As I have mentioned before, I’m a morning person and Hubby is a night owl. So, when the College National Championship game was on Monday night, it wasn’t likely I would have stayed up to watch it anyway. It was an all-Southern match-up with South Carolina’s Clemson Tigers going up against University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide. As can happen, this was actually a re-match of the previous year when Alabama won in the fourth quarter of the game. Clemson came into that meeting undefeated so it was not, “the Disney  ending” they were striving for to repeat 1981 when they had been undefeated and went on to win National Champion.

To have the rivals go head-to-head again this year made for a great story. Because Hubby is a GA Tech Alum, that makes us an “ACC Family”, but we both like Alabama even though they are an SEC university. Clemson was not faring well as it was approaching my bedtime and I felt a bit of a twinge they weren’t doing better. Later as Hubby came to bed, I roused enough to ask if things had improved for Clemson. That’s when he told me about the fourth quarter surge and thrilling last second victory over Alabama. Unless you have an emotional or financial interest in a particular team, this is what you want in a game and it always makes for terrific post-game discussions.

Likewise, unless you have an emotional or financial interest, there is a tendency to root for the underdog. Culturally, we appreciate a powerhouse team, but when a “lesser” team scraps their way to a head-to-head challenge and wins, it reminds us we can overcome odds no matter what the experts say. Sometimes, the more highly rated team simply underestimates the opponent and they can’t play catch-up. At other times, there is an extra spirit that rises to a strength that won’t be beat and it’s always exciting to see.