Growing up, I thought football was a big deal in Ohio.

Oh, how wrong I was.

Don’t get me wrong, football is king up North. Whether you’re talking about high school, college or professional, football is the dominant sport where I am from.

But not like down here.

Growing up, I remember the fervor that was the college football season.

I remember the ebbs and flows, and I remember how the season would end following a rivalry game and a bowl game.

That is not the case down here. The season doesn’t end around here.

Bragging rights are real, and the names players and coaches are immortalized in the lore of the varying fan bases.

Since I moved down south in February of last year, I have loved immersing myself in the culture of the different cities I have lived.

Whether living in Natchez, Miss., Selma or Fairhope, it’s clear to me that football reigns supreme throughout the region.

 Growing up just outside Columbus, Ohio, I grew up surrounded by the scarlet and gray — those being the color of all things Ohio State athletics.

At some point in my formative years, I decided that was not for me, and became a fan of the Michigan Wolverines.

As you can imagine, that decision was met with the disappointment and resentment of family members who were life-long Buckeye fans.

I can’t imagine making a similar switch down here.

Down here, life revolves around the football played in the Southeastern Conference.

Down here the final scores on Saturday go a long way to determine how the next week will go at home and in the office.

Down here, houses are truly divided by the allegiances of their residents.

The worst argument my fiancée and I have had since we first met after she — a lovely, darling Alabama graduate — learned that I predicted Auburn would win last year’s Iron Bowl.

Thankfully, her father still does not know about my ill-fated (but correct) prognostication.

I’m sure that if he did, Rachel and I would not be dating.

Sure, the boundless passion for football in the South can be intimidating or frightening, depending up on the circumstance, but it is a beautiful thing.

People down here, as you likely know, wear their allegiances on their sleeves with pride.

Win or lose, they never leave their favorite team.

See how long you can drive before passing a car with sticker, license plate frame or flag pronouncing the fandom of the driver.

My guess if you won’t make it out of the parking lot.

Football is big up North, but down here it’s bigger.

For me, nothing beats game day in Ann Arbor with 115,000 of my best friends, but there’s nothing wrong with any old Saturday in the South.

Jay Sowers is photo editor of Gulf Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at jsowers@gulfcoastnewspapers.com.