With the kickoff of college football happening this weekend, I found my football fan juices have gotten flowing. On the eve of the beginning of the season, I found my mind wandering to a conversation I was having with a friend of mine. It was an interesting conversation that had my college football fandom come into question. This conversation had nothing to do with the NCAA transfer decision process (which is ridiculous with the picky way the NCAA grants those waivers).
It had nothing to do with the compensation issue and if the NCAA should allow players to make money off of their likeness (I believe they should but I am a nobody and my opinion doesn’t matter). Or the purity of the college football game (it’s not, college football is big business and don’t let anyone tell you that college football isn’t as cutthroat as the NFL).
What this friend asked was, if only 3 or 4 teams have a real shot at winning the National Title, how can I be a fan of one of the teams that don’t have a shot at the CFP let alone the National Title. This is not an easy answer to come up with. It took me a while to come up with an answer. The answer that I came up with, is because of the people. College football fans are a different breed.
We love schools that we may not have a connection to (I am a fan of NC State even though I did not go there, even though I am hoping to change that with the coming of the Spring Semester). I am also an Arizona State fan and alum, and I love watching both of those schools. There is a sense of pride when a school that you attended or chose to win. Being in the parking lot, tailgating with family and friends is a different atmosphere than the NFL. Pro football has a few tailgating franchises, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Green Bay, Oakland, and Cleveland are the top places that come to mind.
However, the college football atmosphere is second to none. If you ever get a chance to go to a game at Ohio Stadium, take that opportunity. Any school in the SEC is a tailgating MECCA. The college football game has pageantry to it. You have The Grove at Ole Miss, The Gratto and Touchdown Jesus at Notre Dame. The fans singing Country Roads after every game at West Virginia, and the Vol Navy in Knoxville. And there is nothing like the sound of the cowbells at Mississippi State
Those are all things I want to experience or have experienced. The pageantry and history of college football is why I am a fan. While I would go to a New Years 6 Bowl game and if Arizona State or NC State ever made the CFP there is no limit on what I would spend to go and see those games. But in reality, it would take a very good season for either of those schools would go. And yet, I will continue watching every game that I can and enjoying every minute of it.
Make you follow the All Sports Discussion Twitter account at @AllSportsDACC and please like our Facebook Page
Leave a Reply