I'm Goin Home! Who's Comin With Me?

Ask me where I'm from and I'll tell you New York. However ask me where I grew up and that answer is Greenville, SC. Greenville is the 3rd largest city in the Palmetto State behind the capital Columbia, and a city that was vital to our nation's founding, Charleston. About 45 minutes from Greenville is a small town called Clemson which is home to a not so small Clemson University. Clemson is a university rich in tradition that has gained national notoriety for many of its science and engineering programs amongst other academic achievements.

Athletically Clemson has been successful in many sports, turning out a plethora of pro athletes from Khalil Green (MLB) to Dale Davis (NBA) to US National Soccer Team member Oguchi Onyewu (who plays club fútbol for AC Milan). However our version of football, is without a doubt the sport by which Tiger fans live and die. MTSU will get to see this first hand this weekend as the Blue Raiders travel to Death Valley to take on the Orange and White, and as I travel home to watch the game I'm inviting you to come with me; here are 5 reasons why:

1) You should support your Blue Raiders!

First and foremost you should support your school. Not from home, but from the stands. I understand you can't go to every road game but this one is a) not absurdly far away and b) is on a long weekend. This is the perfect chance for you to be on the sidelines and show your Blue Raider pride at an away game. So no excuses! Be Loud! Be Proud! Be Blue!

2) Its not often you see passion like this.

As I said, Clemson fans live and die with their football team. Even if we filled our stadium with die hard Blue Raider fans, we

still wouldn't be close to what the experience is at Death Valley simply because Clemson's home turf has 80,000 seats while ours has less than half of that. For a true sports fan there's nothing like watching a game in that kind of atmosphere, seeing so many people come together for one cause. Hopefully on September 5th, that will be a losing cause but that's neither here nor there.

3) "The Most Exciting 25 Seconds in College Football"

Whether the above statement is true or not is clearly up for debate, however there is no arguing watching Clemson's pre-game tradition is a truly unique experience, one that must be seen in person to fully understand. Three buses full of players pull up to the stadium at which point the players pile off the bus, through the gate and to the top of "the hill." There they wait, giddy with anticipation, for their turn to touch Howard's rock and run full boar down the hill. It's a tradition that's over a half century old and you can see it simply if you make the trip.

4) "At Running Back...#28...C.J. Spiller"

You may have seen guys who are fast. But unless you've been to an Olympic track meet, you've never seen someone this fast. C.J. Spiller is a potential Heisman Candidate (if Clemson is a factor at all in the ACC) and is considered one of the top 5 and maybe even 3 running backs in the country. In his spare time he also runs track to the tune of a 10.22 100m time. Simply put he's blazing fast, but unlike someone like Trindon Holliday of LSU, Spiller can also run people over as opposed to running around them. He will almost certainly be a first round pick in next April's NFL Draft and probably could have been this year if he hadn't chosen to come back for his senior season. It's also worth noting that as absurdly fast as Spiller is, he's not even the fastest player on Clemson's roster. That honor belongs to starting receiver Jacoby Ford (#6) who was the only person who beat Spiller in the 100 meters at their NCAA Regional Meet. However, Ford's personal best of 10.01 in the 100m is his second most impressive time. Coming out of High School he was clocked at 4.126 in the 40 yard dash meaning he could seriously challenge Chris Johnson's record time at the NFL Combine in the spring should Ford choose to go pro in football and be invited to workout. Simply put, if you like to see guys who run fast, you need to be at this game!

5) Upstate South Carolina is Gorgeous!!!

You've got the whole weekend so you might as well use it. Upstate South Carolina has about everything you could ask for in a weekend getaway. Clemson is on Lake Hartwell which sits at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can go hiking, rent a boat, go fishing, or simply stay on Clemson's campus which has plenty of nice green space to sit by itself. If you're more of a city person than the extra 45 minute drive to my hometown will definitely be worth your while. Greenville is a big city compared to Murfreesboro but tiny compared to somewhere like Atlanta, meaning its big enough to have all the different shops, restaurants, and boutiques of a big city, yet small enough so that you don't feel like you don't have space to breathe, nevertheless move on the sidewalks. Greenville also has Falls Park, which features a gorgeous suspension bridge overlooking Reedy River Falls (pictured) as well as plenty of grassy areas to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon.

There you have it, the top 5 reasons to travel with your Blue Raiders this weekend to Clemson. Consider this your official invitation to my home, the Palmetto State. See ya there!