Who said this isn't a football school?

As you arrive on campus at the end of August, students from universities across the country will be attending tailgate parties, going to games, and generally basking in the glory that is college football.

But you chose Gonzaga, a football-less institution of higher learning tucked away in the beautiful Inland Northwest. Before you start the argument of why we should add a football program, just stop and think for a few seconds. 

First of all, there is no way during your four years as a Bulldog that the university will be able to afford to implement a football team, and even if the university could afford it, it would most likely be a Bush League operation in a conference that hardly makes sense (see: San Diego's football program.) Also, Title IX makes it nearly impossible, because the athletic department would have to take almost all of the financial aid available to regular students and disperse it to not only football players, but 70 more female athletes as well. 

Gonzaga is still a great school for college football for a few reasons: Since our basketball program is nationally renowned, the university attracts people who love sports – this also explains why our girl-to-guy ratio is the worst in the WCC. Also, the university's student body boasts students from almost every state, which means that our sports tastes are incredibly diverse. 

Herein lies the beauty of Gonzaga as a football school: We exhibit all of the passion and respective allegiances to certain programs, but we don't have to wake up at a ridiculous hour Saturday morning to watch a team that is most likely – assuming this hypothetical squad is anything like the other programs in Washington – terrible. Trust me, nothing will sound worse to you in your first semester as a Zag than the possibility of waking up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday.

So, bring all of your gear from your favorite college football program of your childhood. You'll be amazed at how many other football programs bother you. Dawg fans, you better hope that your new roommate isn't from Eugene. Notre Dame fans, pray to Touchdown Jesus that your hall isn't filled with Trojan fans. Coug fans, well, you really are never going to win an argument focused on your football program, so probably just remind people that at least your fans are undefeated. 

(Has there ever been a marketing strategy in the history of college sports that screams "We haven't won in a while" more than showcasing your fans prominently, while the people who are supposed to excite the fans are a complete afterthought?)

Finally, remember that the fall at Gonzaga is great – football program or not. The lack of a football program actually helps you bond with your new classmates. You'll get a chance to see whose tastes in sports bother you; who knows what they are talking about; and who should be avoided at all costs (namely, Ohio State fans). 

Some of my best friends at this school are kids I watched college football with during orientation, and some of my favorite people to mess with are the people who suffered through UW's 0-12 season my freshman year. Needless to say, I haven't given up on being a college football fan just because Gonzaga doesn't sink millions of dollars into a pigskin program.

But remember, you can be a fan of the Ducks, Cardinal or Huskies in the fall months. But, once November rolls around and it's time for hoops, we're all Zags.