I Hate College Football

[The Brain]

Before I begin I want it understood that I do not follow college football at all. What you are about to read are just my observations from what I see on tv or hear on the radio without having an actual interest in the sport. Forgive me if parts of this are ignorant as quite frankly I am uninformed. Maybe some fans can give me some insight that changes my opinion a bit.

College football has been popular in this country forever and I’ve never quite understood why. I’m a casual football fan and enjoy an occasional NFL game but I could never get into college football. One reason is it’s simply not the pros. I’m a diehard baseball fan but I can’t watch a minor league game. I don’t even like to watch spring training games. Also I want the athletes I watch to be stars, not a guy I might be sitting next to in my psych class the next day. I know that sounds stupid, but if it’s not the pros I just don’t care.

Another reason is so many games are not competitive. Again I never watch a game, but I do see the scores on the bottom line on espn. So many times I see scores like 56-0 or 61-3. How is that fun? Sure the pros have blowouts at times, but at least any team can win on any given Sunday. That doesn’t seem to be the case in college.

The biggest problem for me is there are just too many damn teams. I don’t see how anyone can follow it all. There doesn’t seem to be a real semblance of order. Every year I hear people talking about how college football needs a playoff system. This seems to be a unanimous thought among the sports media yet it goes ignored. I don’t know the specifics but the two best teams should be in the championship game, or at least be given the opportunity to reach the championship game. When it comes time for the bowl games I have no idea which ones matter more than others. There are so many bowl games that they’ve lost all meaning. Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t teams invited to play in a bowl game by the sponsor? What the hell is that? If the bowl game meant anything teams would earn their way in through a playoff. One more thing about too many teams; I absolutely hate that college football dominates my tv on Saturday. I don’t want to be channel surfing and have a third of my channels taken up by college games.

I would much rather watch the Buffalo Bills vs. the Carolina Panthers than the top two college teams. At least the Bills and Panthers are in the pros, the place the college players are trying to get to. I guess you could compare it to my attitude toward wrestling. I never cared what Daniel Bryan did in the indies. Now that he’s with WWE I’ll take notice.

I am well aware that some of my statements may come off as laughable to some of you. I admit some may just be flat out wrong. As I mentioned I don’t follow the sport so I can’t really have an informed opinion about it. Please correct me if I’m wrong. If you’re a fan of college football tell me why. What am I missing?

 

[CH David]

I'm a casual fan so I don't know the entire specifics of bowl games either. However there is a semblance of order, since college sports get a Top 25 ranking. The top teams that reach specific bowl games are the more important, with the BCS Championship game being the most important. Although I would agree about a playoff system being better from my standpoint as far as reaching a National Champion.

As far as your points about it just not being pros. I can see that to an extent. Not your example of the Bills vs. Panthers because quite frankly I don't want to watch two teams like that over the top two in college. Right now I'd like seeing Auburn and Oregon duke it out for supremacy rather than seeing two teams that won't make the playoffs duke it out to see who is worse.

For me, College Football is fun because you've got college kids playing with such heart and enthusiasm that sometimes you just can't see in the pros. Each play matters, the heartbreak of just one regular season loss could screw your chances at a National Championship, unlike the pros where you are always going to lose one game (short of the Dolphins in '72) and still win the Super Bowl. I think it was two years ago the top ranking was in flux a bit, Texas had just become #1 in the country, and they lose to Texas Tech on a touchdown with one second remaining.

Blowouts happen, but on any day a weak team can beat a big time program. It happened with Appalachian St. beating Michigan , who was ranked, to open the season in 2007. Michigan had the ball on the 20 of Appalachian St. and had their field goal blocked to end the game 34-32. Upsets can happen, even Boise St. vs. Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in 2007 was a smaller team beating a powerhouse.

 

[Big Sexy]

For someone uninformed, as you have admitted to being, I can see where you're coming from but you're looking at college football wrong.

1. You say there's too many teams to follow but you really aren't expected to follow every team and care about everyone. Usually you grow up watching a team and you follow that team and the conference they are in. Along with that you follow all of the top teams in the other conferences. I'll follow Michigan, the rest of the Big Ten, and the other remaining top 25 teams the closest. I don't really care about bottom feeders from other major conferences or even the decent teams from the smaller conferences. That takes away a shit ton of teams and gives you a much more condensed number to follow.

2. As far as the blowouts go, the majority of those are in non conference games with the big schools against shit school and also in some of the smaller conferences like the WAC where Boise State dominates. There are not nearly as many blowouts when you get to the conference schedules with the major conferences.

Overall I definitely enjoy the NFL more then College Football, but for what it is, I enjoy college football as well. Watching the your team and their conference along with the other top tier teams in College Football is very enjoyable. I don't give a shit about Wyoming vs New Mexico State, but I'll be glued to the TV to watch Auburn vs Alabama.

 

[ThePeoplesChampion]

your only seeing the bad parts of the sport which yes there are many...but why so many people watch is because its the same thing you went to high school games when you were in high school...school pride....its about state pride, region pride. I love pro football but be honest the top rivalry in it is Green Bay vs. Chicago..yes it gets sorta intense but one year a player can be a bear and next year be a packer and there all friends....watch Ohio St. vs. Michigan these men have grown up most them taught to hate the other school and you see that on the field. And like someone else has already mentioned...watch a big upset the atmosphere can't be matched watch as a team at home knocks off a Number 1 ranked team...in fact three examples in a row...South Carolina over Bama, Missouri over Oklahoma, and Wisconsin over Ohio St....and that negative of too many teams can actually be a positive...think bout it in the nfl do you ever see Detroit or Cleveland win titles? as i remember they have zero super bowls ever...every year you have some random team just blow into the top ten or five...this is its Oklahoma St...couple years ago Texas Tech...last year Cincinnati.....teams can fall so fast examples Florida, USC, Texas.....and relatively unknowns can sky rocket example Utah, TCU, and Boise St. I mean its fun seeing teams like Florida and Texas ranked so high fall so far...and teams like Auburn and Oregon just come from no where....and you say you don't wanna see there guys play....how bout youtube guys like Denard "Shoelace" Robinson, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, anyone on the Oregon team...and tell me these guys are boring. In the long run yes you got all the bad points but if you watched like us guys you'll see why we love this sport

 

[Megatron]

The main reasons I enjoy watching college football is for a few reasons:

1) The Big Ten. While there's a few spread offense teams (UM, NW) for the most part, the top teams (Wisconsin, OSU, MSU, Iowa, PSU) are all smashmouth, pound it between the tackles, 3 yards and a cloud of dust type of teams. Sure, I like watching the flashy pass plays every now and then, but I'd rather see big burly running backs plow over defenders and see big hits any day of the week. This conference, along with parts of the SEC, describe football to me.
2) The rivalries. While the NFL has a few rivalries, none of them compare to the magnitude of the college ones. In the NFL they may show a little hate on the field but then be best friends off. In college, the two rivals hate each other. UM/OSU, Alabama/Auburn, Texas/OU, Florida/Georgia, and others truly hate each other. The intensity is much higher in college then it is in the NFL.
3) The tradition. The bands. The school songs. The trophies. The battle for supremacy. The storming of the field after a huge upset. The defending of home turf. It's just a great joy to watch.

I get what you're saying with the blowouts and some unskilled players, but, for me, that doesn't matter as much, compared to everything I listed above, plus the unpredictability of the game and excitement of crowd. On Saturdays I always try to find either a TV or radio to watch/listen my MSU Spartans, because I wanna talk about what happened during the week. The atmosphere is uncomparable to the pros. It's normally a million times better.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the system college football follows. The worst system every created IMO: the BCS. It's so hypocritical and stupid that sometimes the only reason they give for some of their decisions amounts to "because that's the way it is." The system is so bad that even the President said one of the things he'd like to do is get a playoff system for Division I college football. Ya know, that system that EVERY other college division uses but Division I says won't work... Some of the blind fans say the regular season is a playoff which is complete bs. How many playoff systems have an unregulated amount of losses required to be out? Many years you have an undefeated against a 1 loss team. 2007(?) I think was when LSU, a 2 loss team went to the championship game. Yeah, great "playoff."

I have only recently gotten into college football regularly. Mostly I'm a pro fan like you. I completely understand your arguments. The first few weeks or so of college football are a joke. Close games constitute a 56-10 blowout.

Also the bowl games are getting to be way too many. They're talking about letting a few 5 win teams make a bowl game this year to fill spots. One of my friends is a Texas fan and I sent him a joke message earlier today since they lost yesterday that he shouldn't worry. There's so many bowl games that now every team gets their own bowl game. That way no one loses and the champion is decided by....oh wait, it's the BCS...there is no real champion...

But it seems to me that the hardcore fans don't find too many teams because as someone already said, they pay attention to their team, their rivals and the top 25. That's about it. I could never be that big of a fan though because I watch it and can't help but notice that even the best defenses still aren't that great. And most kickers are too unreliable if the line of scrimmage is past the 20.

Rivalries are huge in college football. Not like the pros. It can actually be quite amusing if you're not that big of a fan. One of my friends is an OSU fan and I love hearing him bitch about Michigan.

All in all, I see what people like about college football. It can be very entertaining. But it's still got some major flaws that only the blindest of fans ignore. Mainly the BCS itself.

 

[Xtreme_Animlas2314]

I understand where you are going with this but I got to disagree on a few statements though.

I was never a College Football fan until about 5 or 6 years ago. I was born in early 80's in Georgia. Never followed Georgia untile few years ago. When I was growing up at this time their was sooo many great PROS playing at any sport. Like Larry Bird, Shaq, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Deon Sanders, Emmitt Smith*, Jerry Rice, Dale Murphy, and etc. I can go on and on listing people because thats what I grew up on. Living in Georgia I was a fan of the NFL (Falcons, 49ers, Cowboys, and Packers), MLB (Braves), and NBA (Bulls, 76ers, Magic, and Hawks). Thats all the teams that I can remember that I watched growing up. I didn't know that much but I just enjoy watching these athletes play and somewhat having fun. Now what its like 2 or 3 decades later and most of those PROS are no longer playing.

The problem that I have with the PROS now is that they all want to play for the money and hardly show any heart or play for fun. Everyone has heard and follow the story about Randy Moss and Terrell Owens with how they hard to play with sometime or want this but not do that. Back in the day Michael Irvin or Jerry Rice wouldn't complain at all just go out there and play the dang game simple as that.

Back on topic I'm a Bulldog fan and SEC fan. Occasionally I may watch another school as long as it is going to be a super great game and no one really knows who going to win until the final second is over. I remember last year or the year before that I was watching a game between Florida State vs ?? in a very close game. Like last night Auburn vs Alabama.! I don't mind watching College football these days as long as its good game and now blowout game like mention above.

I am bit bias because I do believe that the SEC is the best division exception of a few teams outside of this division like Oregon, Texas*, Florida State, and Oklahoma*/State.

Since I feel that way I believe maybe some of the other school/teams that go in records 10 or 11 or 12 and 0 or 1/2 loss at the end of the season. If they don't get any recognation from what or how they end up at the end of the season. I wouldn't mind seeing some of these teams go after or play more with the SEC teams then if they do that maybe I'll give more schools credit then they are getting now.

Yeah, if though the Bulldogs kind of stink this season I'm still behind them just as I am with Auburn finishing with a possible of 13-0 record this season.

In all in all its fun watching these guys up especially if you went to middle school or high school with a friend then a few years later he goes and play for a college teams and slowly moves up into the NFL. How can that not be fun to watch. That actually happen with me. I was friends with someone that went to the same middle school, high school, went to college out of state which did pretty well their, but when he got to the NFL not so well. Still he made it. It was cool to watch though.

College Football to me is more entertaining that the NFL right now.

Yeah they need to have a better system in play since they have soo many college teams now a day. Some kind of tournament or playoff or something. Heck maybe even start the College season little bit early so they have the time to rest and be done at the same time they do every year.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

In college football your state has a team with the state's name on the jersey. For example I'm from Missouri so the Missouri Tigers are my team, I identify with them, the kids on that team are from my area and are my neighbors. How can you not cheer for people like you to win on Saturdays? Another reason is the kids playing for that school want to play there, unlike the pros were guys will just play for whoever pays them the most money. I actually enjoy college sports (outside of baseball) more than their professional counterparts because of these things. It's more about the game as opposed to how much the players can make.