"Ladies and gentlemen, please, would you bring your attention to me."
Everyone on The Plains for the past two years knows that the opening line to the Saliva's "Ladies and Gentlemen" means football is here.
By the time you pick this paper up, the RVs will have already started to file into their usual positions out at the beaches and the west parking lot.
The regular season officially starts tonight with games like South Carolina at North Carolina State and Boise State vs. Oregon.
We don't start until Saturday evening, but, when we do, it should be spectacular.
The band will be ready to lead the fans in all of the traditional Auburn songs, and the drum majors will once again get to throw their staffs into the turf of the south endzone.
Nova and Spirit will be prepared to make the flight around the stadium and land at midfield to the resounding "War Eagle" throughout the stands.
The cheerleaders and Tiger Paws have been working hard this off-season too to make sure they can be the best at leading the student section in all the chants.
It has been quite the off-season for the football team with it undergoing a full coaching staff makeover.
Last year's 5-7 season was a disgrace, and I believe the coaching changes were much needed.
Our new staff is extremely talented and energetic. Their energy on the sideline is something we had lost when former defensive coordinator Will Muschamp left for Texas.
We would all go nuts when former head coach Tommy Tuberville would blow a gasket, but that only happened two or three times in a season.
I'm hoping fans have that same fire when current head coach Gene Chizik gets riled up.
I'm ready for Auburn to get back to what it does best, suffocating defense and smash-mouth offense.
The offensive line has beefed up, and left tackle Lee Ziemba has had knee surgery to help him get off the ball quicker and on time this season.
Senior Chris Todd has been named the starting quarterback and junior Kodi Burns has been moved to wide receiver.
I think offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn made the right decision to have Todd start.
Todd is coming off of shoulder surgery and is much more effective this year than he was last year.
The defense is still mostly intact from last season having only lost Jerraud Powers and Sen'Derrick Marks to the NFL draft, Tray Blackmon to the Canadian Football League and Tez Dolittle to graduation.
Senior defensive end Antonio Coleman and senior cornerback Walter McFadden will be the driving force behind the defense.
Our schedule is tough this year, but that should only give us a bettter idea of where our team stands.
Louisiana Tech is no pushover this year.
They finished in second place in the Western Athletic Conference last year and beat Northern Illinois University in the 2008 Independence Bowl.
There is no reason why we shouldn't beat Mississippi State, West Virginia and Ball State and start the season 4-0.
Going to play Tennessee at Neyland Stadium will be a test. The Volunteers will be out to avenge their loss at Auburn last year.
Their fans will be rowdy and singing that awful "Rocky Top" song throughout the entire game.
I'm sure UT Head Coach Lane Kiffin will have some negative remarks against Auburn the week before the game.
A trip to Arkansas will be another test of playing against a hostile crowd. Arkansas' running game will be just as good this year as it has been the past few years, even without Darren McFadden.
The Tigers return home to host Kentucky on Oct. 17.
We should win that game, but you can never predict the outcome of an SEC game.
We travel to Baton Rouge to take on LSU the next week.
Death Valley is always a tough place to get a victory.
We return home for the next two weeks to face Ole Miss and Furman.
Ole Miss seems to be the team on the rise in the West with Jevan Snead and Dexter McCluster powering Houston Nutt's potent offense.
Nov. 14 marks the first part of our "Amen Corner" as we travel to Athens, Ga. to play UGA.
Sanford Stadium is another place where a victory is hard to come by.
But, the Bulldogs lost some key weapons on offense this year and it will be interesting how they play without the likes of Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno and Mohamed Massaquoi.
After a bye week, the University of Alabama comes to the Plains for the Iron Bowl.
Alabama put a beat down on us last year, and I don't want to ever see something like that again.
I don't want to say much about the game because it is so far away, and injuries do happen.
I will say that I think we have the talent and coaching to win and bring the Iron Bowl trophy back to Auburn. I'm excited to see how this season plays out.
If we can stay healthy and play up to our potential, we'll be a force to be reckoned with in the SEC.
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