Eyes regularly peer at the calendar.
Those prone to barking, in particular, announce how many days are left with the ease of reciting their Social Security number.
As of today, 44 days remain before Georgia Southern strolls into Athens with a former Big Ten backup quarterback and a young head coach with a twinkle in his eyes at the possibility - OK, hope - of a surprising performance.
With the Atlanta Braves gasping and wheezing their way to a sub-.500 record and the Little Leaguers still a few games away from perhaps grabbing our attention again, the time passes slowly before kickoff.
Media days are right around the corner - except for the SIAC, which canceled this year's event - with the ACC starting Sunday.
Fort Valley State opens the 2008 football season before everybody else in the NCAA except Valdosta State. The two get a five-day head start on the season when they play on Aug. 23.
Now, that's a magnificent way to get the season started in the state of Georgia.
Valdosta State opens the defense of its Division II national title - the Blazers' second in four seasons - at home against a team it beat 69-0 a year ago, a team that is absolutely starved to get back into the postseason.
Think the Wildcats aren't itchy? FVSU beat Valdosta State 24-13 in 1999. Since then, VSU has won six straight by an average score of 42-4.
This game might outdraw a Friday night affair or two at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, which is also home to Valdosta High School.
And that begins what has the makings of a year of football in the state that may mirror the national roller coaster of recent years.
Suspense levels at Georgia Tech are higher than they've been in a while.
Will Tech's new offense be sharp enough during its Thursday night opener Aug. 28 against Jacksonville State? Can it avoid the upset against a team whose rush defense led its conference last year?
After all, thanks to Appalachian State beating Michigan, nobody's safe; certainly not teams undergoing as big a transition as Georgia Tech.
It's hard to guess whether it'll be a white-knuckle night for the Yellow Jackets or a "Man, I can't wait for next Saturday" night. It may be like that each week.
The inhabitants of Sanford Stadium at 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 30 will be so amped they'll have forgotten about whatever silliness Lou Holtz offered on ESPN's pregame show that morning.
Georgia Southern is back in the top 20 and again a player on the national stage, and Georgia will be ranked only lower than third nationally in polls authored by fans at Tech, Florida, Tennessee and Auburn.
Georgia Military College kicks off in the final spot, at 2 p.m. on Aug. 30 at Grand Rapids College in Michigan.
The Bulldogs seem to be in a reload mode again lately, finishing ninth nationally last season. They have quite the road trip to start with and see how a new offensive line looks like.
Ah, the talk officially starts in days, but kickoff isn't for more than a month.
It will seem like forever.
Contact Michael A. Lough at 744-4626 or mlough@macon.com
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