As I walked into the Auburn University Hotel last Friday, my mind was empty.
Just two hours earlier, I had received an email from Jeremy Henderson, editor-in-chief of The War Eagle Reader, asking me if I wanted to cover a "College GameDay media thing." It took me two seconds to jump at the offer.
Walking into the hotel flanked by a television reporter from Huntsville and Plainsman adviser John Carvalho, I expected to be fighting for a spot in the room.
Instead, we gently knocked on the door and entered to the surprised looks of the GameDay crew.
If Carvalho hadn't been standing beside me, I would have quietly shut the door and hoped they'd forget about the whole thing.
Instead, we spent the next hour interviewing some of the most well-known figures in college football broadcasting.
First up was David Pollack. As a former star player for Georgia, I already didn't like him. After talking with him for a few minutes, I actually had a reason not to like him.
"I'm pretty confident," he said. "In my head, I think I'm right all the time anyway, so I just kind of spew off and start talking anyway. I don't really think about things too much. I just pop off at the mouth."
Pollack doesn't quite get it. Someone who does understand the business, however, is Erin Andrews.
Even though she was in a hurry to catch the LSU-Arkansas game, she patiently talked with us about her career.
"I deal with some of the toughest coaches and athletes to deal with in the nation," she said. "They understand how much I work and how hard I work, so in the end they're a lot easier to work with."
After Andrews, Fowler and Herbie shuttled in and out during the game's commercial breaks.
Fowler spoke about the perception that ESPN targets certain programs to bring them down.
"How is it good for the business of ESPN if Ohio State or Miami or USC is on probation? It's not."
Once Fowler left, we brought in Herbstreit for the final round.
Herbstreit was down-to-earth and spoke about the special traditions at colleges such as Auburn.
"You've got former players and alumni that come back and they bring their kids and teach them about their school and their traditions," Herbstreit said.
Once he disappeared into the meeting room in favor of the top-3 SEC matchup, we were done.
Walking out with only Carvalho this time, I breathed a sigh of relief. After being scared out of my mind for the past hour, I gazed back at the hotel as we crossed College Street and thought, "That was awesome."
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