What Makes College Football Special?

With the college football season upon us with week zero games starting in less than 24 hours, I figured we could take a look at what makes college football special. We will look at why this sport played by 17-22 year old men captures the hearts and time of people from all walks of life. We spend our Saturdays in front of a television somewhere starting with College Gameday at 9am eastern, and for those of us on the east coast, conclude our Saturday when the clock has already turned to Sunday with the conclusion of PAC-12 after dark or for the die hard fans, after the Hawaii challenge. Also let’s not forget about MACtion and other games that will be on pretty much any night of the week. We have a wide variety of games to choose from and there is something for everyone when it comes to college football.

The NFL and college football each have their pros and cons. If you ask a hundred people, you will more than likely get a pretty even response of which one they like better. For this article’s purpose we aren’t going to compare the two, but rather point out what makes college football appeal to so many people young and old.

The Traditions

Whether you are speaking of Howard’s Rock, The 12th Man, Country Roads, Dotting the I, The Turnover Chain college football traditions are everywhere. These are traditions that mean everything to the teams that they belong to and their fans. If I were to list all of college footballs traditions you would be bored and not read the rest of the article. Whomever your team is, there is some sort of  tradition for them no matter how big or small. Even the casual fan knows about a lot of these traditions and can recognize them instantly. Each one is unique in their own way, and provide a little bit extra to the overall game day experience.

Amount of Games Available

As mentioned earlier, college football games are on pretty much every day of the week except Sundays and Mondays from August-late November. The best part is that the majority of these games are available with basic television or internet packages. There isn’t any need in buying overpriced packages to watch your favorite teams. You also have the luxury of enjoying not only Power 5 games, but also Group of 5 games that produce some of the most exciting action of the year. MACtion Tuesday night games are oftentimes just as exciting as a top 10 prime time Saturday night matchup. Whatever your preference is, there is a game for you, and it is easily accessible.

Rivalry Games

College football rivalries give a new meaning to the word passion. There is nothing like watching Ohio State vs. Michigan on a bitterly cold November day and watching the look in the players eyes. Throw records out of the window, these games are all about who wants it more. Most fans would agree that if your favorite team has had a bad year and not going to a bowl game, that beating their rivals would salvage an otherwise disappointing year.

Offensive Systems

College football offenses are a smorgasbord of systems that have something for everyone. You aren’t going to find the triple option anywhere else. The wildcat, pistol, wishbone and others are all offensive systems you will find all over the country. Preparing for some of these can be a nightmare for defenses, but to the fans it gives us something new and unusual to enjoy and try and understand.

Student Sections

When Enter Sandman hits at Virginia Tech, or Jump Around at Wisconsin, you can literally feel the stadiums shake. Ask any person what their first time attending a college football game was like and most of them will talk about how great the student section was. The energy that these sections produce provides distinct advantages to the teams they are supporting, and are integral parts of their teams fan base.

These are just a few of the things that stand out to me as to why college football is special. College sports in general to me are a step above everything else because of the raw emotion and passion that comes out of the student athletes and their fans. Each game has so much importance, not just to the players, but to the fans and alumni. The overall atmosphere at a college football game is something that cannot even be explained, you just have to experience it. With the season starting soon, the excitement and anticipation for the upcoming season is through the roof, and for fans of every team in the country, a new chance to make their mark on the college football world.

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