10 reasons college football is as good as it gets

I remember clearly as a kid following the Cowboys of the '70s with as much passion as an 11 or 12-year-old kid could possibly have. While the experience of watching huge figures like Staubach and Lilly, Landry and Dorsett will forever be in my memory banks, I was beginning to wonder if ever I'd have another opportunity to watch a sport with as much enthusiasm as I did with those old Cowboy Super Bowl teams. The Cowboys of the 1990s were fun, sure, and they were arguably the best Cowboy teams ever, but by then I was an adult and that boyish love for following athletes and their pursuits had diminished greatly.

That same fire with which I followed the '70s Cowboys has resurfaced during the miracle run on the South Plains of Lubbock. And sure, while some of it has to do with a personal connection to the town and Texas Tech, a lot of it simply has to do with college football's approach to the game. The NFL is no doubt the mega money machine of the 21st century sports world, far and away the professional sport of choice, easily outdistancing all others. So why is college football so much more fun to watch on a consistent basis?

Why?

10 Reasons College Football is more of a "must see" event than the NFL:

Mascots. Whether it's a lumbering bull chewing its cud and patrolling the Austin sidelines, a marauding rider atop a black horse, a sword-brandishing Trojan out west, a pony being driven furiously across the field in Dallas or Sooners in a wagon in Norman, mascots in the college game easily outdistance their professional counterparts.

Cheerleaders. College cheerleaders cheer for the team and the passion of the sport. NFL cheerleaders? Ummm, not quite so much.

Fans. Give me 10 shirtless screaming painted guys over 10 beer drinkers in  Romo jerseys any day of the week. Caveat: The cheeseheads and the guys that dress up like pigs in Washington ... those guys are great. But just check the faces  of the typical college fan versus the typical NFL fan. The passion in the college fan is unmistakable.

Game Day. Saturday afternoons in the fall are events. It's easy to find three or four games every Saturday where the intensity is thick and the results of the game can make or break an entire season. Every Saturday is a playoff game in college football.

Music. Pregame televised theme music on Saturdays sounds like a pep rally. Pre-game music on Sundays sounds like the apocalypse. Give me a pep rally over the end of the world anyday.

Announcers. Network announcers sound like they're having fun on Saturday; On Sunday, it's as if the weight of the world is in the balance of a single Peyton Manning pass, a Titans' loss of a Romo finger.

Players. There are no Ocho Cincos, T.O.'s or Plaxico Buresses in college football. And if there are, the coaches still have the backbone to keep them quiet. In college, it's still about the team.

Rivalry weekend. Check out the college football schedule for November 27-28. See how many rivalry games you can count. No way the NFL could ever offer anything close to this day. 

Bands. NFL games don't have bands. Except for once a year during the Super Bowl when old guys like Tom Petty and Mick Jagger are paraded out to promote their latest greatest hits package. Give me the Goin' Band from Raider Land running out of the tunnel, the Fighting Texas Aggie Band, the Longhorn Band (the Showband of the Southwest), the Sooner Band or the USC Marching Band any day.

Bowl "season". I used to think it was too long. Now, it's not long enough. This year, it starts with the Vegas Bowl on Dec. 20 and culminates with the National Championship game Janaury 7, 2009. Week in and week out, you can't beat the drama of the conference matchups during the regular season, but the bowl season is synonymous with the holidays and every game is a celebration of the achievements of the regular season.

Oh, and No. 11 ...

Texas Tech-OU. Saturday, 7 p.m., ABC. A game hasn't been this big for Lubbock fans since, well, since the Texas game. Win this one, and the pollsters and pundits will finally have to consider Tech a for-real, legitimate national contender.

Photo: Masked Rider from www.redraidernation.com.

Comments

[Tricia]

No Longhorn Band? The Showband of the Southwest?

*Sniff sniff*

I agree wholeheartedly with absolutely everything else you said in this post, though.

[Jimmy]

I fixed it, Tricia. Sorry. Innocent oversight :) especially since I know you were a one time proud member.

[Damien Franco]

Soooo very excited about the Texas Tech game on Saturday. I've been wearing black and red all week!

Go Tech!

[Tricia]

:-) All right then. That's better.