A To-Do List For Football Fans: You Have Two Weeks To Get This List Done Before The Season Begins!!

Two weeks from tonight College Football (Bowling Green @ Idaho!!!) returns, and the week after that the NFL begins Week 1.  My fellow obsessive football fans, there are precious days left to get vital tasks done before the rest of the year will pass by in a blur.

To help you out, here's a checklist of things that you might want to get done now:

1) Christmas Shopping - I know there's over four months left til Christmas, but there will be precious few open weekend days between now and then to get this important task done.  If you wait til the last minute, you'll miss three or four bowl games and you don't want to be missing that!

2) Driver's License Renewal - If it's coming due between now and the end of the year, get it done NOW.  Karma will strike if you wait, and the biggest football news story of the decade will break while you're in line for eight hours to get a terrible picture taken of yourself.

3) New TV Shopping - Seriously, if you are the kind of person who is going to wait until right before the Super Bowl to get that new TV because of some sort of great deal...well, you're probably not reading this blog anyway.  Go get that TV NOW!! Make sure it's set up, glitch-free, and you know how to work all its little doodads before it's kickoff time!

4) Relationships (multi-part)

• If a loved one is having a birthday/important day some time in the next four months, go get that card now.  Trust me, you'll be so wrapped up in that Week 8 Pittsburgh/New England game that you won't have to time go get that card at the last minute.
• If you are thinking of breaking up with a significant other, do it before the season starts, preferably as early as possible.  Think about it: if you wait until a few days before the season starts, you'll still be in that phase where everyone will still want to talk to you and your SO may still be trying to reach you.  Get the drama over before the games start.
• If you're married, and you do indeed love your spouse (as I hope you would!!), work out your season ahead of time.  Find out what important dates might be coming up so you have a plan of action.  What if he/she was invited to a wedding on the day of the Ohio State - Michigan game? Do you have to go? Get these things figured out now and not during the season when you'll be distracted.  
• If you're like me, I remind my friends occasionally that football is about to start and if they need me for any major jobs, they need to get them going now if they want me to help. This may sound selfish, but it could be worse. I could be an obsessive baseball fan, and not be available seven months out of the year!!

5) Where Will You Watch? - If you don't have a favorite place to go watch a game, start scouting local sports bars to see which atmosphere you like best.  How many tvs do they have? How good are the bartenders/servers? Will they have football specials? Are they the home bar for any particular team (VERY important; you don't have to be going to a Broncos bar with a Raider jersey)?

So make a list if you have to, my fellow fans, but know that it's time to get serious and get things done now!