It's finally time. It's 12:20 a.m. on Saturday and I'm like a kid on Christmas morning. College football started Thursday, but our college football starts today.
All the heartache and frustration last season caused is gone. Today marks the beginning of something new.
All the previews, predictions, and guesswork that's occurred up until now? Throw it out the window. It doesn't mean a thing once the Cougars hit the field this afternoon. It's fun to try to paint a picture of the team in the offseason, but it doesn't matter anymore.
I'm excited. I'm excited to see all the young players take the field and fly around like freshmen that don't know any better do. I'm excited to see what Paul Wulff's staff has to offer in year three. I'm excited for Jeff Tuel and his young corps of receivers. I'm excited to see Brandon Rankin in real-live action. I'm excited to watch the Cougars grow on the field.
I'm nervous. I'm more emotionally invested in this team than I've been in any other Cougar team. Maybe it's because I've spent so much time breaking down every aspect of the team, but I'm nervous for them all.
I'm hopeful. I'm hopeful about the direction of the program. I'm hopeful that this team can step up and compete with every team on the schedule. I'm hopeful that the Cougars will come out and surprise people.
No matter what happens, they're still our Cougars. Win or lose, we get to cheer our butts off every Saturday as fans of the Washington State Cougars. Cougar Football Saturdays are my favorite days of the year. We get 12 weeks to sit back and watch the show.
Strap yourselves in and enjoy the ride. Go Cougs.