Jonathan's College Football Zone : Why College Football is Better than the NFL

3 Reasons Why College Football is Better than the NFL

I have been a football fan since the young age of 5 when I watched my first football game. The Green Bay Packers were playing and I saw them win. I have been a Green Bay Packers fan ever since. (You can tell I like winners) I watched NFL games for many years and never really was interested in college football, viewing it as just a stepping stone for players to make it to the NFL. However, in my first full season of watching college football in 2011, that short-sighted perspective changed dramatically. I discovered a sport that is better in so many ways than its professional counterpart. Less experienced defenses make long 70 yard touchdown receptions a rule rather than an exception in highlight programs. Which is better: a boring 3 yard touchdown run, which is the bread and butter of NFL highlights, or a 70 yard pass reception, which is almost a prerequisite to have a college football highlight segment? Then let's talk about the stadiums. College football stadiums pack so many excited fans into the stands, sometimes over 100,000, that it makes crowd noise into much more of a factor. Not to mention, in terms of passion and excitement, the student section completely outclasses the typical NFL game attendees. But before I get any more ahead of myself, here is the list of the 3 reasons college football is more exciting than the NFL.

1. The Rivalries

Where do I even begin? The number of rivalries in college football is astounding. I would have to say the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, often referred to as "The Game" is the best. The two teams first played in 1897 and have played every year since 1918, making this rivalry older than the NFL. Ohio State coaches have long referred to Michigan as The School Up North. Does any rivalry in the NFL have a cool catchphrase like that?

Then you have the Florida-Florida State rivalry.

This is only the beginning.

Auburn vs. Alabama: The Iron Bowl
Texas and Oklahoma's Red River Rivalry
Georgia vs. Georgia Tech: Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate
Oregon vs. Oregon State: The Civil War
Stanford vs. California: The Big Game
USC vs. UCLA: Crosstown Rivalry
Clemson vs. South Carolina: The Palmetto Bowl
Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State: Bedlam

I could go on for awhile. Each of these games are when passions are highest. The crowd is completely focused in on the game. Every play seems of great importance. You just don't find these types of rivalries in the NFL. Not only is it very hard to identify even 5 true rivalries in the NFL (I can barely think of 3), it is hard to find rivalries that have as storied a tradition as those in college.

2. The Upsets

Oh, the upsets! What makes college football so exciting is its unpredictability. You never know which game will yield an upset. Every year there will be at least ten upsets and many of them will shock expert analysts. There is also a potentially long list in this category, but for your benefit I'll keep it short.

Ole Miss over #3 Alabama: October of 2014
Auburn over #1 Alabama: November of 2013
Iowa State over #2 Oklahoma State: November of 2011
Kansas State Routs #1 Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game: December of 2003
4-7 Pittsburgh Defeats #2 West Virginia: November of 2007
Boise State Uses Trick Plays to Upset Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl: December of 2007
41-point underdog Stanford beats rival USC in Pasadena while having to play their backup quarterback: October of 2007

Upsets are rare in the NFL and when they do happen, they are not nearly as exciting. The reason? There is no more passionate a fan of football than a student from the university they are cheering on.