The Off Season Blues by Fredo

While I am a fan of all Middle Tennessee athletics, the three that get me excited the most are football, and men's and women's basketball.  Every hard core football fan knows the depression of this time of year.  The draft is over and fall camp doesn't start until the first of August.  If you are like me, and baseball really isn't your thing, then this is the abyss of sports.  Now, I love golf and Nascar, but not to the extent that I love football.  There is nothing quite like the morning tailgate that lifts the spirit and just gets you excited about another great weekend of football.  The sight of the Blue Grail, the sounds of jazz coming from Bud's truck, and the thrill of setting up the tents and satellites make any hard week worth the wait.  As I sit at my computer now, I get excited about our home schedule for the Blue Raiders.  We have home games against all of our main adversaries: Troy, Florida Atlantic, and North Texas.  You throw Maryland in the Skillet and you have the makings of the best home schedule this fan has seen in 30 years!  Troy opens the slate and we want them bad.  They have embarrassed us the last two years and we owe them big.  Plus, they have our trophy, the Palladium, and I want it back!  Florida Atlantic marks another first in our 1-A existence: a home nationally-televised game.  And you can rest assured that the Blue Raiders will come to play and the Godfathers Blue Crew will be absolutely jacked for this game!  North Texas is a team that we love to hate.  They kept us from our first bowl game in our first year of 1-A and we will never forgive them.  The owned us for the first five years, but we are fighting back.  We have won two years in a row and I plan on making it three this year.  Maryland continues a trend of "power 6" teams playing in The Skillet.  If you think our home cant be intimidating, go ask Virginia what they think.  We also have very easy travel games in Louisville, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Arkansas State, and Western Kentucky.  This is shaping up to be a tremendous season for Blue Raider fans.  So start the clock, we have only 92 days to go until Blue Raider football rocks the Skillet!!!