When you looked at your calendar and saw Aug. 5, you probably thought of one thing.

Oh my goodness. Only 25 days until SEC football.

It’s true that were just over 3 weeks from watching Texas A&M slug it out with Northwestern State. Soon enough, we’ll be watching Jimbo Fisher talk way too fast in a postgame press conference. What a wonderful thought that is.

But while it’s A&M that will kick things off for the SEC, I thought it’d make sense to break down all of the other things to get excited for in 2018.

Here are 25 reasons to get fired up for the season that lies ahead:

1. We get an answer to the most pressing question in college football

OK, so technically we’re going to have to wait 27 days to get an answer to who starts at quarterback at Alabama. Still, though. Who isn’t excited to get some clarity on that situation? Even if Nick Saban decides to play Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts — my guess is still Tagovailoa — we’re going to see how they’re used. We’ll have the answer to one of the most intriguing quarterback battles ever.

2. The return of Deebo Samuel

You don’t get up to use the rest room when Samuel is back deep. Seeing the South Carolina playmaker back on the field after his 2017 was cut short is a welcome sight for everyone. Well, at least everyone who doesn’t have to tackle him (via JustBombsProductions).

3. Joe Moorhead’s offense

I’ve been saying this since he was hired at Mississippi State. Moorhead’s offense is similar, but much more explosive than Dan Mullen’s. You’re going to see more deep shots, more creativity out of MSU’s backfield and ultimately, more points on the scoreboard. The cowbells are going to be plenty loud in Year 1 of the post-Dan Mullen era.

4. Speaking of Mullen …

I’m looking forward to seeing his offense, too. I mean, it can’t be worse than Jim McElwain’s so Mullen already has a leg up on his predecessor. Hearing that Trevon Grimes and Van Jefferson will be eligible only adds to the belief that Florida’s skill players are loaded. Time will tell if they’re able to get the ball in space to actually make some plays.

5. The shootout in Houston

OK, so in case you can’t tell, I’d rather watch a 75-74 game than a 3-0 game. Thankfully for the offensive enthusiasts like myself, the former might happen when Ole Miss and Texas Tech face off in the opener. Jordan Ta’amu and the Rebels offense has one of their tastiest matchups of the year against a Texas Tech team that ranked No. 100 in scoring defense last year. That over/under is going to be through. The. Roof.

6. The defensive struggle in Dallas

I might not be crazy about low-scoring games, but who doesn’t like a competitive game between a pair of Top 25 teams? That’s what we’ll get with LSU and Miami in Jerry World. I’ve cooled a bit on the idea of neutral site openers being the best way to open the season, but I’m not complaining about watching an ACC vs. SEC battle with two storied programs.

7. Jeaux Burreaux

Or as he’s known outside of Louisiana, “Joe Burrow.” Yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing what the Ohio State transfer is going to become at LSU. Can he end the Tigers’ quarterback woes? Or will he add to them? Either way, I look forward to hearing Ed Orgeron say “Joe Burrow” on a regular basis.

8. Devin White

If there’s a defensive player in the SEC I’m most looking forward to watching, it’s White. The LSU tackling machine has first-round upside, horses and a $100 bet with Burrow. What’s not to love?

9. The Drew and Dooley Show

Trademark pending. Not really. But I think there will be plenty of entertainment in watching the SEC’s single-season passing touchdowns leader try and coexist with one of the more infamous SEC coaches in recent memory. Drew Lock and Derek Dooley are going to be a mystery until we see what they can do in conference play. If it works, Lock will be SEC’s first first-round quarterback since Johnny Manziel. And we’ll see a lot more of this:

10. Georgia’s post- 2nd-and-26 secondary

My offseason theory is that Georgia’s secondary is going to be one of the baddest units in the country. No matter how much Kirby Smart says that he refuses to use 2nd-and-26 as motivation, I think that’ll fuel Deandre Baker and J.R. Reed to lead a revamped unit. If there were ever a group that was looking forward to turn the page to a new season, it’s the Georgia secondary.

11. The 5-star senior linemen from 2015

What do Daylon Mack, Martez Ivey and Terry Beckner Jr. have in common? They were all 5-star recruits ranked among the top 14 in the 2015 class … and for one reason or another, all have failed to live up to that hype. All are back for their senior seasons, and the question everyone wants to know if they can maximize their potential. Put me in that group.

12. The 5-star freshmen skill players from 2018

I’d expect Terrace Marshall, Zamir White and Justin Fields to all see the field in 2018. They might not be starters, but we should get flashes of just how talented they are. White, coming off an ACL surgery, and Fields come in with no shortage of hype at Georgia, though they’re backing up Heisman Trophy candidates in Jake Fromm and D’Andre Swift. Marshall might not have to deal with that, but LSU still has plenty of talent at receiver. Either way, chances are we’ll get to see these 5-star ball carriers on the field in 2018.

13. Benny Snell gets to play football and not get ejected by sensitive refs

I don’t even need to explain that one.

14. “Last Chance U” stars in the SEC

I’ve got a little confession. I literally finished binge-watching this season of “Last Chance U” while I was writing this. So yeah, I’m eager to see what Rakeem Boyd and Emmit Gooden do at Arkansas and Tennessee, respectively. They were clearly the best players on the field on their sides of the ball at Independence Community College (Kansas). Every time they do something noteworthy, I’ll say to myself, “Oh, that’s right. That’s the guy from Last Chance U.” I might get plenty of chances to do that with Boyd (via UTR Highlight Videos):

15. Mississippi State’s 1-2 punch

What if I told you that the best defensive line in the SEC heading into 2018 belongs to … Mississippi State? If you watched 2017, you’d say, “uh, ya think?” Few defensive linemen duos can rush the passer like Jeffery Simmons and Montez Sweat. The first-team All-SEC and likely preseason All-Americans will be a joy to watch even without Todd Grantham. As high as I am on MSU’s offense under Joe Moorhead, Sweat and Simmons are the safest bets to succeed on the MSU roster.

16. Even better versions of #ItMightMeanTooMuch

Yes, this is a shameless plug. For those of you who don’t know, I started doing a weekly column called #ItMightMeanTooMuch. As you would expect, it’s me chronicling SEC fans doing extremely SEC things (I talked to the groom of the viral Alabama/LSU wedding cake for my latest). I’ve had plenty of examples to use in the offseason, but I know that once actual football starts, these are only going to get better. If you’ve got examples of #ItMightMeanTooMuch, tweet them to @cjogara or email them to cogara@saturdaydownsouth.com.

17. We get people wanting Bama who shouldn’t want Bama

Can we please just get at least one of these in 2018? Maybe two?

18. We get to debate Alabama’s and Georgia’s résumé again!

Last year, we didn’t really have much discussion about Georgia’s Playoff résumé. It was pretty cut and dry. Alabama? Not so much. This year, I think we’re going to spend the majority of the season debating both teams’ strength of schedule. There’s a fairly decent chance that neither Alabama nor Georgia beat a Top 25 team until November. Unless Louisville wildly overachieves, neither will have a quality nonconference win by the time the first Playoff poll comes out, either. Those debates are going to be electric.

19. Jarrett Stidham in Year 2

Pretty much after the LSU game, I thought Stidham was one of the more entertaining quarterbacks in the country to watch. In a Gus Malzahn offense that usually doesn’t specialize in stretching the field vertically, Stidham did just that. Needless to say, I’m much more of a believer in the Auburn quarterback now than I was at this time a year ago.

20. Regular Jeremy Pruitt press conferences

So when you’re a coordinator, you’re only available to speak to the media a handful of times per year at most places. Now that Pruitt has his first head gig, we’re going to see a whole lot more of him. Considering how honest he is, that’s going to be an extremely entertaining thing in 2018.

21. Regular Jimbo Fisher press conferences

He has SEC speed when it comes to talking. That much we know. Fisher will be a fascinating coach to watch in Year 1 because of how poorly things ended at Florida State. How rejuvenated will he be? Everybody knows that he plays Clemson and Alabama in September. It would be interesting to see how Fisher would handle a potential 2-2 start and realizing what he’s up against to really get A&M to that level.

22. More opening weekend fun in Atlanta

We’ve come to expect that every opening weekend will be some sort of top-notch matchup in Atlanta. The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game won’t disappoint this year. In my opinion, Auburn-Washington is the top opening weekend matchup and possibly the best nonconference matchup of the year. Both are loaded in the front 7, and a pair of offensive-minded coaches are going to have a major challenge moving the ball. Playoff implications on the first day of September? Sign me up.

23. I want Playoff debate in my life

I already mentioned the dissection of Alabama’s and Georgia’s résumé, but one of my favorite things about this current system extends across college football. I love the weekly breakdown of Playoff résumés for contenders, and I love seeing fans get into heated arguments about things that usually just sort themselves out by season’s end. I’m not saying I’m big on the weekly rankings shows, but if you want to get into Playoff debates with me on Twitter/email/texts (if we’re tight like that), I’m always down.

24. I need more (intern) Butch Jones at Alabama in my life

So let’s recap the offseason moments involving the former Tennessee coach and current Alabama intern/analyst:

  • Nick Saban called Jones “an intern” before he called him an analyst

  • He was seen at an Alabama book store (because maybe interns don’t get free gear?)

  • He had to get Alabama gear so he could drop knowledge on Bill Belichick

  • He threw up the deuces in this wonderful video

If CBS could just do a live camera on Jones in the booth during every Alabama game, that’d be greatly appreciated.

25. Honestly, I can’t wait to see Tua Tagovailoa’s encore

Is that so wrong?