I love her. No matter how much she breaks my heart, leads me on or outright lies to me, she's still my special lady.
Ball State football: You are my one and only.
I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels this way. We develop strong attachments to the teams we follow. It's like dealing with a relationship – the high and lows, the happiness, the frustration.
Sure there are better looking teams (Nebraska and Auburn), more unique or exciting teams (Boise State and Oregon) and teams that would always be there for me (Ohio State and Oklahoma). But Ball State is the one I've latched onto, for better or worse.
Sometimes the Cardinals make me look smart, like I found a prize catch.
Against Central Michigan two weekends ago, the team looked its best. The Cardinals cleaned up like it was Friday night and they were ready to go out on the town.
The team put in the effort to impress me, and I couldn't have been happier. Other people in the Mid-American Conference talked about Ball State all week as well, saying how nice it looked.
For seven days, Ball State was the belle of the ball.
But if Central Michigan was a glamorous Friday night, the Western Michigan game was an awful Monday morning.
Ball State slept past the alarm, tried to throw something together at the last minute and showed up completely disheveled.
I was embarrassed to even be seen with you.
This isn't the first time Ball State has been two-faced, either.
In 2007, three wins and a near-upset of Nebraska was followed by an absolute dog of a game against Central Michigan. That loss cost the Cardinals the MAC West championship.
Then there's the 2008 Buffalo game. Yes, that Buffalo game. The loss that killed a perfect season and the chance for the first conference title in 12 years. I don't even know if I can talk about it without getting overly emotional.
Week to week, I never really know what to expect when I arrive at Scheumann Stadium. I always hope for the best but have to prepare for the worst.
No matter how many times Ball State betrays me, I've done all I could not to hurt it back.
Yes, there were others before the Cardinals. I grew up in Bloomington, so my first love was the Hoosiers.
But I'll always remember the day I first found Ball State — the night of its heartbreaking 24-23 loss to Indiana in 2006.
I should have known better. The Cardinals lost the game for crying out loud. But I was smitten. I broke it off with the Hoosiers that night and declared my loyalty to you.
Other guys at major programs get to brag about their teams, discussing their national championships, conference titles and bowl victories. As an intern at ESPN, I was the little guy in a big pond this summer. I tried to argue the merits of a mid-major program against fans of Penn State, Missouri and just about every college you can think of.
I always stayed faithful to you, though I even made sure to check that ESPN keeps a Ball State helmet on its campus, ensuring they'd be ready for the one time a season the team is discussed. There are two, actually.
For all I've done, Ball State hasn't always returned my love or treated me right.
Like a significant other, Ball State drives me crazy just as much as it makes me happy. The Cardinals make some odd choices in who they consider a mentor and how they get ready for games. Half the time, Ball State just does downright foolish things.
I know better than to get too high or too low on this team. I'm always on the lookout for the next letdown.
No matter what, though, I will always be there for the Cardinals.
But if they could clean themselves up and look presentable this week, I'd really appreciate it.
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