Do you smell it?

No, I don’t mean the occasional paper mill smell that wafts its way to Atmore from Brewton.

The smell I’m referring to is the early-morning dew that lifts in the air from a freshly cut football field.

It’s the best smell in the world for this time of year in this part of the country.

Yep, football season is among us and many have already shifted the topic of conversation — when not discussing politics and what not — to the South’s favorite pastime.

“How’s Alabama gonna be this year?” “What about Auburn?”

Those are a couple of questions people are asking at the moment. Their questions will be answered in about a month when the college football season kicks off.

Need I remind you the slate of games that are scheduled for that first Saturday of the college football season?

They are: LSU vs. Wisconsin, Georgia vs. North Carolina, Alabama vs. the University of Southern California and Auburn vs. Clemson, among others.

At present, college football teams, along with high school, are getting in game shape at numerous practice sessions.

Our local high school teams began fall practice this week, and will be hitting on full pads in the coming weeks.

After a couple of weeks of preseason contests, the season will continue in earnest for Escambia County, Escambia Academy and Northview.

What will always stay the same throughout all of this football awesomeness is that early-morning smell.