What Do You Like About College Football?

Years ago, the play-by-play voice of ABC College Football, Chris Schenkel, in his introduction of the weekly telecast would say something to the effect: "College football . . . its color, pomp, pageantry, and traditions."

Your response to the question, What Do You Like About College Football? could very well depend on your current state in your life journey.

The obvious response, of course, is the game itself. However, what sets college football apart from other venues, I believe, are elements described by Schenkel.

For me, as a 64 year-old, traveling across a college campus to a game and taking in the settings (tailgate gatherings), seeing and hearing young and old getting pumped up for the game is a show in itself. For a few short hours, one is transported back to one's college days and the memories developed. All seems right, and one is young again, if only for a short time period.

The music of college football is a big part too. No other sport (pro or amateur) has music that college football has produced or is as recognizable.

In any case, what do you like about college football?

Go Gophers!!

There are a lot of things. I like the atmosphere of a college game, it's different where ever you go. Each school has its own traditions. Marching bands versus piped in generic music. There is a lot of variety in the style that each team plays, much more than in the NFL. History is so much more important in college football. College fans will talk about a game from a century or more in the past, but with the NFL, it seems there is only a vague awareness that there was pro football before Super Bowl I.

Then there's the fact that in college, there's no threat that the team will pack up and move, and college tickets are much more affordable. There are no "meaningless games" in college football - the game against Iowa would have been seen as "meaningless" in the NFL. But winning the pig meant a whole lot, even though on one level, it was just the difference between a two-win season and a three-win season.

In no particular order:

- What Rampage said....there are no meaningless games. And, related to that, never a reason to root against your favorite team. Every win helps the program, every loss hurts the program, and a win can be meaningful in and of itself. Likewise, the regular season matters.

- Of every major sport in America, it does the best job of picking its national champion, by far. Many people disagree with me, but this is how I see it. (Similarly, I like that it's different than every other major sport in the way it conducts its season and post season, and many things about it, including but not limited to the fact that multiple teams can have a legitimate claim as having been the best team that year, and that it's possible to end the season on a post-season win without being one of those teams.)

- Unlike professional sports, fans can have an actual connection to their favorite team. They may be alumni, or even current members, of the very same organization the team represents. Or they may live in the state that supports that organization, and that the organization is a part of (of course this isn't ALWAYS the case, but it is often). Either way, there's a real, tangible connection. In the pros, they're customers, cheering for laundry or individual players (or, sometime, for the people of a geographic location the team plays their home games in, which they likely happen to either be a part of or sympathize with.)

College cheerleaders. (Even the opponents')

11 am games. I love to tailgate for breakfast and then I can go home and relax the rest of the day and watch the other games. If I'm not going to the game, I like the 11 am too because I will sleep in, roll out of bed, take a shower and then have breakfast/brunch while I watch the game.

I hate the 4 hr drive to TCF, driving the freeways, traffic, the horrible drivers, etc. and then the long trip back home. But it all goes away once I park and get to the stadium. When the team plays on the road, I get real cranky if I can't watch the game on the tube. Any road trip is a highlight.

Its like watching the Gophers is where I was meant to be.

When I get to a nursing home, they damn well better have the Gophers game on.

I'll take tailgating and drunk coeds.

The players don't go on strike.

Watching young men living their dream of playing big time football. Most will never play in the pros but the love of the game is shown through their desire and effort. Recalling last season with loss after loss. To come out and win against Iowa and watching the celebration after the game was absolutely priceless!
This is lost at the pro level. The players are more business like.

Pro football is neat, but there's just something about the college game. More variety on offense. I used to love watching Oklahoma run the wishbone.

All good answers. I'll add only two.

- Quit going to Vikings games because of the interminable time-outs! The pro game stops constantly, something that is bearable when you're watching at home but very annoying when you're at the game. College games spoiled me. Even nationally televised College games, while adding a few time-outs move faster then any pro game.

- College Coaches try to WIN games while Pro Coaches seemed obsessed with trying not to lose. College teams will throw the ball anytime and run a lot of trick plays while Pro teams will run on 3rd and 5 perfectly content to punt. Bores the bleep out of me.

- It's been touched-on above, but players choose to come here, they're not assigned to play here. Now that may help explain 40 plus years in the football wilderness but still..

The college atmosphere, and you just never know what is going to happen during the game. Unfortunately we as Gopher fans know this all too well.

Pissing matches and hijacked threads.

Iceland12 said:

All good answers. I'll add only two.

- Quit going to Vikings games because of the interminable time-outs! The pro game stops constantly, something that is bearable when you're watching at home but very annoying when you're at the game.

- College Coaches try to WIN games while Pro Coaches seemed obsessed with trying not to lose. College teams will throw the ball anytime and run a lot of trick plays while Pro teams will run on 3rd and 5 perfectly content to punt. Bores the bleep out of me.

- It's been touched-on above, but players choose to come here, they're not assigned to play here. Now that may help explain 40 plus years in the football wilderness but still..

Click to expand...

I agree to the pro game and time outs. I went to a Viking/New Orleans game a while back and the best part of the game was speedy tire winning the tire race.
I think part of the greatness of College football is the journey. Yes, it has been forty years but if we actually do it and we do it fairly, how glorious will that be?
One of my bucket list items is for the football team to win it all again in my lifetime.
This is why the 2002 hockey championship was special, that team had plenty of growing pains during their four years in school and they played through their adversity and ended up national champs.

The battle...

Big Ten Wins, the ba$tards, hanging in there 'til the end... the RETURN...

; 0 )


I have had my National Championship...51 seasons long since past...

I have had my Big Ten Titles... 44 years ago was the last!

The stadium is back on campus now...this will be the 3rd season.

Perhaps these great and glorious things have given me enough reasons...

But the memory of A lone big Ten win over the Hoosiers in 1959 renews my hope each season!



What is best about college football to me is simply...the NEXT Big Ten Win.

A Big Ten win is as good as it ever gets for this old Big Ten fan.

That is the reason to battle on...and travel all over this GREAT Big Ten Land.

To miss the chance to see us beat the badgers, hawkeyes, Huskers too would be such a pity.

AND...to know that after that last Big Ten win...when the season was all through...

I realized that in this new year I may see us beat Purdue!




Through all these years...I've seen a lot...some very good...some very not...

...a win at the BIG HOUSE in Ann Arbor...and one in C-Town's renovated "new" old Horseshoe.

A National Championship...and a Rosebowl win THAT might have topped it off for some...

While the decades in the wilderness were tough, Some GREAT Big Ten games were won!

I've learned to have great patience now, we won more when I was rather young...

Still my history with the Big Ten lore makes me wonder what IS in store?

Trips into the wilderness built character but the wins at Illinois and NU really were all for fun!




After a half a century..I still have no regrets...

The Gophers always were my team...and they are number one still yet...

Call me names and trash my team but no ba$tards can deter me...

I've seen a lot...I've loved it all...I'll be here 'til my end...my final curtain call...

The championships, the wilderness walk...the wins and losses of my private Golden Gopher Era.

Simply a single Big Ten Win in 1959 has kept me coming back again...renewed each year.

A Big Ten win is a very powerful thing. A Big Ten win can launch a lifelong journey.



; 0 )

Congratulations Wren!

imthewalrus said:

Big Ten Wins, the ba$tards, hanging in there 'til the end... the RETURN...

; 0 )


I have had my National Championship...51 seasons long since past...

I have had my Big Ten Titles... 44 years ago was the last!

The stadium is back on campus now...this will be the 3rd season.

Perhaps these great and glorious things have given me enough reasons...

But the memory of A lone big Ten win over the Hoosiers in 1959 renews my hope each season!



What is best about college football to me is simply...the NEXT Big Ten Win.

A Big Ten win is as good as it ever gets for this old Big Ten fan.

That is the reason to battle on...and travel all over this GREAT Big Ten Land.

To miss the chance to see us beat the badgers, hawkeyes, Huskers too would be such a pity.

AND...to know that after that last Big Ten win...when the season was all through...

I realized that in this new year I may see us beat Purdue!




Through all these years...I've seen a lot...some very good...some very not...

...a win at the BIG HOUSE in Ann Arbor...and one in C-Town's renovated "new" old Horseshoe.

A National Championship...and a Rosebowl win THAT might have topped it off for some...

While the decades in the wilderness were tough, Some GREAT Big Ten games were won!

I've learned to have great patience now, we won more when I was rather young...

Still my history with the Big Ten lore makes me wonder what IS in store?

Trips into the wilderness built character but the wins at Illinois and NU really were all for fun!




After a half a century..I still have no regrets...

The Gophers always were my team...and they are number one still yet...

Call me names and trash my team but no ba$tards can deter me...

I've seen a lot...I've loved it all...I'll be here 'til my end.

The championships, the wilderness...the wins and losses of my Golden Gopher Era.

Simply a single Big Ten Win in 1959 has kept me coming back again...renewed each year.

A Big Ten win is a very powerful thing. A Big Ten win can launch a lifelong journey.



; 0 )

Click to expand...

You have again managed to have the longest boring post of anybody. If anybody is having trouble sleeping at night, just get out of bed and read wren's post above. You will immediately be able to fall asleep again.

I think mine goes back to my father. He would always have the Gopher games on TV or on the radio in the fall. We would be in the yard or fishing and he would have the game on. I would always watch the Gophers or Notre Dame because they were always on TV no matter what.

"OOHHHHH NELLLLLYYY!" I think that explains itself

I have never been to a pro game but have been to many other college stadiums and love every minute of it. I can't imagine going to a game when you didn't have the drums going after a first down or a timeout.