Cal vs SDSU pregame hype thread

Almost every ancient civilization we have record of today believed in a panoply of gods; a trend that began with the Mesopotamians, and trickled on through the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Hindus. We know those mythologies well enough. We read those tales and allude to those panthea with regularity.

But it is to this long line that the Aztecs belong as well -- faithful worshippers of fire, earth, sky, and everything between. Among the most revered of their deities was Tezcatlipoca, whose powers went far beyond the attributes of war and wind he was associated with -- the Nahuatl tongue is littered with his epithets, with none capturing his greatness completely: "Smoking Mirror"; "Enemy of Both Sides"; "Possessor of Sky and Earth"; "He by Whom We Live."

While the Aztecs have now fallen from the height of their power, the spirit of Tezcatlipoca lives on still, resurrected each Saturday at kickoff. There are actually two more to this list, two Nahuatl names for Tezcatlipoca that we might recognize him by today: "Great Bear"; "Lord of the North."

We, of course, simply know him by another moniker first: Jared Goff.

Saturday, San Diego State will get to glimpse their Great Bear in the flesh, as well as his screaming horde of supporters, determined to create hostility. They will kneel before his talent and surrender to the titles he's acquired since: the Destroyer of Scoreboards, the Nemesis of Defenses, the Rainmaker, the Golden Armed.

This is who blinked his way to 38 first half points and stands poised for twice that number on any given week. This is who awaits their entry to California Memorial Stadium at 2PM tomorrow, who they'll have to pass if they have any hope of 2 and 0.

Good luck, Aztecs.

He's coming.
Expect him.