ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Dear First-Year Players:

Welcome to college football! The next four or five years could be the best time of your life.

Or they could be miserable.

First thing you need to know: You are nowhere near as good as you think you are.

That actually might not be true. But you need to think like that. You need to be hungry. And humble. But still confident. Know you belong and refuse to put limits on how good you might become. Just keep your trap shut.

Do what your coaches say. Respect upperclassmen.

See that student trainer picking up dirty jock straps? Treat him with respect, too.

If doing the right thing isn't enough to motivate you on that, know that people are watching who will file away your bullying and tell someone later -- reporter, NFL scout, etc. -- when it can hurt you. As they say, "What goes around, comes around."

You are now a public figure. That 18-year-old down the hall drinks a beer and gets caught? No one cares. You do the same and it's in the newspaper. Want to throw an overhand right at the frat boy who says you're not on the guest list? That might even get your picture in the paper.

And that story and picture will be talked about on the radio. And TV. And on the Internet, where the story will get linked endlessly and commented on. You will become famous, but in the Lindsay Lohan way, not the Tim Tebow way.

The consequences for poor decisions are bigger for you now.

Just about every team has guys who are bad news. The guy who endlessly boasts about his female conquests and his late nights? The guy who thinks he's a gangster? The junior who's always complaining and still looks soft after four years in the program? Might want to give them a grin and a nod and then steer clear.

You will have a lot of social opportunities. You won't have to work hard to meet women. They often will come to you. Respect all of them but beware of the coeds who hang around the football team or who seem remarkably eager to skip a few steps in the getting-to-know-you process. Their agendas might not intersect with your best interests.

In fact, avoid leeches of all genders. Guys -- back home and around school -- will give you unsolicited advice and try to work themselves into your life. Ask yourself this: "Would this guy have my back if I were 5-foot-1?" And "what exactly has this fool ever done?" More often than not the answers will be, "No" and "Not a darn thing."

You do not need a "Mentor/Trainer not Street Agent/Handler."

The Pac-10 blog is not a prude or a teetotaler, but know that the vast majority of trouble athletes get into involves guys having one, two or 10 too many alcoholic beverages. Know your limits. And never, never get behind the wheel of a car and drive if you've been drinking.

Oh, by the way: You're in college. Go to class. The Pac-10 is the most academically elite BCS conference. Take advantage of that. And, you know, maybe listen every once in a while. You just might find learning something pleasurable.

Maybe you could even go so far as to take a class not because it's rumored to be easy but because the subject matter interests you. Hey, it's free! Most of those folks around you pay a lot of money to be in that classroom with you.

That degree could come in handy, by the way.

The NFL? Your odds of getting there are small, no matter how many stars decorated your recruiting page. Your odds of staying there for any length of time are even more dim.

That said: Do you want to know where the elusive path to the NFL starts? In the weight room. And on the track. If you look around and see other guys working harder than you, know that you aren't on the right path.

Finally, be nice to people. It will pay off in many ways, both externally and internally.

Welcome to the Pac-10. The next four or five years could be the best time of your life.

Or they could be miserable.

Either way, they will be what you make of it.

Oh, and always wear sunscreen.

Sincerely,

The Pac-10 blog

P.S. Being "nice" applies double to reporters.