Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 57: Season 057 Opener

Texas, Arlington, AT&T Stadium.

This stadium, which can accommodate eighty thousand people, is the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and also plays host to a series of NCAA bowl and championship games.

Today, the curtain will slowly rise here for the 2016 to 2017 NCAA season.

With the NFL season set to kick off next Thursday, and professional games not yet in play, the NCAA games, taking the stage a step ahead, have attracted nationwide attention—

Since 2009, AT&T Stadium has had the honor of hosting the annual NCAA season opener, known as the "Cowboys Classic," which has gradually evolved into a brand-new festival, heralding the arrival of a new football season, much like a carnival.

Each year, AT&T Stadium negotiates with the NCAA to invite teams with topical matchups for the season opener. Maybe not a clash of titans or a battle of seeded teams, but it's guaranteed to ensure viewership and focus.

Last year, the Alabama Crimson Tide Storm faced off against the Wisconsin Badgers, with the Crimson Tide Storm defeating their opponents "35:17," embarking on a strong season.

This year, the Alabama Crimson Tide Storm was once again invited and was set to clash with the traditional power of the Pacific-12 Conference, the University of Southern California Trojans.

Although the two teams don't have much historical heritage, as traditional sports powerhouses, they both have a broad and deep fan base—

Viewership guaranteed.

Moreover, on September third, Saturday, the Cowboys Classic was about to take the stage, right in the weekend, and countless fans from California and Alabama headed to Texas to watch the game live, with ticket sales skyrocketing.

According to box office statistics, this was the second time that ticket sales for the annual Cowboys Classic hosted by AT&T Stadium surpassed eighty thousand.

The number of seats at AT&T Stadium is eighty thousand. To accommodate special circumstances, some stands can be dismantled to add seats, increasing the capacity by ten thousand—AT&T Stadium was now undergoing this work, meaning that today's attendance could approach ninety thousand. Find adventures at M V L

People streamed in, bustling and swarming, and a brilliant sea of red was in sight—

The Crimson Tide Storm's jersey is red; the Trojans' jersey is also red.

The Crimson Tide's red is scarlet; the Trojans' is closer to maroon, and the biggest difference between them is in the shorts, with the Crimson Tide Storm wearing white and the Trojans gold.

But the problem is, fans don't wear shorts.

So, one could see an endless sea of red, layer upon layer, surging upwards, causing local Cowboys fans to feel nauseous—

The Cowboys' jersey is blue.

Red and blue together don't make... well, certainly not a couple.

Not just fans, ABC television, which had secured the broadcast rights for the season opener, as well as countless media, were already in place, cheering for the arrival of the football season, the sea of people no less impressive than the Super Bowl.

Tense, half anticipating, half eager.

Then, four buses slowly approached and stopped at the entrance to the player's tunnel.

Journalists standing behind the metal railings hastily set up their cameras, and ABC's on-site host quickly approached with a camera crew, ready to start interviews at a moment's notice, as the atmosphere of the live broadcast subtly spread.

When people mention the Alabama Crimson Tide Storm, there is no doubt it's the top contender in the NCAA first division, attracting attention with every move. However, after Derrick Henry turned pro this season, how Saban maintains the team's competitiveness and continues to push for the championship has become a focal point of curiosity.

With the new season kicking off, the defending champions Crimson Tide Storm rightly ranked number one seed nationwide in the NCAA, but rankings can change throughout the season, and whether this seed can hold until the end is what matters.

Four months ago, at the end of spring training camp, Crimson Tide Storm once again defeated another championship contender, the Clemson Tigers, in a warm-up match. People heatedly discussed the team being scoreless in the first half and placed a question mark on the new season; they equally debated the emergence of player number twenty-three in the second half who single-handedly turned the tables.

In that game, number twenty-three was completely fired up, utterly destroying the Tigers' defense. His three long runs over twenty yards each in the second half were like a siege-breaking weapon, sending shivers down the spine.

Despite some saying it was just a warm-up match and not to be taken seriously—it is 6102 after all—who still believes in padding stats from a warm-up match.

Others said that Clemson Tigers' defense was a joke to begin with, others failing to rush for three hundred yards not because of lack of ability but lack of interest, and that the Crimson Tide Storm, relying solely on one player to pad stats, actually exposed their lack of confidence in a well-rounded offense.

But it can't be denied that like the legendary Monkey King springing from the stone, twenty-three popped up out of nowhere. Known for their ground game and developing running backs, and coupled with the continuation of last season's strong defensive lineup, undoubtedly, Saban's team remains a strong contender for the championship.

Here, the only unknown was that player without any information, number twenty-three—

Data, so meager that it barely filled a thin A4 sheet; height and weight left isolated, as if the warm-up and internal game statistics were mocking any fool who tried analyzing them.

The most absurd and amusing was that since number twenty-three registered late, Crimson Tide Storm didn't submit the photo in time, causing the NCAA system to temporarily lack a photo of number twenty-three.

Such a situation is impossible in the NFL, but in the NCAA, where rosters are massively oversized and cuts are possible at any time, it's not unusual. Anyway, when the season's data is updated, it will eventually be added.

Thus, a small portion of the public who didn't watch ESPN's live broadcast of the warm-up match truly didn't know what number twenty-three looked like; another part who watched the live broadcast with helmets on the entire game, talked about number twenty-three with great excitement yet couldn't recall his appearance.

In an era dominated by social media, this rare sense of mystery was an incredible existence, adding a touch of legend to number twenty-three.

Anticipating, yet not anticipating.

Feelings are just that contradictory; anticipation is based on trust in Saban's vision and ability. Not anticipating, there are a myriad of reasons, so many they're hard to count.

So, could number twenty-three take up the mantle left by Derrick Henry and continue to lead the Crimson Tide Storm's offensive group in a charge for the championship?

Confusion. Curiosity. Skepticism. Inquiry. Provocation. Disdain.

With different emotions and sentiments, the discussions were ignited this year as even the NFL joined the hoopla at the classic Cowboys kickoff.

It must be said, the NCAA played a smart hand; they didn't care about making stars or how number twenty-three performed, the hype, promotion, and marketing tactics were ferocious enough to ensure their coffers were brimming.

As it were, tickets sold out, and launching a 90,000-person stadium at the Cowboys kickoff classic for the first time in eight years was inevitable, with countless fans unable to procure tickets yet loitering outside, unwilling to leave, holding signs begging for tickets.

Meanwhile, ABC television station, having secured the exclusive broadcast rights, was also on the front line—

Number twenty-three, number twenty-three, number twenty-three.

Clack.

The bus door opened and, after a brief wait, a figure appeared unhurriedly.