they call me Mr. Arnold...

you may call me Benedict.

Tonight, I went to see the Clemson Tigers for my first time ever! This was also the first time I've ever seen them at Death Valley. It was such a wonderful game, a classic in the annals of ACC football. It was a victory for the underdog, for the underappreciated, and under rated. I read in one preseason mag, the Clemson tigers being rated 51st, behind the likes of South Carolina and Florida State. Tonight they looked like a top 20 team, and their defense looked unstoppable. My sincerest thanks to Jermaine for being kind enough to invite me to come to the game with him and enjoy college football at it's best. My thanks also to C love for teaching me why Clemson should be thought of as the greatest school on earth.

This does not however explain why I have changed my name to benedict arnold...

The Clemson Tigers pose a serious moral dilemma to me, they have this wonderful likableness to them that makes them very difficult to dislike. Even when I (as an FSU fan) would find myself on the losing end of a game with them... I'd actually be OK with losing to Clemson, sort of, "Well good for them!" kind of feeling... maybe that was just because I knew FSU was going to win the ACC anyway so it didn't matter, but I think it's because they're likable. This is in complete contrast with the Miami Hurricanes whom I loathe.

Now recently, I've been threatening to resign my allegiances from the FSU bandwagon and moving them to the Likes of Florida. There are many reasons for this which I feel I must outline in this blog, so that though the world may scoff at me, they will at least know why I did what I did. (these are mostly in order of importance to me)
Reasons for not rooting for FSU:
1. FSU has lost it's uprightness. Somewhere after they won the National Championship they started becoming a thug university, crooked and morally bankrupt (from what I could see). As I would visit my friends in Gainesville, I would think to myself what an awesome place to go to School and live. I even considered transferring schools there my sophmore year of college (the first one). Gainesville is what college football was all about.
2. I think Tallahassee is a Dump of a city. The only thing that's beautiful about Tallahassee is FSU, the rest of the city is one big slum covered by kudzu after another.
3. Peter Warrick, ever since that whole fiasco my eyes have been opened to FSU's descent into a thugish university. These are exactly the kind of situations that make Miami so utterly detestable to me.
4. I only liked Florida State because I hated Miami, and FSU played Miami Every year.
5. My dad is a Gator. He went to school in Gainesville, took me to UF games, as are the rest of my Dad's side of the family. It's fun to root for a team when you've got family to talk to later about the game.
6. I realized I don't really like FSU all that much. It was the team of my youth and I was too nostalgic to root for someone else.
7. My closest friends are Gators. For explination on why this is important see reason number 5. Having fans to run with makes a difference.
8. I feel a closer connection to UF than I do FSU. This most likely stems from any college experiences I have being had on the UF campus. Be it Ultimate Frisbee, Saturday night football, going to see a football game... whatever!! They are all in gainesville.
9. Having to take a beating and stick up for Florida football at the hands of my inlaws who think Ohio State is God's gift to Football. I've had to put up with their trash talk for the last three years, and to finally be able to put back in their faces as UF's basketball and football teams won the championships, gave me such a deep sense of satisfaction it is scary. Through that trial by fire came such a bond I've never felt for FSU.

Reason's why I hate to leave Now...
1. I feel like a traitor
2. I will look like a turncoat
3. I will be a bandwagon jumper
4. I'll be kicking FSU while their down
5. I only like 'em when they're winning
6. I only like UF because they won the national championship and are good
7. I'm not a true fan, because I'm not sticking with my team.

These are all very good arguements and though I can never fully disprove them, I can look back historically and make a final rebuttal case.
1. I've liked FSU since I knew there was an FSU when they used to get spanked by everyone, when they were wide left x6, when they were the third best team in Florida, when they would lose 4 games a year, when they had terrel buckley.
2. I've liked the Braves since the mid eighties when they were AWFUL and still love the braves to this day... I root for the braves versus anyone! Win lose or draw.
3. When I moved up north I could no longer watch any southern football :( so I had to pick someone to root for, I chose Michigan State... even after loses to such teams as Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, and Illinois, I STILL love Michigan State.
4. I've maintained my position that Florida was always my second favorite team behind FSU, I'm now just moving them up to number one and FSU down to 3 or 4
5. Being From jax, UF is my closest team.
6. I had to fight as a UF fan before they won anything! Especially every time they played crappily.
7. I went to a university with no sports of any significance, and a catholic school I tried my best to avoid. I've never had any school spirit in anything anyway!
8. I've been considering this move for the last 4 years, tried it two years ago and couldn't bring myself to it. Cheering at that game tonight against FSU was at once Cathartic and a final cut from my once beloved noles.

That being said, I cheered and cheered hard for my second favorite team the Clemson TIGERS!!! Go Tigers!!! I cheered for them from beginning to the end, even during fsu's imprabable comeback. Why? Because I like them more than I do FSU and I'm officially a UF fan, so as far as I'm concerned it's A-OK! That game was awesome! If I get to go back again I'll take my camera. Currently the battery is dead or else I would have had it tonight. 24-18... can't ask for more than that.