THE EXPERIENCE OR THE GAME?

FOOTBALL SEASON IS IN FULL SWING!!!! This is by far my favorite time of year because I am such a big football fan. The perfect fall sports weekend for me would consist of watching one or two college football games on Saturday followed by watching every possible NFL game that I can all day on Sunday and then on Monday night. Although I like college football quite a bit, I definitely prefer the NFL.

I know and have met a lot of people who are huge football fans. Some of them are college and professional fans, but the majority of them prefer one or the other. Although there are some exceptions, the majority of the die-hard college football fans that I have met do not like the NFL at all. While on the other hand, most of the NFL fans that I know (including myself) like college football also but simply likes the NFL better. Although they are both share the name football, these are definitely two very different games. With that being said, I will evaluate what I feel are the differences between the two games. Hopefully this will explain why each game attracts the type of fan that it does.

GAME DAY ATMOSPHERE
The differences in the atmosphere at an NFL game can’t be compared to that of a college game. The atmosphere for a big game between two major college football teams is among the best in sports. If you don’t believe me, tune-in next Saturday night for the game between USC and Ohio State. The stadium will be electric and you will be able to feel the excitement through your television screen, especially if you are watching in High Definition. By far the coolest thing to witness in all of football (especially in High Definition) is the “White Out” by Penn State fans when they play a big home game at night. College tailgating is also much better than tailgating at NFL games. The main reason for this fact is that most college games are played on Saturday, and most people don’t work on Sunday, so they can get as drunk as their body will allow. On the other hand NFL tailgaters have to be careful because they have to be able to make it home and get ready for work the following day.

The main difference between professional and college crowds is “THE STUDENT SECTION.” This section is filled with drunk college kids who are at the game simply to continue the party from tailgating that morning and getting ready for an after party that night. More often than not these students know very little about football, but go to the games because it is the thing to do on campus and they are a lot of fun. The rest of the stadium is filled with alumni, locals, and fans of the other team who are all dressed up and ready to yell and scream in support of their team for 3 ½ hours. At the schools that have top tier college football programs, each game day is an event, and it is just an amazing experience. Especially when ESPN’s College Gameday broadcasts live from their campus.

In contrast, NFL tickets have gotten so expensive that the average fan can’t afford to go to the games. It’s getting to the point that NFL stadiums will soon have more luxury suites than regular seats. The seats in the lower sections of the stadiums are beginning to look more and more like corporate shareholders meetings and less like football games. However, the average fan can still afford the upper level tickets (just barely) in NFL stadiums. That really takes away from the atmosphere of the game, when the majority of the die-hard fans are sitting so far from the field, strictly due to the economics of the game. I think it is funny that the NFL stadiums that have the best “atmosphere” like Kansas City and Denver are thought to be so great because they have a college-like atmosphere.

RIVALRIES
In my opinion, this is by far where college football has the advantage over the NFL. There are some great rivalries in the NFL, such as Colts – Patriots, Giants – Cowboys, Chiefs – Broncos, and Packers – Bears just to name a few. Although they are usually very good games that cause a lot of excitement, they can’t hold a candle to the traditional college rivalries. Think about Michigan – Ohio State, Georgia – Florida, Auburn – Alabama, Florida State – Miami, Texas – Oklahoma, and USC – Notre Dame. No matter the state of the programs or the records of each team going into these games, when they meet you can throw out the records. These games excite their fan bases more so than any game does for NFL fans.

STYLES OF PLAY
The college game offers a variety of styles of play, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. There are teams that run the “Spread Offense,” the “Option,” the “Pro-style Offense,” the “Triple Option,” the “West Coast Offense,” the “Shot-Gun Offense,” and a variety of other styles or systems. It makes for some very interesting games. The phase, “Styles make fights,” which is often used in boxing also applies to college football games.

On the other hand, in the NFL everyone basically runs a form of the “West Coast Offense,” a heavy “Shot-Gun Offense,” or the traditional “Pro-style Offense.”

UNIFORMS
As a whole college football teams have much cooler uniforms than NFL teams. Don’t get me wrong there are some really cool uniforms in the NFL, such as the Falcons, the Chargers (powder blue throwbacks), the Denver Broncos, and the Arizona Cardinals, just to name a few. However, Nike really works hard to keep the college teams looking good. The University of Oregon has so many different uniforms that they never have to wear the same combination twice during a season. I have noticed that the new NFL uniforms are starting to look more and more like the college uniforms.

Jersey numbers are also much cooler in college football. The NFL has absolutely ridiculous rules that dictate the jersey numbers that a player can choose according to their position. That rule is about as stupid as the NBA age-limit. Who cares what a uniform number a player chooses. Personally I like to see defensive ends and linebackers wearing single digit numbers. I think it looks really cool. The NFL even fines players for not wearing particular socks or having a tinted helmet visor. They have to have something better to worry about than Clinton Portis’ choice of socks.

POST SEASON
The worst thing about major college football is the fact that they have this stupid Bowl System instead of a playoff system. In college football voters and computer calculations decide who gets to play for the championship. That is the stupidest thing in sports. This is a flawed system on so many levels. By not letting things be decided on the field, you open the door for constant whining by fans, players, and especially coaches. It was an absolute embarrassment for the sport when Auburn was left out of the National Championship game following the 2004 season. They were passed over for Oklahoma, who was beat like Rodney King by the USC Trojans. It is a shame that although all three teams were undefeated, Auburn was passed over because they started the season ranked lower.

I almost forgot, you can’t get rid of the bowl system and implement a playoff system. If you do that, we will no longer have the GMAC Bowl, the Music City Bowl, the Smurf-Turf Bowl, or the all-important Emerald Nut Bowl. What on Earth would we do without all of these games between six and seven win teams?

The NFL on the other hand has the best playoff format in all of sports. It is very simple. If you win your division, you are in the playoffs. There are also two wild-card spots per conference, which gives teams that can’t win the division something to continue to play hard for.

COACHING
Do I really need to go into any detail here? I will simply make one statement. THE VAST MAJORITY OF COLLEGE HEAD COACHES (EVEN THE “GENIUSES”) CAN’T CUT IT IN THE NFL. If you don’t believe me, think about Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban, Bobby Petrino, Butch Davis, and Lou Holtz just to name a few. NFL coaches are simply more knowledgeable about the game and work harder to be successful.

TALENT
The talent gap between major college football and the NFL is ridiculously wide, as it should be. The fact that there are approximately 120 Division 1 college football teams with 85 scholarship players each compared to 32 NFL teams with 53 player each should explain the talent gap. Over the years there have been many college football players that people thought were great that just couldn’t cut it in the NFL. I am sure that you remember the stellar NFL careers of Jason White, Eric Crouch, Chris Weinke, Danny Wuerffel, Andre Ware, and the GREAT GINO TORRETTA. Oh, you don’t? Me either, and all of these players won the Heisman Trophy, which allegedly makes them the best player in college football.

The size and speed combination of NFL players is absolutely ridiculous. There are defensive ends in the NFL that are fast enough to catch such speedsters as Reggie Bush and Michael Vick from behind (given the proper angle). There are wide receivers in the NFL that are big enough to be defensive ends in the college game.

The talent is also more evenly distributed in the NFL than in the college game. Colleges build their teams through recruiting. This basically means that it is possible for a couple of teams to amass all of the talent and leave the programs with less money to pay their players with the scraps. This talent gap means that there will be a lot of 65 – 14 games over the course of the season. These types of games even take place within the same conference. Watch the USC v/s Arizona game. The average margin of victory in Division 1 college football is close to 20 points per game, as opposed to an NFL of slightly more than three points. Due to the fact that the talent is so close among NFL teams, any team can win on ANY GIVEN SUNDAY!!!!

Although we all have NFL players that we think are terrible (think Brodie Croyle, Fred Smoot, Fred Thomas, Alex Smith, Rex Grossman), we must remember that everyone in the NFL is a good football player. The things that they can do on the football field are simply amazing.

QUALITY OF THE GAME
The quality of play in the NFL is so much better than that of the college game, that they really shouldn’t both be called football. This is of course due to several of the factors that were mentioned earlier. First of all, the quality of the coaching In the NFL is so much better than that of the college game. The NFL game is usually a more crisply played game with fewer penalties, which can be attributed to the fact that the players are professionals. The routes are very precise, the hits are much harder, the backs hit the hole much quicker, the blocks are more devastating, the plays are more intricate, and the game is so detailed. When it comes to precision and execution, the NFL is head and shoulders above college football. For instance, a receiver in college football is considered open when he has three yards on a defender. On the other hand, an NFL receiver is considered open when he has one step on the defender. The NFL quarterback then has to be able to get the ball to that receiver, while keeping it away from the defender.

THE STUPIDEST THING ABOUT COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Although this entry is about comparing college football to the NFL, I must get off the subject for a second and rant about what I believe is the stupidest thing about college football. I don’t understand PRESEASON RANKINGS!!!! How in the world can you rank teams before you see them play? Two things have happened this week that don’t make any sense to me. First East Carolina started the season unranked. Apparently this was a mistake because they have proven to be better than Virginia Tech (ranked 17th at the time) and West Virginia (ranked 8th at the time). After these two victories the Pirates have finally proven worthy of being ranked, they are 14th in this week’s poll. How do you explain this? The other thing that leaves me puzzled is that fact that Georgia started the season ranked number one and won their first game rather convincingly, yet they were jumped in the polls by USC. Basically the same people who thought they were the best team before the season, punished them a week later for winning like they should. Now I am by no means a Georgia fan, but this is ridiculous. I know that all college sports have pre-season rankings, but they are especially stupid in football because more often than not you final poll position is affected by your starting poll position. Remember there is no playoff system, so it will not be decided on the field. Also, remember that the voters do not always watch the games. They simply read box scores or watch SportsCenter. What a way to decide who is better!

THE EXPERIENCE OR THE GAME
As I stated earlier, the college and NFL games are very different and everyone is entitled to have their preferences. These are the two most popular sports in America (NFL is #1 followed by College Football at #2), so we know that a lot of people really enjoy both of them. Personally I like college football, but I absolutely LOVE THE NFL. Based on my observations of football fans that I have come across, I feel as though college football fans are usually people who love the experience of the game, while NFL fans are people who love football!

Which do you prefer, THE EXPERIENCE OR THE GAME?


****NOTE (on a totally different subject)****
I found it rather amusing that Daunte Culpepper retired from the NFL. I wasn't aware that you can retire from a league when you are not currently in the league (he was not on a roster). If the knee injury suffered by Tom Brady is serious and he is out for the season or an extended portion of this season and the Patriots call Daunte Culpepper, do you really think that he is going to tell them, NO THANKS, I'M RETIRED? I don't think so, which means that he is not retired, he is simply not on a team.


****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
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