In an interview with a local reporter, Tami defends her decision to reallocate the JumboTron money to academics. When the reporter asks if there’s any tension between Tami and Taylor on the issue, Tami assures her that at the end of the day, they’re both educators, and their relationship is founded upon respect.

Billy blows into Riggins bedroom waving a letter of intent from Oklahoma. Billy and Lyla are excited, but Riggins remains silent and doubtful. Grandma Saracen confesses that she hasn’t been taking her medication, despite the risk of stroke, because it dries out her skin. Dr. Campbell pulls Matt outside. Since Matt is only 17, he can’t take over Grandma’s prescription. For every patient with dementia, the day comes when they can no longer manage their own affairs.

Tami waits up for her interview to come online. When the headline suggests that she’s a revolutionary with a tense marriage, she slams her laptop closed, and takes Taylor up on his offer of more wine. Taylor tells Smash to keep working hard, and he’ll take care of the rest. After making several calls, Taylor can’t find anyone interested in giving Smash a tryout.

Tami arrives at work to find VP Trucks in a tizzy. Phones have been ringing off the hook about the JumboTron, and Buddy is waiting in Tami’s office with Mayor Rodell. The Mayor lays into Tami for making a big mistake. Tami claims that the allocation of funds is her prerogative per the bylaws. She’s surprised that everyone would react so negatively, when she firmly believes she’s done the right thing. Buddy remains silent, and the Mayor leaves, threatening that she hopes things don’t turn ugly.

Buddy splurges on expensive steaks for dinner with Lyla. He wants her to accompany him to dinner with the McCoys on Saturday, and isn’t happy with her choice of boyfriends. Lyla claims that Riggins is going to college; maybe all he needs is someone to believe in him. Buddy snorts — Riggins is white trash, and he’ll only bring Lyla down — it’s gravity. When he asks Lyla if she’s using protection, she leaves Buddy to eat dinner alone.

In bed, Tami marvels about the craziness with the mayor in her office. She asks Taylor to weigh in on the JumboTron, but the baby cries and he runs off. Tyra has a hard time in her campaign for Student Body President. When she discovers that her posters have been defaced, she takes the matter to Trucks. Refusing to do anything, Trucks points out that Tyra can’t expect to join the race late and half-assed and expect people to respect her.

Saracen visits a lawyer to figure out how to take over his grandma’s prescriptions, so he can sneak the pills into her food. The lawyer explains that Saracen must have a family member sign papers to become an emancipated minor, then assume legal guardianship for his grandmother and control of all her affairs. Saracen doesn’t want full control, but the only other option is to turn Grandma over to the state’s care.

Smash practices with Riggins and Taylor. After a light tackle, Smash flips out and stalks off the field. Saracen takes Grandma to lunch at Applebee’s, trying and failing to get her to take her pills. He excuses himself to take out his frustration in the alley, kicking boxes. New employee Julie opens the door to discover Saracen, who confesses his situation. With his father in Iraq, there’s no one to sign the papers. Julie makes a joke and manages to dispel the tension.

It’s Sunday morning, and the first Friday night game of the season is only five days away. Taylor listens as deejay Slammin’ Sammy Meade criticizes his lack of back-up plan last season. Tami and Julie argue. Julie wants to re-arrange her classes so she can get a job and buy a car — she has it all efficiently worked out. Tami insists that Julie will take Dr. Welles’ AP English class, which is not a part of her plan.

Local reporters pummel Taylor at a press conference. The Panthers imploded in last year’s playoffs when Smash hurt his knee. Now that he’s graduated, how can the team win? Taylor keeps his game face, maintaining that Riggins, who’ll step into Smash’s shoes, is focused, knowing full well Riggins has partied the summer away. Despite Saracen’s frustration with Riggins, Taylor insists they’re like brothers, and no, he won’t be replacing Saracen with freshman newcomer J.D. McCoy.

“Broken up” or “taking a break” depending on who you talk to, Tyra and Landry walk with a dejected Saracen to the pep rally. Landry advises Saracen to enjoy his senior year, because it’s all downhill after that. Tyra intends to use her senior year to get out of Tyler forever. The trio stop short to gape at wunderkind J.T. practicing with a private coach and his father, Joe.

Vice Principal Trucks introduces the new principal of Dillon High — Tami. While Tami pumps up the school spirit, Taylor spies Buddy quelling angry Boosters in the stands. Buddy tells Taylor to forget about the two-game rumor deal; he has it under control. About to blow, Taylor takes the mike from Tami with a kiss, and tells the crowd he only has one question: Are they ready for Friday night? The crowd erupts as the 2008 Dillon Panthers walk into the gym.

On Monday morning, the first day of school, Buddy knocks on Lyla’s bedroom door. He’s overjoyed that she’s chosen to live with him for her senior year, and not with her mother, who’s moved to California to plant figs with her new vegetarian husband. It’s gonna be great! Lyla closes the door, and Riggins bounces out of the bathroom in his boxers to get one more workout before school.

Taylor coaches Smash through intense running drills. Pleased with Smash’s progress, Taylor tells him to ask his doctor if he’s ready to go side-to-side on his knee. When Smash asks why Taylor is spending so much time with him, Taylor claims he wants to get Smash on a college team. Tami arrives at school ready to take on the world, but is deflated by instant crises and a smug VP Trucks.

Lyla walks the hall with Riggins as various Rally Girls throw themselves at him. When Angelina asks if they’re together, both Lyla and Riggins insist they’re just good friends. Riggins suggests skipping homeroom, which disgusts Lyla. In a session with VP Trucks, Tyra presents her wish list of colleges, including UTA and TMU. Sadly, Tyra’s bad freshman year has kept her GPA at 2.6, making state schools a pipe dream. Trucks advises a crestfallen Tyra to look at other options, like Dillon Tech.

Saracen continues to be frustrated with Riggins’ lack of focus. McGill tries to sell Taylor on J.D., who continues to amaze. Taylor notices Buddy sucking up to Joe, who owns the biggest beer distributor in Texas. Later, Buddy finds Tami burning the midnight oil, struggling with the school’s budget, due on Friday. Four teachers have been lost to cuts, and she can’t afford basics like soap. Buddy hands over a massive check for a new JumboTron for the stadium, assuring a dazed Tami that she’ll receive all the credit.

Riggins drowns his sorrows with brother Billy, while watching Billy’s new girlfriend Mindy (Tyra’s older sister) give a lap dance. Riggins spent a great summer with Lyla, but things seem weird since they went back to school. After an eyebrow-raising lecture on love, Billy insists that Lyla will never take Riggins seriously; Riggins is merely her rebound from Jesus, her summer fling.

On Tuesday, Smash visits his doctor, who gives him a clean bill of health. Corinna is thrilled, believing that Smash can regain his scholarship, but he knows the chances of that are nil. Smash asks why he’s still six seconds slower than before the injury. According to the doctor, there are no guarantees; all Smash can do is be thankful and keep working. Landry helps Tyra figure out her grades: in order to get an overall GPA of 3.5, she’ll need to make an impossible 6.4 her senior year.

Presiding over a faculty meeting, Tami opens the floor to comments. The teachers want to know if the four laid-off teachers will return or be replaced; there’s currently no Spanish teacher who actually speaks Spanish, and they’re all paying for their own supplies. Taylor becomes disgusted with Saracen and Riggins during another botched practice, promising to replace them both if they don’t shape up. Practice is further interrupted when a Smoothie truck drives onto the field, courtesy of Joe.

Tyra strides by Tami, announcing that she’s ditching class. Why should she go to class when she’ll only be able to get into Dillon Tech? When Tami was a guidance counselor, she filled Tyra’s head with possibilities; VP Trucks has dosed her with reality. Tami pleads with Tyra to come back, but she walks on.

On Wednesday morning, Julie asks Taylor to sign her schedule change request, allowing her to get a job. He doesn’t want to sign without Tami, but Julie explains that Tami has been too busy to talk all week, and the last day to change is today. Baffled by his daughter’s logic, Taylor caves. Riggins tells Smash that he hates playing tailback — he’s no Smash. Smash claims that he’s not Smash either, citing the doctor’s visit. He’ll never be the same and he’s done with football for good.

On Thursday morning, Riggins flirts with a hot Rally Girl, hoping to get a rise out of Lyla. Lyla demands to know why the minute Riggins walks into school he turns into the worst kind of stereotypical dumb jock. Lyla wants more than a summer fling, but Riggins’ slacker ways scare her. How is she supposed to take him seriously when he doesn’t take himself seriously?

Joe shows up in Taylor’s office with scotch and Cubans as apology for the Smoothie truck debacle. After insulting Saracen as a mediocre talent and comparing J.D. to Street, he explains that he moved his family to Dillon so that his son could be coached by the best — Taylor — because he knows how to turn a kid into a franchise, just like Smash. After hours, Tami is devastated when one of her better teachers resigns to accept a position at a school with smaller classes and more resources.

Reeling from budget struggles, Tami returns home to discover Julie’s new schedule and hits the roof. When Julie claims that it’s too late to change it, Tami snorts — this may be the one thing she can change as principal, end of discussion. Taylor promises Julie she won’t see her car in the driveway until she’s 25. At the Seven Senoritas, drunken Billy proposes to Mindy in front of a drunken crowd. Tyra cringes, seeing her future flash before her eyes.

Later that night, Tyra knocks on Tami’s door. She loves her sister, but doesn’t want to end up like her. Confident that she has a head for business, Tyra pleads for Tami’s help in getting to college. On Friday morning, Smash tells Taylor he’s not going to play football anymore. It’s time for him to face reality and live his life as Brian; Smash is dead. Tyra hands Truck her application for Student Council President, demanding he never tell her she can’t get into college ever again.

Tami stops by Taylor’s office to apologize; he was right about the whole Julie thing. On the way out, Tami notices that Taylor’s office is well air-conditioned and he’s working on a spanking new computer, even though the Athletic Department just got new computers two years back. When Friday night finally arrives, the game starts off with a bang, as Riggins gets with the program and quickly scores the first of many touchdowns.

With minutes to go, Taylor puts J.D. in the game. J.D. nails an amazing 70-yard pass for a final touchdown. The crowd roars as the announcer claims J.D. is the reincarnation of Street. Saracen looks worried. Buddy hosts the victory party at Garrity Motors, where he shows the Mayor and Boosters a model of Dillon’s football stadium, outfitted with his JumboTron.

When Buddy claims that the JumboTron is Tami’s brainchild, she pulls him aside to set him straight. The school is in dire need of basic necessities, so she’s re-allocated the JumboTron funds, which is her privilege. Riggins makes a beeline for Lyla, thanking her for kicking his butt, and promising her that it’s okay with him if she wants to keep their relationship a secret. Lyla plants a big kiss on Riggins, making their relationship public knowledge, and mortifying Buddy.

Taylor swings by the Alamo Freeze to pick up Smash for an intense game of racquetball — a good opportunity to test his knees. Taylor refuses to believe there’s anything wrong with Smash, and promises not to stop until he helps get Smash into college and playing football again. Smash asks Taylor why he’s stepping up; Taylor admits he needs something good to happen.

Source: NBC

This episode takes place five months after the championship game. At the beginning of the episode there is a montage of all the show’s couples being cute together: Julie and Matt, Tim and Lyla, Tyra and Landry, Eric and Tami. Billy and Tim are renting tuxedos for Billy’s upcoming wedding.
At a pancake breakfast for the senior class Tami announces what the graduates are doing: Matt is attending the Art Institute of Chicago, Tyra is waitlisted at the University of Texas, Tim is going to San Antonio State, and Lyla (who is ranked number 2 in her class) is also going to San Antonio State. It’s also announced that JD McCoy has won the Dave Camel High School Quarterback of the Year award.
Buddy and Eric go to recruit a future Panther named Shane DeBuke. When they arrive at the DeBuke household they find out that Wade Aikman and Joe McCoy have already made a house call and that Shane will be attending Dillion High. Mr. DuBuke explains to Eric that he thought Aikman was the new head coach of the Panthers.
Eric’s contract is up for negotiation at the next school board meeting and the superintendent asks Tami if she would like to recuse herself from the meeting as the discussion of Panther head coach might become heated. Tami decides that she wants to attend the meeting, because as principal it is her duty.
Grandma Saracen is packing to go to a nursing home while Matt goes to school in Chicago. Lyla has a meeting with Tami and her dad to discuss whether San Antonio State is a good fit for her. Buddy tells Lyla that he’s willing to ask her uncle for a loan in order to pay Vanderbilt’s tuition, even though he hates him. Eric confronts Joe McCoy about trying to squeeze him out of his coaching position. Joe tries to bargain with Eric and tells him that if he’s willing to let Aikman make all the calls for the plays, and is willing to start JD for every single game then he can keep his job. Eric doesn’t like to be threatened, and doesn’t agree to this lousy offer.
Tim and Billy have fixed up the warehouse/auto shop, and go to an auction to bid on a hydrolic lift. Tyra and Landry drive to UT to find out her waitlist status from the admissions office, and they warn her that she’s on the waitlist with 1000 other candidates. Tim and Billy get the hydrolic lift at auction as well as a Longhorn Steer to be the new mascot of Riggins’ Rigs. Billy tells Tim that Mindy is pregnant.
The Taylors buy Julie a brand new car from Buddy to reward her for being a good kid, with good grades. Julie admits to her mom that she feels left behind with Matt and everyone getting ready for college and that she’s scared about all the change that is about to occur.
Matt moves his Grandma into her nursing home, and Tyra gets her acceptance letter from UT! Coach Taylor defends himself at the board meeting. The entire cast attends Billy and Mindy’s wedding, where Tami tells Eric that the board offered Wade Aikman the head coach job for the Panthers and that they have offered Eric the head coaching position at East Dillon High. Lyla admits to Tim that her uncle has agreed to pay for Vanderbilt and Tim persuades her to go because she deserves it.
After deciding he doesn’t want to break up with Julie and realizing that he can’t abandon his Grandma (the only person who has never left him) Matt decides to stay in Dillon and move his Grandma back home.
Tim tries to tell Billy that he isn’t going to go to San Antonio State anymore because Lyla isn’t going, and Billy tells Tim that he has to go so that their kids (the future Riggins’) can lead better lives.
The last scene shows Eric and Tami standing in the middle of the East Dillon Lions’ football field contemplating the future.

SOURCE: TV.com