I am Gamecockian.

Well, it's that time of year again. The leaves are starting to turn, and the sun is sitting lower in the sky. The kids are back in school. In the distance, I hear roosters crow earlier each evening. Somewhere in South Carolina '2001' is playing. Yes, folks, football season is once again upon us. In my house, this means that Matt will be good for nothing on just about every Sunday from now until February. In my state, this means that you don't have to ask your friends what they're gonna be doing on any particular weekend, because nearly everyone will be watching "The Game." (Not the rapper, by the way.) They'll be hanging in the parking lots or at home with  beer-filled coolers, propane and charcoal, fried chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers, back porches and tailgates, sunny days turning to crisp evenings. Ahhhh.

However, in South Carolina, when one says "The Game," you can't assume that they're necessarily all watching the same one. Not in this state, where Fall brings out a great big line in the sand that no one dares to cross, or would want to cross for that matter. No way. No how. There are certain principals by which we must abide, after all. This is a line that can turn drunk best friends into mortal enemies. A line drawn with blood. A line drawn for love and adherence to all we know to be true (with regard to college football). What is this line of which I speak? It's one half garnet, one half orange...two colors that clash together just as much as the teams that they represent.

When college football arrives, this becomes a state divided. Part Carolina, part Clemson. Gamecocks against Tigers. And the loyalty that fans have for their teams runs deep and long. It's a heritage passed down through families. It's a tie that binds one's soul to that team. It's unbreakable. Once your blood runs either garnet or orange, it cannot be changed. Even the marriage of two people of opposing teams does not constitute a switching of sides. To attempt to defect would be a betrayal of the worst kind, a crime of treason. This is the way it has always been and will always be. This is life.

I am Gamecockian. My Popa was born and raised right down the street from where Williams Brice Stadium rests. He and both of my parents attended the University of South Carolina. I grew up listening to games with my Popa, and he recorded every single one. I remember going into that big stadium as a little girl and sitting with my parents in the end zone. At home, us kids were NOT allowed to need stuff when the Gamecocks were on the field. And as I have grown older, that passion for the Garnet and Black has been passed on. It runs through my heart, and I carry the tradition that my Popa began many years before.

Go Cocks!