What I'm Thankful For

As we celebrate Thanksgiving its time for me to say thanks to those things that I appreciate in  Southern College Football

1. The man who invented Tiger Tails to attach to the back of your car- Clemson and Auburn fans are to good for just car flags and magnets, they have to turn their vehicle into actual Tigers. Drive through the South on any Saturday and you are likely to see a car with a tail on it

2. Good grass at Tiger Stadium- If it wasn't for the tasty grass at LSU's Tiger Stadium then it is possible Les Miles leaves LSU for Michigan in 2007. The fresh grass at Tiger Stadium has kept Miles in the South and provided us with some fantastic football games and even better Les Miles' quotes. Who else would take 4 straight knees with 5 minutes left in a game?

3. Carolina Girls- If you are a male above the age of 6 you have to love trips to the Fairgrounds at Williams Brice Stadium. Black dresses on women cursing at the opposing team is what Southern Football is all about and Gamecock women do it better than anyone else in the South. Ole Miss, you have great looking women, but Gamecock girls are there for the party and the football

4. Appalachian State- After the SEC, CUSA, and ACC Championship game is played you have that boring week afterwards where the only excitement is watching 3-4 college kids dressed in ties at a popularity event in New York City. Thanks to Appalachian State though you are typically going to get a snow playoff game to watch on TV with the Mountaineers in it in beautiful Boone, NC.

5. The Iron Bowl- This 1 game doesn't just entertain us once a year, but it entertains us 365 days a year. The Iron Bowl isn't a single day event, it is something that never ends. The passion behind this game leads to some of the best rivalry jabs among fans in any sports. Thanks to Alabama and Auburn for showing us that it really is ok to miss a wedding or a funeral to attend a football game.

6. Cowbells- The true Rebels in the State of Mississippi are Bulldog fans who have for years found a way around the SEC's no noise maker policy. They go against authority and don't give a damn if you like it or not.

7. Uncle Heavy- I don't know who he is and neither do you, but he gave us the best hats in college football. Those red plastic Hog Hats have been worn by Razorback fans for 5 decades now. Others have tried to copy the tradition, but everyone knows where mascot heads originated

8. The University of New Mexico- Thanks to the Lobos we will no longer have to listen to Bob Davie ruin a College Football Broadcast again. Thank you New Mexico for hiring a man who hasn't coached in a decade to further ruin your football program.

9. Mike Hogewood- For over 20 years I've watched Hogwood and the Raycom ACC Game of the Week Broadcasts. Hogwood does a fantastic job each week trying to sell us on why a game between Duke and Wake Forest is worth watching. Anyone that can put up with such horrible football deserves a thanks.

10. The man who put together the entrance video at Florida- I get chills each time I visit the Swamp and see the video of the Gator killing its prey. Florida shows you that a great entrance video doesn't have to be some rap song with a few highlights. Nor does it have to be the cheesy animated crap Virginia gives us with Cavman.

11. Donna Shalala- Thanks to Miami's President "The U" is no longer relevent to College Football. This means I no longer have to walk in a mall 1,000 miles from Miami, FL and find teens with Miami hats and shirts on with their pants sagging to their knees.

12. Vanderbilt- Thanks to Vandy for giving SEC teams an automatic "W" for so many years. Sure, every 4 years Vandy might scare some teams with a squad loaded with seniors, but for the most part SEC Fans can go to Nashville and always be certain to enjoy a road victory.  Plus, they actually care about academics

13. The University of Maryland- Thanks to your University promotional videos a generation of youth will grow up thinking a turtle roars like a Lion. I'm not sure what the scientific term for "Fear of Turtles" is, but there is no doubt that in 30 years this fear will be America's new arachnophobia. One can only hope John Goodman is still around to star in this a certain horror movie to come out of this.

14. BleacherReport.com- Thanks to this site for spreading lies and rumors for several years now. Its always entertaining to listen to a Sports Talk Show and hear something crazy "I heard on Bleacher Report that Nick Saban is leaving Alabama for the Tulane job". BleacherReport, you have done a fantastic job fooling others that you are filled with legit sports media

15. Mike "Big Dawg" Woods- This rabid Georgia Fan shows us that it is ok to not wear khakis and polos on Gamedays. It is ok to let loose on a Saturday in the South and dress a little crazy. After all, college football is entertainment, not a formal event.

16. Virginia Tech- It's turkey time, so of course I have to kill one of the great turkey myths. Because of Virginia Tech, generations in The South have grown up thinking a Hokie was a type of Turkey. A Hokie is not a turkey! It's just a word used in a 100 year old cheer.

17. Texas- Thanks to the arrogance of Texas over the years, the SEC has gained great programs that wanted to leave the tea sippers. It started with Arkansas and ends with Missouri.

18. Larry Porter- Thanks to Larry Porter for helping me each week this year in my weekly "Dixiefried Duds". Whenever I couldn't think of 1 more dud to add, I could just throw in Larry Porter's name because he was certain to have delivered a dud that week.

19. Chris Vernon- Vernon impressed me with his humor a few year's back with his "Col Reb is Crying" song. Now he has me hooked on his "Vinnie Verno" predictions each week which is coming close to "Leonard's Losers" as my favorite CFB prediction segment of all time. Anyone who makes Coach Orgeron a Youtube hit deserves credit.

20. Those who view my website- Thanks to everyone who comes on Dixiefriedsports.com to listen to what a 32 year bald guy has to say about College Football and Baseball. Even if you hate what I write, I'm always happy to respond to all the angry emails. Good luck to your teams and have a Happy Thanksgiving. Be safe and don't eat tryptophan and drive

Matt Barber
Dixiefriedsports@gmail.com
http://twitter.com/#!/dixiefriedsport