How Did We Become a Seminole Family? OR Why Am I at BW3 4 hours Before a Game starts?

There are a few things you need to know before you read this post 1) No one in my family has ever attended a school with a Division 1 Football Team 2) Growing up I didn't even know there were football teams beyond the NFL 3) College Football is a religion in the South
A little history.  Growing up on Long Island, with no brothers, Baseball was the sport everyone talked about.  I knew about the other sports but outside of playing football in high school I really didn't care too much about football.  I did root for the Miami Dolphins because the guy I had a crush on loved them.  Enter college life, SUNY Geneseo ~ GO Knights.  After near freezing to death watching the Buffalo Bills play in Orchard Park I fell in love with the NFL.  My only brush with BIG college football was dancing on "the field" while attending a conference at Penn State.         When Hubby and I relocated to Virginia became die-hard Washington Redskin Fans.   We hosted Super Bowl Parties, knew all the players and most importantly hated the Dallas Cowboys.  We moved to Florida in 1995, the same year the Jacksonville Jaguars took the field.  Wanting to be true to the new home town team we became Jaguar Fans.  However I couldn't understand why so many other Floridians were Redskin Fans?  We were actually seeing MORE cars boasting burgundy and gold than we did up in Virginia.  Sundays at church people were talking about the Jaguars but their cars showed loyalty otherwise....or so we thought. Little did we know that we had moved into the Florida College Football Corridor. Families from this area are loyal to one of two colleges : University of Florida (Gators) or Florida State University (Seminoles). 

 Now this is what took us a very long time to accept: Families were loyal to a school regardless if a family member attended.  In fact most families had NO TIES whatsoever to either school but were die hard fans.  I know teens that would never apply to the "other" school even if they had a better program.  Welcome to Football in the South.  

GO Tiebout

Fast Forward 19 years ~ I am sitting at Buffalo Wild Wings holding a table for tonight's BCS National Championship game because our beloved Seminoles are going to win. (Sorry Auburn Fans). Why are we FSU fans ~~ because that's the team the family of my son's friend rooted for, and 12 years later we haven't switched.  There were times I thought our loyalty to FSU was going to get us in trouble while driving through Gainesville aka Gator country.  We now have dear friends who are FSU alumni and even know one of the Garnet and Gold Boys! College Football has even engulfed our oldest daughter.  Despite our best attempts and having sung as at Jaguar games Em never cared for football.  ONE semester of college in Alabama and she's hooked ~~ Roll Tide (no she doesn't attend the school).  Seems a bit unfair that she is the family member who got to meet and have dinner with Tim Tebo last year, even if he was a Gator we do love him.   We thought Florida was serious about their football, they don't hold a candle to the state of Alabama. University of Alabama fans are so devoted to Alabama football that despite having lost their playoff spot to Auburn they are rooting for Auburn to beat FSU so they can keep the trophy and championship in their state.  While here in Florida most of the Gator Fans I know are rooting for Auburn as they could never ever root for FSU. So I am sitting here at Buffalo Wild Wings with my son so our family and friends will have a table to watch the game at 8pm tonight.  Yes we're all wearing Garnet and Gold.  There's still a possibility that Meg could choose to attend FSU so our devotion will make sense. Back to my earlier confusion: Redskins: Burgundy and Gold Seminoles: Garnet and Gold OK side by side a bit more obvious~whoops   Always be glorious  and Fear The Spear!!