Are you ready for some football?

All around the country fall means football and nowhere more than in New Orleans. Whether you prefer college football or the NFL, New Orleans is the place to be as the weather starts to cool and our thoughts turn to pigskin instead of pulled pork barbeque (or both if you find the right tailgate).

New Orleans Saints

The Saints were the 16th franchise in the NFL and were awarded to the City of New Orleans on November 1, 1966. In 1971, the Saints drafted a young new quarterback from Ole Miss named Archie Manning who remains a New Orleans resident and mentor to Saints quarterback Drew Brees. (We won't mention he has two sons who play for other NFL teams.)

The Saints kick off their 2008 schedule at home in the Louisiana Superdome against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before going on the road for their next two games. They are home again on September 28th for the San Francisco 49ers. See the full schedule. Single game tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

If you want to meet current and former members of the Saints organization, there are a few opportunities this month. The Saints 2008 Hall of Fame ceremony and luncheon will be Friday, September 26 and honors former left tackle William Roaf. Barra Birrcher will receive the Joe Gemelli Fleur De Lis award. The luncheon is $40 per person or $400 per table. The 10th Annual All Saints Night Gala is Saturday, September 27th and features 20 restaurants, Saints alumni, door prizes and members of the Saints organization. The Gala will be held at Rivertown Exhibition Hall and is $50 per person. Tickets should be reserved in advance.

College Football

Tulane University's football team, known affectionately as The Green Wave also plays at the Louisiana Superdome. However, this year the homecoming game on October 4 will be played against Army in Tad Gormley Stadium. The outdoor game will bring back many memories and traditions for alumni of "Homecoming in the Oaks." Homecoming weekend is scheduled for October 3-4, 2008, the same as Parents / Family weekend. Sure to be a raucous time, you'll want to make your reservations early.

You'll want to know the words to the songs and cheers, so you be sure to brush up on The Olive and the Blue and the Hullaballo before the first home game on September 13 against East Carolina. (See the full Tulane football schedule.

The call of "Geaux Tigers!" cheers on LSU's football team, the Tigers in their distinctive yellow and blue. Get in the spirit before the game at Tiger One Village across from Tiger Stadium. Don't miss the big game on November 1st when the Tigers square off against Tulane's Green Wave at Tiger stadium.

Sports Bars

If you prefer instant replay to live action, then you'll want to check out some of New Orlean's renowned sports bars. One of our favorites is Cooter Brown's - with 8 widescreen TVs you won't miss any of the action, and with over 45 beers on tap (and another 400 in bottles), you won't go thirsty either. And there's always Johnny White's Sports Bar on the corner of Bourbon and Orleans. And when we say always, we mean always. Johnny's opened 17 years ago and has never been closed since then.