Perfection

I'm not really in the mood to rehash tonight's game. But I would like to make some commentary on the inclination to support winning teams.

I'm being honest when I say that I have little experience with supporting champions. You all know that I've grown up as a Penn State and BYU fan, both teams boasting their most recent national championships more than twenty years ago. Or how about my high school alma mater, whose last state championship was in the 1940's. I've long been a Utah Jazz fanatic...and we all know of their lack of a championship banner. The teams I support do well but are rarely the best. So this season has been something totally different for me.

To watch, week after week, as both BYU and Penn State beat their opponents and moved up in the polls, I started to develop dreams bigger than I'd dare entertain before. I felt confident that Penn State could pull out a national title and allow JoePa to retire in the glory he deserves. I felt sure that this could be the year that BYU becomes BCS busters. But here's the catch... when you're used to being good a single win or loss can only affect you minimally. But when you're trying to stay perfect one game can destroy everything.

I'm usually unrealistically optimistic regarding my team's abilities, but now I feel pretty down on the season. I guess I can hold on to the hope that Penn State can still make this their year, and BYU still has a shot at winning the conference, but it's not the same as the rush I felt for the first several weeks of the season, watching history in the making.

My family probably thinks I'm far to emotionally invested in these games after watching me tonight, but I can't really help it. I don't know how to accept the mediocrity I'd previously become accustomed to when for once in my life I felt so sure of greatness.