Obsessions are funny: a football post.

Chapel Hill has three major religions, and the largest denomination is basketball by far (then Baptist and Methodist). Tar Heel basketball is a thing to be bowed down to. Hell, the arena (The Dean Dome, or correctly, the Dean E. Smith Center) even looks like a church. When Matt Doherty was here, it was styled "The Chapel" and rabid student fans referred to themselves as disciples of the coach. Roy Williams is a god. Not really surprising from the home of Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, et al.

But Football?

Tonight was one of the biggest wins in Tar Heel Football history. The heavily favored #3 Miami Hurricanes went down 31-28 after a last second field goal by a true freshman named Connor Barth. Both goalposts came down, and that, my friends, was only the beginning. For the last hour plus this town has been a bedlam of honking horns, screaming frat boys, and insane sirens. I live two miles from downtown, and I can hear it here.

You'd think the B-ballers beat Dook (yes, I spelled it right), although I haven't heard of any cars being overturned yet.......

I'm familiar with this kind of celebration. Darling Husband went to USC, and we've been to bowl games and the aftermath. But SC fans are already obsessed with football. I mean, some of them are the people who think OJ should stay out of jail even though they believe he is guilty, just because he won one of SC's Heisman Trophies. Most of the school's proudest traditions are steeped in football culture: The Trojan Marching Band, Traveler, Kicking the Flagpoles. They do this for football, but not basketball....

Which brings me to the point. It's almost as if this university actually likes the football team. If you were a casual observer from Mars, you'd have to conclude that football was important here.

Maybe they're just practicing for basketball season next month.....