The melting weight of summer is almost gone. My commute time now depends on school busses. The last of summer will be fading soon, and that can only mean…

IT’S TIME FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL!

I’ve waited patiently since New Year’s parties were still fresh in our mind, Christmas gifts were newly unwrapped and frost was on the ground. IT’S TIME.

Time to gather with old friends who knew us when we were still deciding our major, collect around the largest TV we can find and hear those glorious words again:

“And now a new breed of Bulldawg stands ready to take the field of battle. To assume the reigns of their Georgia forbearers and continue that tradition. Understanding that there is no tradition more worthy of envy. No institution worthy of such loyalty as The University of Georgia.

As we prepare for another meeting between the hedges let all the Bulldawg faithful rally behind the men who now wear the red and black with two words. Two simple words which express the sentiments of the entire Bulldawg Nation — GO DAWGS!”

Time to navigate the crowded streets of Athens, surrounded by women in their red-and-black best, and men in their tried and true gameday attire, fellow fans who put aside their differences and share one goal, and one tangible comaraderie.

Time to become one of a screaming mass packed into a tight stadium, and hear all the talking melt away as the sound of a single trumpet solo playing the historic battle hymn floats across the field, bringing goosebumps and a palpable electric energy to 92,000 of your closest friends.

Time to lose your voice among those thousands, and get swept away by the up-and-down moments of the sport, as just a few men hold success or failure. Time to feel the raging thrill that comes when the tense moments are replaced by “First downnnnn…. Georgia!” or “Touchdown!”

Time for an undying passion to awaken, as all the bulldog nation gathers in suspense for a few hours every Saturday. A season which ends long after the trees have shed their leaves, and begins… now. There’s nothing like college football season. There’s nothing like Georgia football.

And it’s time.