UNC Football: Football Eve

Tomorrow is the first full Saturday of college football and a day many thought would never come.

Happy College Football Kickoff Eve everyone.

Tomorrow’s the day. A day many doubted would actually occur in 2020. The first full Saturday for college football.

Can you believe it? It’s actually happening.

The first Saturday of college football is already an incredibly exciting day of its own volition; all the more so when it’s the first Saturday of college football in the context of the COVID-19 riddled 2020.

Carolina will take on the northernmost ACC team, the Syracuse Orange, in a game they are favored to win by 23 points.

For those who usually watch or listen to the game from home, the ritual will be the same:

You will wake up and make some sort of incredible breakfast. For my family, it will be French toast.

You will tune your television to ESPN and watch College GameDay from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where Clemson will take on Wake Forest (7:30 pm ET, ABC).

As GameDay ends with Lee Corso’s headgear selection at noon, you will change the channel to the ACC Network, mute the television, and turn on the radio (or app) so you can listen to Jones Angell. You will settle into your favorite chair to watch Coach Mack Brown, quarterback Sam Howell, linebacker Chazz Surratt, and the rest of the Tar Heels take the field for the first game of the 2020 season.

Later in the day, you’ll have your favorite fall supper. Perhaps there’s a specific meal that your family always eats on the first Saturday of college football. For my family, it’s chili and cornbread. Oh but it’s not just any chili. It’s my wife’s special chipotle BBQ chili recipe, which includes barbecue sauce (the recipe is even included at the end of this article!). I always load my chili up with cheese and Fritos and sour cream. Oh, and the cornbread, it can’t be just any cornbread. It’s got to be sweet cornbread.

And the chili and cornbread must be washed down with sweet tea. We’re talking really good sweet tea where there’s no confusing whether there’s sugar involved. This is a “Would you like some tea with your sugar?” situation.

Sam Howell / © James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

For those who usually watch or listen to the game from home, the experience will be different:

There will be no fans physically present at College GameDay. The only fans in attendance will be digitally present, similar to the NBA games in the bubble.

On Saturday there will be 19 games involving at least one FBS team. Last year on the first Saturday of the season? 57.

Similar to what we’ve seen in baseball stadiums across the country, there will be no crowd in Kenan Stadium. It will be a rather disorienting scene on your screen.

Despite doing a lot of the same things, you will experience them all quite differently. Such is the reality of the COVID-19 era.

Michael Carter / © James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

For those who usually attend the game in person, the ritual and the experience will be different.

In short, the difference is because you won’t be attending the game.

There will be no tailgating.

There will be no venturing to find your usual seat.

You won’t be able to go to your favorite concession stand.

Everything will be different.

Dyami Brown / © Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

But do you know what won’t be different?

This is a bunch of 18- to 22-year-old young men getting out on a field and playing the game they love.

There are coaches littering the sideline who are wholly invested in the growth and development of these young men.

Oh and I forgot something; one other thing, that although relatively new, will be the same as last year.

Should the Tar Heels walk away victorious tomorrow, a Carolina blue light will be ignited on the bell tower on campus.

It will serve as a beacon of hope shining in the night sky to remind us that everything is going to be okay (and that the Tar Heels are 1-0!).

UNC Bell Tower / Twitter user @RossMartin_IC

P.S. My wife’s chipotle BBQ chili recipe that I mentioned? You’ve got to try it. It’s got chipotle barbecue sauce in it and it will change your life. In fact, I care so much about you trying it, that I’m going to share the recipe with you.

Maggie Schade’s Chipotle BBQ Chili Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (only use 3-4 of the peppers)
• 2.5 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes & green chilies, drained
• 1 14.5-ounce can regular diced tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• 1/3 cup chipotle bbq sauce
• 1 bottle of beer (Shiner is preferred)
• Shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
• Sour cream, for topping
• Diced fresh onions, for topping
• Corn chips, for topping

(Amounts are an estimate. Basically throw in enough of each ingredient to your taste)

Directions

1. Brown the ground beef, then drain the fat.
2. Sauté the green pepper, onion, and garlic in the olive oil until soft.
3. Combine the beef and veggies in a stock pot and start to cook on medium-high heat.
4. Add the chipotle peppers (3-4 of them, chopped), spices, cans of tomatoes, beans, and bbq sauce. Stir it all together.
5. Let it cook for a little bit. Check the consistency. Add as much beer as you want to get to desired consistency. (More for a thinner chili, less for thicker)
6. Bring to a boil then let simmer for about 30 minutes, or until kickoff.
7. Serve with chopped fresh onion, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and corn chips. 

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