Clemson Fever

Where we live in South Carolina is literally down the road from Clemson University. In fact, the main drag in Anderson is Clemson Boulevard. What's funny is that before we came to live here, we knew of Clemson due to their athletics, but couldn't even tell you which state it was located in. Now it is everywhere and people around here don't care so much about professional football as they do about Clemson football. We drove to Clemson on Brady's birthday because we were waiting for restaurants to open for lunch. What amazed me the most was that we were able to drive right up to the front gate of the stadium. They call it Death Valley, because it's situated in a valley and you have to go down stairs from the entrance gates to get onto the field level. They also have a rock from Death Valley, California that they rub as they run onto the field.

Clemson is getting quite a bit of national attention this year for football. They beat three ranked teams in a row (a school record) and are now 6-0, leading the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference), and 8th ranked in the nation! It's getting really exciting around here and everyone is abuzz with Clemson fever, us included. It's contagious even though we've only been living here a short time and will soon be gone. It's cool to think that you're living somewhere when something special is happening. On the downside, the starting quarterback was injured in their last game, but is expected to make a full recovery. We hope he's back in at least three weeks, when they take on their next ranked opponent, 12th ranked Georgia Tech (also undefeated).

Since we've been infected with Clemson fever, we have all gotten some Clemson gear. It's as simple as going to Walmart. Andy and I both got shirts and Brady got a sweatshirt. This apparel is fine to wear for now, but in about three years, we may have to pack it away. This is because Pitt announced this year that they will be leaving the Big East for the ACC. Since there is a 27 month waiting period before they can officially leave, we have two more seasons beyond the current one before it's official. This means we won't be in the ACC until the fall of 2014. The ACC is a larger conference and is split, allowing for a conference championship to determine the winner who gets a BCS bowl bid. The ACC is split into Atlantic and Coastal sides, which to me mean the same thing. Also, there is only one team in the entire conference who is even on the Atlantic Coast and that's Miami. All the others are inland. It has not been announced which side Pitt will be placed in, but if it's the Atlantic side, we would be playing Clemson every single year. You can't wear the clothes of the competition ;)