With the exception of a handful of earlier match-ups this past week, college football is kicking off the season tonight in full gear. It’s that time of year when football overlaps with baseball, that I call “Fall Ball.” It leaves me with five opportunities to be frustrated between the Cubs or White Sox, Bears or Colts, and I.U. football. Believe me, I’ve tried unsuccessfully to adopt other teams, so I must be a masochist. Here in Oregon, I’ve attempted to get enthusiastic about the Ducks, as I was once responsible for selling radio advertising for their games, while most of my friends follow the team. However, I didn’t graduate from there, grow-up in the vicinity, or have family that attends, so I tend to migrate back to my roots. The exact same scenario occurred when we lived in Austin, Texas and were expected to be Longhorn fans or Illini fans in Illinois. I’ve always been a firm believer in fitting in with the community by supporting the local team, but it’s hard to find an emotional attachment- so you’re forced to fake it!

The Cubs won their fifth straight road game tonight, completing a sweep over the Mets. This is remarkable considering they are a dismal 28-39 away from Wrigley. In addition, this is only the second time this season they have swept an opponent in a three-game series on the road; the last time was mid-April against the Marlins. To make matters worse, just before this positive push, they miserably faltered at home in being swept by the Nationals. It’s been up and down this season, compounded by injuries and an ineffective bullpen. The Cubbies have now fallen behind the division-leading Cardinals that have prospered during a remarkable 15 wins during an 18-game stretch. The Cubs were 8-10 in that same time frame, moving them to simply a contender in the Wild Card race. On the other side of Chicago, the White Sox, my other “Fall Ball” failures, are a pitiful 22 games out of first place. By the same token, Da Chicago Bears have yet to win a football game and are still struggling to find a place kicker before the season begins in a week from today against the Packers.

The “Fall Ball” frustration continues for me, as the Indianapolis Colts have permanently lost quarterback Andrew Luck, although they did manage to win their first exhibition game tonight against the Bengals. They will start the regular season with an offense guided by Jacoby Brissett. Indiana University (I.U.) football battles in-state rival Ball State (Ball U) on the Colts field this weekend, while the local Ducks play Auburn in a match-up of Nationally ranked teams. I.U. is far from that level and will be lucky to win the 6 games necessary to get a bowl bid. A victory over Ball State is paramount – or the season is over. Once again, there are low expectations for all my favorites. I’m also not anticipating that my Cubs or Bears will achieve Playoff status, as they prepare for hibernation during the changing of the seasons from “Fall Ball” to “Winter What-If’s?”