My football season has ended on a high note.

My alma mater finished as the national champions with a 15-0 record, been called LSU’s best team ever and made the Purple and Gold Tiger Nation proud — even the fair-weather fans (who really shouldn’t be allowed in the party because they didn’t fully endure the trials and tribulations of the past seasons). For those of us who said “2007 and next year,” next year is now and it is wonderful.

It was interesting to see how for one night a lot of people became LSU fans. A lot of people greeted me with “Geaux Tigers!” as I went around town and offered congratulations in the wake of Monday night’s victory. I plan to celebrate this weekend when I don’t have to worry about what the city or county is going to do or whether I have to chase after whatever.

And then, with the exception of the Senior and Shrine bowls, my football season will be over.

I know people will say there’s plenty of football left with the NFL playoffs and the Stupid Bowl, but anyone who knows me knows I don’t watch NFL football, and I haven’t watched a Stupid Bowl since 1995; a record I’m very proud of.

That means I’ll have more time to catch up on my reading, which has taken a back seat over the past few months to the SEC, ACC, Big 10 plus 4, Big 12 minus 3 plus 1, the MAC, Mountain West, All America, Conference USA, Sunbelt and the Pac 12 conferences. I won’t spend every free minute scouring the college sports websites for the latest news on college football, although I’ll still be checking on off-season issues like recruiting.

It means I’ll be able to watch some new movie DVDs I’ve acquired over the past few months.

And it means I now have no excuse to get out and tour the city and take a tour through the Vicksburg National Military Park and stop and spend time at the Cairo and its museum, which are my two favorite park destinations. In this business, I very rarely get the chance to play tourist, and now the six-month hiatus (before the CFL starts) will give me a better opportunity to get out and see the area like a visitor does.

So this weekend the fast begins.

There will be some withdrawal for a while as I get used to waking up Saturday mornings and finding the football version of “College Game Day” isn’t on and the 11 a.m. game is played in an arena with hoops mounted on a hanging boards, one on each end of a floor (never was a big basketball fan). It’s all part of winding down from one of the greatest football seasons I’ve seen LSU have since I saw my first game in Tiger Stadium at age 8. That was LSU’s 1958 undefeated national championship team, and it also had some pretty good players.

It’s now time to catch my breath, relax, read, watch movies and wait for the Canadian Football League to begin about mid-July to help me get ready for the 2020 version of college football.

Isn’t July next month?

John Surratt is a staff writer for The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at john.surratt@vicksburgpost.com.