I have two words for you: Gamecock Football. If you're anything like me, those words bring so much emotion to you.

When I was 3 years old, I had one of those tiny cheerleader outfits. I have Gamecock pom poms in my room still that I got ages ago. My parents have dozens of t-shirts and even license plates. When I say I've grown up with Gamecock athletics in general, not just football, I literally mean that they've always been a staple in my life.

My mom attended the University of South Carolina and graduated in 1983. So when I was choosing colleges my parents gave me the illusion that I could go wherever I wanted but, I was always secretly destined to end up at USC.

From the time I was about 5 years old, we've always gone to The South Carolina State Fair as a family. But, nobody knows better than us that, if you can avoid it, skip going to the fair on the weekends when there's a home game at Williams-Brice.

In my family, we measure time not by the actual physical year but, by who the head football coach was that year, what the Gamecocks' record was, and whether it was the second or first time the baseball team won the College World Series. We reference players based on who else was on the team and how deep each position happened to be that season. So, when I say garnet and black run deep, I'm not fabricating such a statement.

I like to think that I'm not an emotional person, but I will admit that when there are sports on in my house, all of that "non-emotion" gets thrown out of the window. A few years ago, I believe it was after the 2013 loss to Georgia, I genuinely cried for about twenty minutes. I take football so seriously and nothing hurts more than losing to one of your fiercest SEC Eastern Division rivals. Also, during the historic 2010 season where the basketball, baseball and football teams all beat number one ranked teams in their respective sports, you better believe there was a lot of screaming in my house. Well, happy screaming, that is.

Consequently, during the 6-6 and 7-5 seasons, and especially last season, there was screaming of a different kind. However, my family and the rest of the Gamecock faithful come back every game with that glimmer of hope in their hearts and their eyes that we will emerge victorious next time. But, that kind of hope is what I admire most about Gamecock fans. No matter how good or bad our teams are, there will be people decked out in garnet and/or black to cheer on everything from men's soccer to women's basketball.

Since I no longer have the pleasure of actually physically getting to sit with my family and watch the games, I'll call them somewhere in the middle. Every week, by Saturday, I've decided which Gamecock shirt to wear, I've figured out what time kickoff is and I'm firmly glued to my tv, whether it be ESPN or the SEC Network, and am probably screaming words that I can't type into this piece.

To me, being up for every game, no matter what circumstances are clouding your life or surrounding your team, is what being a football fan is all about. And I definitely consider myself a diehard football fan. Going all-out and being all-in is the basic blueprint for being a Gamecock fan. You have to do the most when you hear "Sandstorm." It's the garnet way!