For the next 18 Saturdays, I’ll turn on the TV and grind college football. I’ll be watching my favorite team, my least favorite team and all teams in between. There is no doubt that I’ll find some game to watch at any given time once 11 a.m. comes along on a Saturday.

Last Saturday, I did nothing. The TV stayed off. In fact, it might have been the longest period on a Saturday that the television hasn’t been on.

And surprisingly, the silence didn’t drive me crazy. I managed to polish off the current Sports Illustrated and the previous edition as well. I listened to music. I cleaned. I washed. I dried. (I didn’t iron … let’s don’t get crazy.)

But it was the silence that seemed to mimic the calm before the storm. Think about what’s about to happen … and how much will have transpired 18 weeks from now. The weather will take a dramatic turn. Teams will rise and then fall. Coaches will find themselves on the hot seat because of a bad September. The Heisman race will change every week.

College football has its warts, no doubt about it. But there’s nothing like it from week to week. Fans are nuts, coaches are completely paranoid and the media can’t get enough of it. Another Saturday comes along and then the whole process starts all over again.

That’s why my TV was more than happy that I gave it one last rest. Although I might have needed it more than my TV did.