Imrem: Clemson showing others how to be excessive
This should be a week to be excited about a new season of college football.
Week 1 kicks off with tantalizing matchups between big-name programs such as Clemson-Auburn, LSU-Wisconsin, Notre Dame-Texas, Alabama-Southern California and Georgia-North Carolina.
Also starting up are locals Northwestern coming off a 10-3 season, Illinois with new head coach Lovie Smith and MAC powerhouse Northern Illinois.
Oh, the athletic talent kicking off around the country, the competition, the pageantry, the crowds, the drama.
The excess.
The instinct was to forget the regrettable nature of college football. A reminder popped up on the computer screen the other day courtesy of thecomback.com, which relayed information from The State newspaper of Columbia, South Carolina.
The headline read, "The Clemson Tigers aren't sparing any expense when it comes to the university's new $55 million football facility."
It isn't so much the price tag as what it bought Clemson football players.
The facility spreads out over 140,000 square feet, which thecomeback.com punctuated with three exclamation points. Three or four more would be appropriate.
What, is the building about the size of the Pentagon? Would it be hard to cram into the Grand Canyon? More to the point, does it tower over the school library?
"The facility should have no problem keeping football players close, as it contains all the amenities they need," thecomeback.com reported that The State reported.
That's all the amenities as in all … the … amenities.
"Need a haircut? They've got a barber shop. Want to relieve some stress with games? There's a bowling alley, laser tag, billiards, pingpong and basketball."
No mention quite yet of a study hall, but there must be one, right?
"For those students" - yes, it referred to players as students - "looking to work on their golf game, look no further than the indoor golf simulator."
Kind of makes it difficult for players to relate to the rest of the campus community, don't you think?
"Want to catch the latest Marvel film? There's a 24-seat HD theater at their disposal. That's plenty of quality entertainment found off the football field."
Welcome to college football in the 21st century as America's bastions of higher education continue to sell their souls to the sport.
Northwestern is building a new athletics complex that might be outdated before it's completed. Illinois will have to upgrade its facilities to attain mediocrity. If NIU had what Clemson had, the Big 12 would welcome the Huskies.
Sort of makes you wonder how the University of Chicago survived after concluding in 1939 that big-time football wasn't compatible with a commitment to academics.
Perhaps the Men of the Maroon foresaw colleges trying to surpass the NFL as America's premier pro football enterprise.
It won't be long before players like Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson and J.J. Watt hear about Clemson and petition the NCAA for more eligibility.
College football can't turn back from excessive facilities now. Other elite programs will try to keep up with Clemson, and the non-elite will try to while trying to become elite.
Be excited, college football fans: "Rah, rah, sis boom bah-h-h-h!"
mimrem@dailyherald.com