring the nightmare that was the Atlanta airport that day with a crushing hangover. I missed my flight by about 10 minutes after a two-hour security backup and had to standby a flight to Austin. When I landed there, I found a flight to San Jose with 70 open seats taking off in 30 minutes. It all worked out in the end, because I got home about 45 minutes later than I was originally scheduled. Not bad, and all in the name of seeing a damn college football game.

I never could've imagined all this would happen four months ago. I went from an August Stanford-TCU game with minimal implications to the national championship to close it out. I saw two Heisman finalists, the Heisman winner, and three playoff teams. I watched my hometown team have its best season in two decades, and the team I've always loved because my mom went there win the national title. It was a hell of a four months, and I'm simultaneously happy and sad that it's over. I'd say it went by faster than I ever could've imagined, but that's what every season does. Before you know it, the 2025 season will be here and we'll get to do it all over again.