Eyeblack Odyssey: Finding Football Fanaticism in the American South

"College football is madness. This book is proof." -Dave Gladow In the fall of 2009, newlyweds obsessed with college football road-tripped to a different college game around the southeast every weekend. This was a silly thing to do, but they did it anyway. Their "Eyeblack Odyssey" eventually inspired a book by the same name, exploring their love affair with college football. "Eyeblack Odyssey" is a compilation of stories from that fateful autumn, mixed with a humored look at the hilarity that is college football in general. More importantly, in this era of cheating scandals, headlines about child molestation, and the stupidity of conference realignment, the author makes a case that college football is actually GOOD. (Yes, this is also a silly thing to do.) For newbies to the sport or seasoned die-hards, "Eyeblack Odyssey" offers a fun look at the best of college football. Schedule of Games: (Sept. 5, 2009) -- South Alabama vs. Hargrave Military Academy (Sept. 7, 2009) -- Miami (Fla.) vs. Florida State (Sept. 12, 2009) -- Kansas State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (Sept. 19, 2009) -- New Orleans vs. Texas-Arlington (Sept. 26, 2009) -- Georgia Tech vs. North Carolina (Oct. 3, 2009) -- Louisiana-Monroe vs. Florida International (Oct. 10, 2009) -- Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State (Oct. 17, 2009) -- McNeese State vs. Northwestern State (Oct. 24, 2009) -- Mississippi State vs. Florida (Nov. 7, 2009) -- Tulane vs. UTEP (Nov. 14, 2009) -- LSU vs. Louisiana Tech (Nov. 19, 2009) -- Southeastern Louisiana vs. Nicholls State (Nov. 21, 2009) -- Southern Mississippi vs. Tulsa (Nov. 28, 2009) -- Bayou Classic (Grambling vs. Southern) (Jan. 1, 2010) -- Allstate Sugar Bowl (Florida vs. Cincinnati)

Dave Gladow is a web sports producer at NOLA.com and also a fan (often a dirty word in the business) of his alma mater, Kansas State University. He has had his work published with NOLA.com as well as on NFL.com, on CBSsports.com, and in The Miami Herald. He lives in New Orleans with his wife, Cait, and daughter, Olivia (with two stampeding collies to boot). Eyeblack Odyssey is his first book.