By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season
CINCINNATI -- I'm hoping to cover 15 games on the One Great Season tour, so this week between games 7 and 8 marks the official midway point of the trip.
Here are some notes from the road nearly two months in:
+ This is awesome.
+ Though I'm still building a large debt pretty quickly, I know this project is going to lead to something great.
+ The best game I saw was USC at Ohio State.
+ The best tailgate scene was in Baton Rouge before the Florida at LSU game.
+ As far as crowd noise, electricity and overall atmosphere, that OSU scene had a slight edge over the one in Death Valley.
+ The best week overall was the one I spent with my sister and her kids in California while covering USC-Cal.
+ The best burger I've had so far was the Peachtree Burger at Buckhead Bar and Grill in Atlanta.
+ The best overall dinner I've had was the pizza at The Patron in Louisville.
+ The best treatment I've received from a school's sports information department was at the University of Kentucky.
+ The best treatment I've received from fans was in Stillwater, where Clayton Taylor invited me to his tailgate party before the Georgia-Oklahoma State game.
+ The prettiest girls are always in Kentucky.
+ The most savvy speaker among coaches is Cincinnati's Brian Kelly.
+ The coolest players I've met are Oklahoma's Adrian Taylor and Georgia Tech's Sean Bedford.
+ The best way this season could end is if Florida played USC for the national championship. I've seen each team play twice and I think it would be a great battle.
+ Thanks to all the friends and family -- and even strangers -- who've donated money to the 30 Thousand Helpers drive, let me stay at their homes or used their cars, bought me lunch or dinner or even invited me to their tailgate parties.
+ Thanks also to those who have written about me or interviewed me in some way to help get my project recognized.