Are you ready for some football?

You’ve got it. My annual column about the return of college football to the Anderson house. The switch has been flipped. The school-loyalty gear has been pulled out for the season. It is easy to tell it is football season — there are flags on cars and in yards, T-shirts and caps of every description declaring loyalty and support. In our hometown, it is mostly Dawgs, Gators, ‘Noles, and Canes.

As readers may recall, we each have our favored teams. Big Guy’s team? The Georgia Bulldogs. There is a big Georgia “G” large and prominent on the front of our white Jeep, and a Georgia flag waving from our front porch on game day. Big Guy did not attend the University of Georgia, but he is the proud father of three who did. A son and son-in-law played for Vince Dooley, the legendary Georgia coach. There are lots of fond memories of watching those talented boys play between the hedges. He treasures the pictures of his namesake looking lean and mean and ready to win it for the Bulldogs.

I used to think the kind of passion you see on football Saturday was like no other. Then the World Cup came to the United States, and we met the Scots and Norwegians with their distinctive hats, flags, and chants. Stadiums filled, and countries rallied behind their teams. To determine the strongest and best, they play games and fight battles. Celebrations are often frenzied, and people dance in the streets.

Big Guy sports black and red, while I favor gold and black. I spent 20 years in Iowa City, Iowa, promoting the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. Back in Iowa, the Hawkeyes are big stuff. The state has no professional football teams, and Iowans love their college sports. My responsibilities included the licensing and marketing of “official” Hawkeye gear. In our catalog and at our events, you could find everything from black-and-gold overalls, ball caps, and T-shirts to, yes, even coffins. It was — and is — big business.

Before moving south, I thought Big Ten football was the be-all and end-all. Stadiums sold out each week, celebrating legendary rivalries. Then I moved to SEC country, married a Bulldog, and attended my first Georgia-Florida game.

They start partying days before the annual big game, arriving in their motor homes and camping at the stadium. On game day, the stadium is divided in half — black-and-red Bulldogs on one side and orange-and-blue Gators on the other. While a new stadium is being built, the two teams will meet at other locations. This year’s game will be in Atlanta.

Each year, as Big Guy and I settle in to watch college football, we marvel at how much younger the players look. We couldn’t be getting older, could we?

The energy and enthusiasm are exciting to watch, so we settle in with a big bowl of popcorn, a cold drink, and our favorite teams on the screen. Tigers, Bulldogs, Hawkeyes, Blue Devils, Hurricanes, and Seminoles — let the battles begin.