Let the cheering begin. Football, the great American blast time, is finally back.

I won’t stand for too much enthusiasm. Seems such a waste of energy. But then football season rolls around again, and my pulse quickens. Love is like that.

For a moment, we can forget that life itself is often third and long … that the mortgage is due, that the college fund is piddling, or that the dog has run off with the cat. Football is the national aspirin — not a cure, but a buzzy balm.

In no time, football turns all other sports into niche activities. It may one day surpass sex as the national pastime. If football were any more fun, Kansas would make it illegal.

Yes, it’s football season again. Welcome to America’s Feast of the Epiphany.

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The game of the week is USC-Alabama, a matchup that brings to mind the great teams of Bear Bryant and John McKay.

Joyless and bitter rivals? Hardly. In fact, they were very close pals.

In the off-season, Bryant would come west to spend six or eight weeks golfing with McKay nearly every day in the desert.

On Tuesday, McKay’s son, J.K., recalled how he used to be Bryant’s driver when the coach came to Los Angeles. One day, he joined the legendary coaches for lunch at Chasen’s, and the younger McKay remembered how the maitre d’ informed them there was a guy at a back table who wanted to see them.

Who?

“Frank Sinatra,” the maitre d’ said.

“They told the maitre d’ that if Mr. Sinatra wanted to see them, he could come to their table,” J.K. McKay recalled.

And he did.

J.K. McKay also recalled, as a standout at Bishop Amat High, being recruited by Alabama while his dad was coaching a dynasty at USC. One night, Bryant called J.K. on the home phone, and he listened to Bryant’s rumbling, basso profundo drawl for about 15 minutes. When he hung up, Coach McKay asked whether Bryant had offered his son a scholarship.

“I think so,” McKay said, citing the language barrier.

“They were totally different,” J.K. said of the two coaches, who won a combined 10 national titles. “Bear liked the way my dad could stand up in front of a crowd and make everyone laugh. My dad admired him so much as a coach. They got along really well.”

By the way, why not take the 11 points and USC this week? The Trojans are still remarkably young, as the impact of NCAA sanctions continues to play out. Sixty-three out of 85 players are freshmen or sophomores. But they are hungry, speedy and deep.

Most of all, the pressure is on Alabama.

“I know Lane [Kiffin] pretty well,” McKay said. “And they’re nervous.”

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Bryant on winning and losing: “The fun never goes out, but it changes with the years.”

John McKay on his blocking strategy: “Hold when you’re at home and don’t hold when you’re on the road.”

Gene Wilder, as Willy Wonka, on life in general: “The suspense is terrible … I hope it’ll last.”

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Channel 2’s telecast of the Rams-Denver Broncos preseason game was the most-watched program in the market last Saturday, with an average of 388,000 viewers; one in 10 viewers turned to the Rams that night.

Rams ratings have been very strong, thanks in part to the chemistry among the three guys in the booth.

Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk jelled right off the bat. Not slick, nor too talky, they shared their knowledge of the game in engaging ways, with play-by-play announcer Andrew Siciliano knitting it all together.

In a typical exchange, Faulk talked about a particular running back as “a heavy runner.” After several mentions of the term, Dickerson confessed that he’d been a running back all his life and didn’t understand what Faulk meant. Faulk explained that a “heavy” runner was one who couldn’t be pushed backward by tacklers.

They are authentic and knowledgeable, a network-quality dream team that deserves a national audience one day.

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Finally, my buddy Fox shares the plight of the football fan who bought tickets to the upcoming Super Bowl — spending a small fortune on two seats, plus airfare and hotel for the big game on Feb. 5.

But when he bought the package, he didn’t realize that the Super Bowl fell on the same day as his wedding, so he can’t go.

If you’re interested in taking his place, the wedding is at St. Peter’s Church in New York at 5 p.m.

The bride’s name is Brenda.