It's 7:01 a.m.
My alarm has just gone off, signaling the start of another day. Time to get up, shower, get dressed, grab a bit to eat and get on my way.
Today is different though. Today is gameday.
Every Saturday during the fall begins like this. For home games, forget sleeping in till noon to recover from a long week. Don't even think about lounging on your couch all day. Saturday is for waking up early, putting on your favorite cardinal-colored shirt and heading to campus.
The experience never gets old at USC. While West Coast fans are often maligned for their habitual tardiness to sporting events, the same cannot be said for the thousands of fans that sprawl across campus for Trojan home games.
If ESPN's "College Gameday" makes the trip out west for a big game as they are this week, it's time to set your alarm extra early.
A 7 a.m. start to the broadcast doesn't deter anybody from waking up before the sun rises, making a sign to hold up in the background and in some cases, opening up their favorite beverage as they head to the show.
When there were rumors that more Nebraska fans would show up to Gameday than Trojans in 2006, a sea of cardinal and gold swarmed the set, solidifying the home-crowd atmosphere at the Coliseum. The early morning atmosphere was maintained throughout the day until USC secured a dominating 28-10 win over the Cornhuskers.
Up the road from the Coliseum, the scene continues on campus. Cardinal- and gold-clad tailgaters set up shop as early as possible hoping to get prime real estate near Tommy Trojan or McCarthy Quad.
The usually spacious campus is now filled end to end with tents, grills and portable satellite dishes hooked up to "portable" 50-inch flat-screen televisions.
In the background, the Trojan Marching Band can be heard throughout campus playing the familiar tunes of the fight song and "Tusk." They may only be practicing, but the chorus serves as real life background music for the epic that is a USC home game.
Unlike that other school across town, USC doesn't have to jump on a shuttle, get on multiple freeways or deal with the one-way-in-one-way-out disaster that is the entrance to the Rose Bowl. Dealing with that entrance once a year on New Year's Day is plenty, thanks. A five-minute walk between campus and the Coliseum allows fans easy access to both of the main tailgating scenes.
The transition from bed to tailgate to stadium is one of the easiest in the country, especially for students.
Once everybody has arrived on campus, the 32,000-student university transforms into the city of Troy.
The campus population explodes with old and new Trojans alike. For every 8-year-old boy who's making his first visit to USC, there's an 80-year-old couple who's had season tickets since they graduated.
No matter who you are, a simple phrase is known and muttered as many times as possible: Fight On.
Accompanied with the familiar "V" for victory gesture, Fight On is the fuel for the Trojan gameday madness.
See someone you know? "Fight On."
Accidentally bump into somebody you don't? "Fight On."
Catch the eye of a cute girl and don't know what to say? "Fight On." It may not get you a date but at least you'll have something in common.
Fight On is the very essence that sets the USC gameday experience apart from other schools. No matter what your age, background or connection to the school, the bond created by the Trojan family is symbolized by these two words.
Take the connection between two members of the Trojan family and multiply it by a few thousand and that's the atmosphere you get on Trojan gamedays. It's a relationship that truly enhances the gameday experience.
Forgot to bring the ketchup for your burgers? Any Trojan within the area would be glad to help you out. Not only will they get you the ketchup, but don't be surprised if you strike up a conversation with your tailgating neighbor and end up meeting up with them next Saturday, too.
If you really want to test the strength of the Trojan bond, go over to one of the tailgates that has the satellite TV setup and ask to watch some of the other games. Again, not only will they welcome you in, but they'll probably pull up a chair for you as well.
Against Ohio State on Saturday, you can be sure that the USC experience will be in full affect in the most anticipated home game for the Trojans in years. The bigger the game, the better the atmosphere and Saturday looks like it should be the best yet.
If it's your first time on campus for a home game, soak it all in. Get up early, stay out late and spend as much time on campus as possible. There's truly no experience that compares to it, and it's one that you only get to experience six or seven weeks out of the year. Just make sure you remember the two magic words.
Fight On.