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When Texas Tech made an announcement last week that there would be a new mystery man inducted into the Ring of Honor at Jones AT&T Stadium this season, we all already knew who it was going to be. It was an absolute no-brainer, and many - including myself - would argue that he's the only shoo-in left in Red Raider football history.

Yes, Zach Thomas is going to be the next great to have his name forever embedded upon the stadium in which he made so many spectacular plays as the Red Raider faithful cheered on, often in amazement at his many feats.

He made play after play while clothed in red and black, forever cementing his legacy as both a fan favorite and program legend. And now, he'll receive due payment for his deeds, the ultimate honor for a Texas Tech football player.

And his enshrinement is the one that will mean the most to a lot of Red Raiders. It means the most to me. Why? Well, for several reasons.

First, I share a home town with him. Growing up in Pampa, Zach was the biggest athletic idol any kid from my generation could have. He was the local boy who made it big, who was arguably the best linebacker in the NFL when I was going through the later stages of elementary school. I could not hold anyone in higher regard as a little boy who simply wanted to play football. He was the pinnacle representation of what I wanted to be. Heck, we even share the same birthday. My admiration of him was unparalleled in the realm of athletics.

But that's the story of one boy. That doesn't quite set up the whole picture.

No, the whole picture is this: Thomas is the physical embodiment of the spirit of West Texas. He was the underdog, always outperforming expectations, always striving for greater things while outworking the competition, and doing so quietly but confidently with fierce pride.

In high school, when he moved from White Deer to Pampa, people didn't think he could play 4A football. When he went on to play college ball from Pampa to Texas Tech, everyone - including all but a select handful of coaches in Lubbock - said he was too small to play DI football. Then, when he went on to play in the NFL from Texas Tech to Miami, no one believed he was fast enough or big enough to make any kind of lasting impact on pro football.

At each level, he silenced his doubters, proving that he had the raw want-to, work ethic, and smarts to keep his career going far beyond his base level athleticism. He turned it into one of the greatest careers a linebacker has ever had in the history of the sport, now awaiting a call from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Zach Thomas is the spirit of West Texas. He represents the best of what myself and many others who call this small corner of the world home. And the little boy that still lives inside me couldn't be prouder.

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This Week in Florida Man: Florida Man kills huge alligator, to no ones surprise

Many are calling this the greatest opening weekend of college football ever, and it's really pretty hard to argue against the notion. There are some fantastic matchups, and a football couch potato's dream shall be fully realized next weekend. So, being that we are just over a week out from the beginning of the season, I figured I'd share my thoughts on the five matchups I'm most looking forward to taking a gander at next weekend.

5. Kansas State at Stanford - The Friday night matchup of opening weekend is one of the most intriguing to me. The two teams are essentially mirrors of one another. They both want to play physical, no-nonsense football, but in different ways. They both want to play great defense. I'm mostly interested in seeing if Kansas State is primed for a comeback year with what looks to be a wildly better defense. Will the offense bounce back, too?

4. UCLA at Texas A&M - There are so many implications in this game, the first of which being that UCLA's OC from the last few seasons - Noel Mazzone - is now the OC for the Aggies. The second of which is that both coaches are on the hot seat. A win for either team would quell some unrest. A loss only heightens the unrest. Big stakes here for both.

3. Oklahoma vs. Houston (NRG Stadium) - This one all boils down to two questions. For Oklahoma, it's their first test to reaffirm their status as the Big 12 playoff favorite. For Houston, it's a test to prove themselves as the real deal. Oklahoma has nothing to gain but everything to lose. Houston has everything to gain but nothing to lose. Should the Cougs win, they'll be the dark horse favorite to break up the playoff party. Should Oklahoma win, they get their first check in the box on the season.

The Sooners better have their big boy pants ready.

2. North Carolina vs. Georgia (Georgia Dome) - A sneaky good top 25 matchup on Saturday afternoon, here are two teams that both could either be contenders or fall back to the pack a bit this fall. Will the Tar Heels prove their 11-2 season was more than a fluke? Does Kirby Smart have Georgia on the path to greatness? We'll see the first glimpse here in what could be our first wild shootout of the season.

1. Florida State vs. Ole Miss (in Orlando) - I don't think it's a mistake that the first weekend of college football ends with the Noles and Rebels clashing on Labor Day. It's the biggest matchup of the week, and it's the first contest between two true playoff contenders this early on in the season. FSU looks to be loaded with Heisman candidate tailback Dalvin Cook, and it's going to be fascinating to see how Ole Miss fills a bunch of holes from last year's team.

While New Years may come on January 1st, I propose that the start of the school year in late August is really when the new year begins for nearly every single one of us. Regardless of whether we are in school, have kids in school, or are nowhere near a school, I think it's a better representation of where we essentially plant our flags to get a fresh start.

We see kids moving up to the next grade. We get ready to watch another season of football across all levels. We prepare for the coming winter. For me anyway, it's always when I begin anew, and it may have to do with that fact that I haven't been out of school very long and have been hardwired by the education system to treat my yearly cycle as such.

Fall is my favorite time of year. Again, it's when I start over, but it's also when I reflect on what my year has been so far. For me, it's been one of self discovery. In fact, I think I've learned more about myself over the last eight months than I maybe ever have.

Is that a mere fact of getting older, of moving into my late 20s? Maybe, but it excites me.

Regardless, and again, I'm eager to get my new year started in the next few weeks. I'm eager to write. I'm eager to share in sports with you all. I'm eager to see what this next year holds.