November, old friend, it's been a while. With you comes the best rivalries in college football: The Iron Bowl, the fight for Paul Bunyan's Axe and Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate, not to mention a lot of those weird Big Ten showdowns.
You've given us greatness. When Chris Davis pulled off the historic pick-six to beat Alabama, your excitement nearly made me hit my head on the ceiling. In 2011, four of the nation's top seven teams fell in just one of your weekends, shaking up the championship picture with little time to spare and setting up the "rematch of the century." You've shown us massive underdogs pulling off standings-shaking upsets, including such as then-FCS Georgia Southern's road win over Florida despite the Gators' standing as 28-point favorites.
But you don't only dash the hopes of top teams. Each year, you chew up our Heisman favorites and spit them out, using your wacky primetime games to turn the tables. Last year, it was Leonard Fournette, who was prancing away with the Heisman before the wheels fell off against Alabama. In 2014, Dak Prescott and Mississippi State fell victim to your wicked ways, as the former Heisman front-runner didn't make it to New York, and the Bulldogs fell off the national landscape.
This year, you've been preceded by craziness. Only five undefeated teams remain to have their historic seasons spoiled by your wicked upsets, but that can't stop you from providing excitement. Those teams play seven road games during your reign of terror, including Alabama's trip to LSU's Death Valley and Michigan's always-entertaining showdown with Ohio State. The lack of undefeated teams lets you give us a one-loss jumble in the playoff fight, and you might even give us some two-loss madness.
Lamar Jackson appears to have a December date with the Heisman Trophy, but he could fall victim to your wrath on a Thursday night when Louisville travels to Houston for a primetime matchup. Your rivalry week could shatter the hardware dreams of several Heisman hopefuls, with quarterbacks Jake Browning and Deshaun Watson facing stingy defenses in your final week, not to mention Jabrill Peppers' matchup with Ohio State and expert game-planner Urban Meyer.
Gamecock fans may still be traumatized from what you did to them last year in close losses to Florida, Tennessee and Clemson. And we don't even need to talk about what happened on your 21st last year. This year, the garnet and black faithful are asking for your mercy. Two wins will put the Gamecocks back into December football, where the sailing has been far smoother in recent years.
Needless to say, you provide the excitement we all crave in college football. With an exciting playoff hunt ahead, we turn to you to give us the moments we'll talk about when you come back next year. So, November, we cautiously welcome you as we greatly anticipate the wild college football you'll provide.
Love,
Adam