Exactly. There's really no surprise in college. Sure you have schools like Boise State and Rutgers have surprising seasons but even though one was undefeated and one went undefeated deep into the season, nobody was really talking seriously about either of them playing for the title. It was brought up for discussion purposes but nobody was being serious. Then all the traditional powerhouses land all the blue chip recruits and there is not a single thing to balance it out but I don't really think there can be. Also it is hard to root for a team like Houston, Arkansas State, Hawaii, and many others knowing that even if they went undefeated they would not be considered for a spot in the title game and sometimes a team in the toughest conference can go undefeated and not even reach the title game (see Auburn a few years ago).
I didnt vote... IF I HAD TO VOTE it would be that I like the NFL more. I do not like the blowouts in college although you see a lot more upsets, and that is fun to watch. Usuaully in the NFL the team that is supposed to win, usually does. You know going into the season who the power house teams are going to be... You can argue this same point about college football, but in my opinion a power house is more suspect to getting beaten in college. I like watching and rooting for the underdog... but then I actaully agree with these points above mine.
ok for me it's the NFL>>>>NCAA reason #1 no playoffs, LSU was the best team in the nation last season but because all of their tough games were on the road they slipped up and were "eliminated" from the national title game. reason #2 while NCAA football is the second highest form of American football it's still not close to the same product that the NFL gives you reason #3 some teams like UH can go undefeated and never have a shot at playing for a title, look at Boise St last season and while this seems like reason #1 it's different because atleast LSU could of controlled their own destiny by winning Look I love both and NCAA football does have it's fair share of great things (the bands, the student sections, all day and night tailgating etc. etc.) Also being a fan of a bad college team is hard because it takes years to turn around a program while in the NFL you can go from 2-14 to a super bowl in 2-3 years. The last reason is I know how much NFL players get paid, I am comfortable with it and I am comfortable with the prices for fans etc. etc. Spending lots of time up in Austin I know first hand (don't pay attention Longhorn Fans) how much cheating is involved. It's pretty hard to get through college on your own so I take it personal when guys are handed a free ride and then get so many extra's for playing football. Look spending time at UH I can tell you those guys major in being elligble year round, explain to me how you can take 24 hrs a year for six years and still be 40+ away from a degree.
Sums it up for me. The atmosphere of a good college stadium is unmatched. For some schools, people will still rock the house on every play even though they know their school has no chance at a BCS bid. For example, even though Florida is much better than FSU right now, it's still such a tremendous game and atmosphere that people still go crazy for. That's something you can't recreate w/out years of tradition, diehard fans, and alumni who never let it die.
To me, the sexy matchups are watered down because the games are played in neutral stadiums. If I-A had a 16 team playoff (all conference winners plus a few at-large berths) and played the games at the higher seed's home stadium like I-AA does, the NCAA would pwn the NFL.
part of the reason college football is a psuedo sport. a lot of determining who wins happens off the field. when in the nfl would you ever hear someone say "well, the NFC West champion shouldn't get into the playoffs, cause that division sucks!!" how messed up is it that a school, like UH for example, can go from being 1 win against UT away from a national title (1990) to basically invalid and ineligible in just a decade (2001)?
My memory may be a bit fuzzy after all these years, but would UH have been eligible for a MNC while being on probation? They couldn't even play in a bowl game that year, right? I'm pretty sure you'd have to win a bowl game to be credited with an MNC, right?
I thought the suspension was 1989? that was when Ware won the heisman without once appearing on national tv.. but the no-bowl-game thing may have been 1990. but either way my point remains the same.
Your problem seems to be with the structure. Which is a fair arguement. Conversly, problems exist within the NFL structure that detract from enjoying it. Specifically free agency and roster cutting. I mean J. Trotter just got wacked from Pittsburgh. Who's to say 5 years from now Andre Johnson doesn't suffer the same fate. I think independent of sturcture the college game is better than the NFL based on variables already mentioned. Ask yourself as a UH alum which would mean more to you. UH winning a MNC (against Texas ) or the Texans winning a superbowl. I will say that being present during the Rockets championship runs Pro sports has a way of unnifying a city unlike college athletics. In this regard Pro sports is unique.
agree on that last point, hell there are more UT fans in Houston than UH fans so while the story of the local team making a title run at the college level is nice (Phi Slama Jama-my dad was a huge fan even though he is a UT alum) it does not mean the same as a pro team to everyone (Rockets 80-86-94-95-97, Astros 80-86-2004-2005, Oilers luv you blue)
I disagree with this premise somewhat. I don't think college sports can unify Houston because of the colleges that happen to be there. But really that's an anomoly. In fact, some sporting events can unite a whole state. Don't believe me? Go ask someone in Louisiana what they think of USC's 2003 National Championship.
College Football until December when the freaking Bowl season begins. Nothing worth watching for a whole month till BCS bowls begin. But by then NFL playoff races and divisional showdowns have my attention. This semi vacation really takes the momentum away from the teams especially the 2 playing for a national crown. Last few years many teams came out flat in the title game like Oklahoma in 2004, UCS in 2006 and Ohio State in 2007. The month off really can put a lot of rust on teams that are heavily favorite. Also I hate the hype and buildup by the media only to be disappointed a month later. Aside from that the regular season of College Football is so much fun to watch. Texas vs OU always my favorite and I have tried to make the trip to Dallas the last 3-4 years to witness the greatest rivalry ever. Also That Texas vs Ohio State at the Horseshoe was epic in 2005. Other Rivalries I follow Miami/FSU, OSU/Michigan, and USC/ND. SEC is the best conference to watch because every week almost feels like a divisional title game. So many great teams playing each other. Big 12 is nice but aside from Texas, OU and maybe Nebraska nobody else even has a remote shot at the national title not even A&M.
This happens in college to but they are just different names. Instead of free agency they have early draft entry, roster cuts, and transfers. Oh, Trotter got cut from Philadelphia not Pittsburgh.
I wonder how many of the people that love College Football hate the Yankees because they buy all the players.
Well it appears the public has voted and the NFL did better than I expected. There was a poll on Fan Nation and College Football won with about the same results as now just reversed. Oh well it seams the Clutchfans are smarter and know their football better anyway. Long live the NFL and burn in hell BCS system!
I lost my passion for the NFL when the Oilers left town. I've never really followed college football that closely, but respect it as a major sports entity. The top ten things that are wrong with both leagues: 1) The players for both are major prima donnas. You can thank ESPN and 24 hour sports news for that, though. I swear, if I see one more guy dance around like Michael Jackson after a QB sack, I'm going postal. 2) National Felons League - no explanation needed 3) Naturally Corrupt Athletics Association - The NCAA is a Nazi-like entity with a War and Peace rulebook that they try to enforce with clear bias to certain teams that make more money for them. NCAA football and basketball is like cycling; It's not a matter of who's cheating, it's a matter of who gets caught. 4) ****** lineman - My gawd, is there a single lineman in the NFL that is under 300 pounds? 5) Too many bowl games - Up next, the Lysol Toilet Bowl, featuring the sixth place team from the Sun Belt Conference vs. the seventh place team from the Big Sky Conference. 6) No college national title game - There's been enough about this subject to fill up a presidential library 7) The salary cap - Perfectly capable and productive players get cut for no other reason than they make too much money on a contract that the team offered to them in the first place 8) Punters - I just dislike punters in general. Those pansies should be required to play a series on either offense or defense 9) Monday Night Football on ESPN - What...The...F*ck... 10) The Superbowl - Quickly becoming one of the most overrated sporting events of the year As it stands now, NCAA Football sucks slightly smaller donkey balls than the NFL, mainly because of its fan base and the rivalries. Sure, you have a couple of semi decent rivalries in the NFL with Packers/Bears and Cowboys/Redskins, but those rivalries generally fluctuate with how good the teams are. When you talk about UT/Oklahoma, Ohio State/Michigan, LSU/Auburn, and Florida/Tennessee, those fans really, truly hate each other. Both teams could be 0-10 in any of those games, and the stadiums would still be packed to capacity.
College. I just can't get into the NFL anymore. I don't really have a team to support and as a result end up just supporting Longhorns. I mean, there are teams I dislike - the Steelers - but schadenfreude only takes you so far. And as a neutral for most games - most games are boring. Close games that are close because both teams are equally poor don't really excite me.
