By the minute, we are drawing closer to what life in Norman revolves around: OU football.

If you’re a freshman and have never gotten the chance to experience a college football game in person, get ready to be assaulted by one of the craziest environments in which you’ll ever find yourself.

If you got here thinking OU football games would basically just be more crowded versions of your high school games, you’re in for one heck of an epiphany.

At a football game, you’ll see the best and worse of everything college has to offer crammed into one place. In other words, you’ve stumbled into an odd form of nirvana. One with lots of chanting, cheering and cursing.

So, little freshies, I’m here to try to prepare you for the life-altering experience you’re about to undergo, as well as share a few unwritten rules with you. Break them at your own peril.

Rule No. 1: Start early

I don’t even mean strictly on Saturday. There will be people showing up as early as Wednesday and setting up tents across from the stadium. As soon as you start seeing those beautiful things pop up, the focus of all your thoughts should switch to football. If you’re going to park on campus, make sure to find a good spot days ahead of time. Don’t plan on driving anywhere Saturday, because you’ll just get mad. Just start grilling burgers and hot dogs and playing Boomer Sooner over and over again, until your body is about to explode from school spirit.

Rule No. 2: Show up

This one may seem obvious, but every year I’m astounded by the number of people who choose not to go to the first game of the year. Yes, I know it’s only Tennessee-Chattanooga. But it doesn’t matter. In fact, this might be the best possible scenario for your first football game. The Sooners are going to score so much, you’ll get plenty of cheering practice. Oh, and by the way, go to the stadium early. I’m talking way early. If you don’t get there two hours head of time, there’s a good chance you won’t get a seat.

Rule No. 3: Go with a big group

This is a situation where the amount of fun you have grows exponentially with each extra person with whom you go. You can’t help but feel the energy when you’re sitting with 20 of your friends. Sure, it will be a little harder to find a space big enough to fit all of you, but that’s why you go early.

Rule No. 4: Wear a crimson Sooner shirt

If you go to a football game wearing anything other than a Sooner shirt, everyone in the stadium should have permission to drag you onto the field and pelt you with footballs. Okay, maybe not that harsh, but you at least deserve the bitter heckling you’ll undoubtedly receive.

Rule No. 5: Be prepared to stand for the entire game

I’m not kidding. Everyone around you will be standing, you can handle it. And in the rare case that you do sit, when you stand back up, stand on the seats in front of you. It’s a good rule to stick with so you don’t end up accidentally headbutting someone in the face and starting a brawl. I’ve seen it happen.

Rule No. 6: Cheer

Loud. Very loud. So loud your throat feels like sandpaper by the end of the game. Losing your voice is the surest sign of a true fan. And when you yell and cheer, you’d better know what you’re talking about. If you lean over and ask a diehard fan, “Who’s Number 7,” their first reaction will be to slap you in the face.

Rule No.7: Learn the fight song

“Boomer Sooner” should become a regular part of your vocabulary, and the song should be ingrained in your head for the rest of your life. It’s not hard to learn. Nobody should ever look over and see you not singing whenever the song is playing.

Rule No. 8: Pay attention

This pertains to everything. Always know what quarter it is, how much time is left, and the down and distance (if you don’t know what “down and distance” means, figure it out before Saturday). And pay attention to the chants and cheers of the people around you. I wouldn’t expect you to know every cheer already, but you should know them all like the back of your hand by next week.

Corey DeMoss is the Daily’s sports editor and a journalism senior