Score! The 5 Things You Need To Know About College Football Season

Money talks, College GameDay rocks and they’re now serving beer. Kind of.

Cue the band,
The Last Night's Game Team

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1. Believe it or not, college football has been around for 150 years. It all started in front of 100 fans back in 1869 with a battle between Rutgers and New Jersey (later would become Princeton). In the 150th year, the Clemson Tigers are the defending champions and regularly play in from of home crowds of 100,000+. Their head coach Dabo Swinney is coaching in his first year under his new record-breaking 10-year, $93 million contract. MY HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED

2. The ongoing debate in college sports is whether or not athletes should be paid. No matter what side of the argument you’re on, it allows for the universities to pay top notch coach’s salaries and build state of the art facilities to attract top talent. Case in point, LSU overhauled their locker room this year and each player gets a sleeping pod. NAPS ARE GOOD

3. While you might want to rake a head coaches’ salary, there’s no fun in that. In fact, Alabama’s head coach Nick Saban said he has no time to party and has never been to a tailgate. Don’t be boring like Nick and go to a tailgate at one of the best schools for tailgating. BREAK OUT THE BODY PAINT AND BEER PONG

4. Attendance at college football games has been on a decline. In fact, last season it was at its lowest mark in 22 years. Part of the problem is that live games are too expensive and fans can have a great experience from the comfort of their own home or a bar. (TV ratings are still strong). One lure to get butts in seats at games and maybe make a little extra cash? Alcohol. Conferences and schools across the country are lifting the ban on selling booze to general admission ticket holders. (Alcohol was typically only available previously in suites and designated luxury seats). CHEERS TO HOPING

5. We’d be remiss if we didn’t discuss the cult classic, ESPN College GameDay. It’s like Saturday morning cartoons for grownup sports fans. Each week, the show travels to the campus of the biggest game and does their report from there. It’s a perfect blend for a curious sports fan - about 65% sports and 35% screwing around and always features guest stars and famous alumni.  THE E! OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Note - This weekend is what’s known as week zero of college football. There will be two games this weekend, with the big kickoff to week one of college football, which starts next Thursday. Clemson is ranked #1 in the pre-season and will again be the team to beat. SCHEDULE

Wednesday Wisdom

Can’t wait until the weekend? Here’s what everyone will be talking about this morning including a gruesome injury for an athlete on set, women giving NFL players a run for their money and a tennis player that'll have you talking. READ

It's Called Balance

This weekend is filled with firsts and frustrations in sports. The good news is, it also involves beer.

You win some, you lose some,

The Last Night’s Game Team  

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MLB (Major League Baseball) 

• A.K.A. MLB announced its plans for Players Weekend (Aug. 25 – 27). As part of the inaugural weekend, players will have their nicknames on the back of their jerseys instead of their last names. Even the New York Yankees are on board with the nicknames and they've never featured players' names on their uniforms. Be prepared to root for Sweet Lettuce, Dr. Chill and Corn Boy.

PGA (Professional Golfers Association)

• Save the best for last. It’s time for the PGA Championship in Charlotte, NC, the last major of the season. (There are four major tournaments in a season). Keep an eye on Jordan Spieth who is one win away from winning his career grand slam, which is when a player wins all four majors during their career.

Overtime

• The NBA owners (National Basketball Association) are considering rules designed to cut back on teams benching healthy players for regular season games. This is to please the league’s fans and partners because no one wants to go to a game where LeBron James isn’t playing.  Is the league overstepping their authority or improving the experience? Tell us on Twitter!

Sideline stat

• Five f-bombs. Yep that’s what typically mild-mannered NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) driver Danica Patrick had to say about fellow driver Kyle Busch. Busch caused her to spin out in a race last week and finish in 22nd place. Her frustration is something other drivers have felt too. She ended her rant by saying, “Now I know why people hate him!” Touché.

Coaches’ corner

• To us football and beer go together like peanut butter and jelly, but not in college football. Yesterday, the Air Force Academy announced it will allow alcohol sales during football games, the first service academy to do so.

The NCAA (the governing body for college football) has no specific rule against selling alcohol at games, but it is not as prominent as you may think. During the 2016 season, only a quarter of the schools sold alcohol in their entire stadium. In fact, the SEC (Southeastern Conference) has banned alcohol sales at games.