Kickoff in 51 days...

In the meantime, I somehow missed this ongoing series from collegefootballnews.com that features input from multiple college football media outlets. It's a preamble to the 2008 college football season and creatively, it's called "Preview 2008". Nice work on that title fellas.

I have read the first three installments and frankly, there's nothing noteworthy. I found a few comments from the latest in the series mildly interesting/entertaining.

This round of responses is entitled, "What’s your college football guilty pleasure?" Here's an edited version of what was printed...

Bruce Feldman: I love Signing Day. There’s usually surprise and disappointments and kids who botch their moments in the spotlight. And everyone spins like crazy about how they did. Plus you usually get some coaches taking these bizarre backhanded shots at other coaches.

Seriously? Signing Day? Excuse me, National Signing Day? If there has ever been a more overblown aspect of sports I'm not sure what it is. At big-time programs like Ohio State every single guy that signs is heavily recruited. How in the hell do you know which of these guys will pan out? Justin Zwick and Troy Smith. Mike D'Andrea and A.J. Hawk. Need I say more?

Teddy Greenstein: I like when Charlie Weis is interviewed at halftime on NBC with his Irish trailing by four touchdowns.

Spectacular. By far the best comment in the entire series thus far.

Fiu: Holly Rowe.

Collegefootballnews.com's Pete Fiutak had a bunch of other stuff to say but all you needed to read was his sarcastic comment out of the gate.

Dennis Dodd: I could be a smart-ass and say actual Saturday afternoon games. (Where have they gone?) But I love walking around campus or college town on Friday afternoon or Friday night feeling the energy build before a big game. Downtown Columbus. State Street in Ann Arbor.

I found this interesting because he mentioned 'downtown Columbus'. Do you think he meant the 'real' downtown Columbus or the OSU campus?

I lived in the 'Bus for 10 years, I love Columbus, but 'downtown Columbus' is not one of the things that I would say is great about college football. Right?

Richard Cirminiello: I’m a sucker for the human interest stuff. Hey, we all enjoy the Xs and Os and what happens on Saturday afternoon, but I can’t get enough of the behind-the-scenes stories that peel the onion on today’s college athletes. If there have been hurdles cleared, afflictions conquered, or unique paths to success, I want to know about it.

Unfortunately RC, ESPN has ruined this aspect of sports coverage. Everyone loves a feel-good story now and then. The fact that you can set your watch to the gentle voiceover and strings in the background when you're watching Gameday on a Saturday morning has taken all the legitimacy out of this aspect of college football TV.

Hell, even the guy that adopted his younger brother while playing football for Clemson last year got booted off the team because he was 4th on the depth chart. Way to keep your priorities straight Tommy Bowden!