The real fan’s pendulum: The swing from agony to ecstasy 

My Tennessee Vols were hit in the mouth by nouveau Vandy for 17 first quarter points this past Saturday. In the previous 11 games this season, we had given up a TOTAL of 16 in the initial stanzas.

That’s when the Saturday morning creeping sickness of dread began attacking me. A slight tinge of hope entered when we were able to complete a pass on 3rd and 17 to go  for a first down. It became a ray of hope when a long touchdown pass was completed on the next play.  A turn around had begun as the Vols had a 31-3 run to put the game away.

My early agony had turned to cautious calmness that we were probably going to be in the elite “Final Dozen” known as the College Football Playoffs.

       The Craziness Returns

The first round of craziness hit the week before, when my Orange team entered it on the outside looking in, then teams ranked ahead of us (Ole Miss, Alabama) lost and put us in the apparent win- and-in situation. Then, as our game with the Commodores was concluding, reports started coming in—unranked Michigan had beaten second-ranked Ohio State.  Then South Carolina beat 12th-ranked Clemson, followed by Syracuse coming from 21 down to defeat No. 6 Miami.  Later, order was somewhat restored when favored Texas beat newly-reclaimed arch enemy Texas A&M.

I was already content with Tennessee being in the playoffs, but now possibilities of hosting a first round game were emerging. I’m going to bask in my two weeks of contentment just to be in and view hosting a game as a very nice bit of icing on the playoff cake.

But, as only a true football lifer knows, I have an abundant amount of rage ready to launch should that committee somehow go crazy and leave us out.

Please….don’t test me (and millions of others), College Football Playoff committee members.