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.
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.
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.