College Football

[Hossage]

They play harder, the atmosphere is great, and the referees understand the spirit of the game. The NFL is almost a parody of itself anymore.

[Offside Number 76]

I always hated that they play for the love of the game argument. The players in the NFL are playing for millions of dollars I think that is a much bigger motivator than pride or popularity. Why do people think NFL players are lazy their contracts are not guaranteed they have to play hard or next year they will be cut.

 

Its just strange to think a 19 year old playing to be the big man on campus works harder than a 27 year old running back looking to get a deal so that his family is secure (Fred Jackson). Putting food on the table is much more important than making your school which will just wave good bye and leave you with nothing else than a degree proud.

 

I know its hard to think that a millionaire 28 year old works just as hard as a 19 or 20 year old who has nothing and is striving to get those millions. But that 28 year old doesn't want his window for making millions to close. Also older players don't want to retire any time soon so they play hard to continue playing. I know there are players in the NFL who are lazy and living off of draft status and other things but those players are the minority by far. Also not every college player goes at it 100% every time.

 

No one said anything about NFL-ers being lazy or about not working hard. The comment was about WHY the effort is there, not WHETHER the effort is there.

[VJ91]

You realize that most of those kids don't go to class or even graduate. Its athlete first student second.

 

You could not be more wrong. There are 392 Division 1 & Division 2 college football programs that offer full scholarships in the USA today. If they average 70 scholarships per school per year, that comes to 28,000 student athletes playing football on full rides in the USA every season. Of those 28,000 per year, less then 300 get drafted into the NFL. That is barely over 1% of the players. Even if you knock that figure down by 50% to include just juniors and seniors, that makes only 2% of the all juniors and seniors playing college ball on scholarship today even getting drafted by NFL teams. I have to believe that the vast majority of the other 98% of football playing student athletes not good enough for the NFL, realize this fact, and try to get their degrees while their education is being paid for.

 

Look at this another way. Let's say the top 125 college programs graduate only about 30% of their scholarship football players. That comes to about 6,125 players not graduating every year, using my example of 70 scholarships per team. However, let's assume the 267 smaller college programs graduate more like 70% of their scholarship players. That figure comes out to 13,083 players that do end up graduating.

[SouthGeorgiaBillsFan]

You realize that most of those kids don't go to class or even graduate. Its athlete first student second.

 

Way to perpetuate unsubstantiated claims that have no basis in reality and for which you can offer not a shred of supporting evidence.

[Ice Cold Bruschi]

I love the drive and passion that college players have without being paid. And no NFL rivalry can touch the great college rivalries. Plus almost all strategy innovation occurs and college football and is brought up to the nfl.

 

That being said I hate the BCS, I hate that players don't see a dime of the profits, I hate that its geared toward the big programs. Also I like the nfl better if only because its the cream of the crop in terms of athletes.

[Ramius]

I like college ball, but love the NFL. The biggest problem i have with college ball is that if you follow a decent to great team, you're lucky to get 3-4 competitive games each season. Most of the other games are boring blowouts.

 

Now going to the games in person? College ball >>>>>>>>> NFL.

[billsfan89]

You could not be more wrong. There are 392 Division 1 & Division 2 college football programs that offer full scholarships in the USA today. If they average 70 scholarships per school per year, that comes to 28,000 student athletes playing football on full rides in the USA every season. Of those 28,000 per year, less then 300 get drafted into the NFL. That is barely over 1% of the players. Even if you knock that figure down by 50% to include just juniors and seniors, that makes only 2% of the all juniors and seniors playing college ball on scholarship today even getting drafted by NFL teams. I have to believe that the vast majority of the other 98% of football playing student athletes not good enough for the NFL, realize this fact, and try to get their degrees while their education is being paid for.

 

Look at this another way. Let's say the top 125 college programs graduate only about 30% of their scholarship football players. That comes to about 6,125 players not graduating every year, using my example of 70 scholarships per team. However, let's assume the 267 smaller college programs graduate more like 70% of their scholarship players. That figure comes out to 13,083 players that do end up graduating.

 

You are not getting my point. If it was student athlete than how could 6125 (which averages out to 1500 and change a year) students not graduate. And out of those 6125 students how many of theme are in trouble academically but they still get to play every Saturday. Well if Academics were so important wouldn't they be suspended to get their grades up?

 

Don't romanticize college football. The kids are their for the game not the education. If academics was the goal it would be criminal for any school to have a 70% grad rate let alone have it be the average for Division 1 schools. And that means that if each school has 20 seniors playing ball than 6 to 7 don't graduate every year.

 

And I am pretty sure than every school does not have 6 to 7 guys who are NFL draft caliber. So its not just the good NFL ready players who are tanking it each and every year and its not just one or two bad apples once in a while. All I am saying is its just as much of a business as the NFL but the NFL at least admits what it is and does not try and hide behind so called armature scholastic status

 

And a ton of division 1 schools lower their academic standards for football players so its clearly not about the academics. Like I said athlete first student second.

[Mark Vader]

I love both college & NFL football. I think they are both exciting. There was a writer in the USA Today, forgive me I do not remember his name, but he summed it up best to me when he wrote, "Football is my Saturday passion and my Sunday obsession."

That is exactly how I feel. I love the game of football. The one thing that is preventing college football from being one of the top 3 sports in the country is it's Post Season. The BCS is better than the old formula, but IMO the BCS has destroyed the excitement of the bowl season. Let's face it, now that they select 2 teams to play in the National Championship game, all of the other bowl games feel like glorified exhibitions.

They desperately need a playoff system in college. I've said it before, if they can do it in Division 1-AA(I still call it that), Division II & Division III, they can do it with the major programs.

I'll still watch college, because I love the game of football.

[ChasBB]

I think a lot of it just depends on where you grow up. I grew up in the Buffalo area and the Bills were it. I now live in the Gainesville, FL area and got introduced to how big college football really is. I honestly never appreciated college football until I came here, but it is very exciting, too.

[ChasBB]

I hate the knee down rule.

+1 -- yes, that totally sucks.

[bizell]

I like college ball, and love NFL ball.

 

I'll watch my team (the Noles) whenever they're on, or the Gators or Hurricanes to root against them. Oh yeah, and the major Bowl games. Other than that, I couldn't really care less.

[Gordio]

I used to be a huge NFL nut. Watched as many games as I could, could name most of the starters on every team, knew all the weaknesses and strengths....it was crazy. Over about a 7 or 8 year period, I slowly lost interest in almost all NFL and was completely taken over by NCAA. At this point, if it doesn't directly involve the Bills, I hardly take notice. Meanwhile, I watch every college game I can, no matter the team, conference, or subdivision. Yes, the BCS adds a sour note, but anyone who doesn't watch for that is missing out, and not really a college fan.

 

Those kids hit the field every game with everything on the line. They pour their hearts into the game, playing for the pride of the their schools, their states, hopes of a future in the NFL, or even just their popularity on campus (which I'm sure is a big enough prize for a 19 year old kid being treated like a god). Doesn't matter who's playing. Could be perennial top 10 team vs a long time bottom dweller, there's always the chance of an upset, and they always give it everything they have.

 

There may be rules that could be better, and a playoffs are must that will become a part of the game sooner or later. But for pure football, I don't think the NFL comes close.

 

 

This is exactly how I feel. over the past few years I have kind of soured on the NFL. With the new stadiums, the wine & cheese crowds, the favortism by the refs for big market teams, the constant threat of the bills moving & of course the bills not sniffing the playoffs for 10 years has rubbed me the wrong way. I still like the NFL & have season tickets & watch as much as I can, but I love college football. Anybody that says the pro game is more exciting I think really does not have a clue. Watch a game down in the south like at Auburn/LSU/Florida St/Florida on a saturday night. The atmosphere is off the hook. Take the time & watch a late night Pac 10 game out Eugene or Corvallis, Oregon & you will see what the college football atmosphere is all about. I agree they need a playoff & I think that day is coming.

 

I already outlined in a past post what they should do. Have every conference play a championship game. The winner of each conference gets an auto bid to the playoff(11 teams). Then have 5 wildcards(best BCS rated teams of the remaining non conference winners). By doing this if a team argues they should be in the playoffs, the NCAA could just say you should of won your conference. The first round games will be played in early december att on campus sites. The teams will be seeded according to their BCS ranking with one caveet, the wildcard teams must be on the road for the opening round. This will setup some unbelievable atmospheres where a Boise ST could be hosting a Texas or a MAC school like Ball St could host a team like Penn ST. After the 1st round you have 8 teams left & those games will be played on New years day at the BCS bowls(Sugar/Fiesta/Orange/Rose). The semifinals & the finals will be played the following weeks & the season should be done by mid hjanuary. The BCS bowls could alternate who gets the semifinals & the finals each year kinda like they do in the championship now. The rest of the bowl system could remain intact. You may say that doing this would make the 2nd tier(non bcs bowls irrelevant) but lets face it they are pretty irrelevant now anyways. One more thing, put a rule in there that if Notre Dame(or any independant for that matter is in the top 16 of the BCS they automatically get a spot in the playoff.

[May Day 10]

I really got into college football this past season, and I have to say I enjoy it much more than the NFL (other than the Bills). Gambling on it is very fun too.

 

On a Saturday you literally can have games on from noon to 3AM if Hawaii is home. There are so many different cultures and traditions around so many programs.

 

Its also refreshing that Im not so invested into a team like I am with the Bills, Sabres, etc. There are a number of programs I really like (Buffalo, Oklahoma, Oregon St, Boise State, Auburn), and a number I will never root for (USC, Miami, Michigan, Florida, Tennessee). It will give me the freedom too to "switch teams" and root for whoever is interesting and maybe poised to make a run.

 

 

I really think that if the NCAA went to a 16 team playoff, it would end up having gargantuan interest.... like as much as some of the pro sports combined.

[TheBlackMamba]

You realize that most of those kids don't go to class or even graduate. Its athlete first student second.

 

who cares if they dont go to class or graduate. if anyone of us on this board would love to have 1/4 of the athletic ability of the kids that get recruited to play D1 ball. im pretty sure that after 3 years of college and had the choice to enter the draft and were guaranteed millions you all would take the money. its easy to sit there in your cubicle and say "oh man they need to finish college because education is the most important thing" yea, education is important if you're not in the .1 percantile of people that make it to the professional sports leagues.

[dib]

love college football. Every game matters

[The Senator]

You realize that most of those kids don't go to class or even graduate. Its athlete first student second.

Not if your coach is...

 

Mike Leach

 

(Link - BCS graduation rates)

[bladiebla]

I love the college atmosphere and totally love the passion for the game the players possess, however dislike the level of play.

 

NFL wise I love the level of play but dislike the passion for dollars over passion for a team/the game that is common practice in the NFL (heh, it's just a job attitude) also fan support is totally lacking for some teams (I mean half to completly empty stadiums when a team is loosing that is just bs; you support your team to the end; yell your lungs out for them to turn it around).

 

I liked NFL Europe best, for it combined the best of college with the best of the NFL, players that played like every game could be their last, level of play in between college and NFL, crazy fansupport. Sadly the competition model often meant it took a couple of games into the season for them to reach a solid level of play, another downside was almost completly new teams bar 2-4 players every year plus the season didnt last long enough.

[Bufcomments]

Have to admit I love the NFL more than the college game.

 

But I do enjoy watching the bigger matchups during the college year. I also follow UB games as well to see how they are doing.

 

They have to go to a playoff system in college ball. That way the championship is earned on the field . Just like the NCAA's in basketball.

It would place more importance on the games during the year. I think the BCS sucks. If you are 12-0 whatever conference you play in you deserve a chance to find out if you can play with the Ohio States of the world and would add more interest in the playoff games.

 

Take for example, Last year UB won its conference. Imagine for a second if they was to play against the SEC champ in a playoff game.

Yea sure they would most likely lose but think of all the national exposure UB would get. That means more potential recruits.

It would be a win win even if they lost the game and what if they accually won???

 

I like the overtime in college ball also. Way better than the NFL sudden death.

[Peevo]

I really had a lot of fun with the UB season last year. Going to games with exciting outcomes, a play-making offense and free is something that is hard to beat.

 

Perhaps the 2008 UB Football season is only a gonna end up a novelty, nostalgic, arbitrary season amongts years of indifference. I mean, part of the fun of it was the fact that it was new, different, not stressful like other Buffalo football teams. If the team starts to matter more, the pressure increases, therefore, the fun level decreases. Does that make sense? I think part of why it was so enjoyable was because quite honestly, the outcome isn't as important to my sports-life as compared to a Bills or Sabres win.

 

All in all, I'd love to see the academic standards of the big schools, especially in the SEC increase. But of course, that'll never happen. I mean, sure, Roscoe Parrish can run really really fast, but can he compose a complete sentence? Is it so wrong to want professional athletes to be composed, thoughtful, dare I even say, insightful people? Probably. But I'd much rather draft players from Notre Dame that are talented and intelligent. Too bad the smart ones aren't good enough. All this said, I just gravitate towards the pro game more. The players in college get paid. If not in actual dollars, in perks, tuition moneys, and job/familial opportunities. Reggie Bush goes to USC for free and just like magic his mom gets a house and a car and a job. If you're gonna sit here and tell me the college game isn't all about money, you'd be lying. That's why my above point, going to college for free, to ya know, actually learn something, will never happen. You're not gonna see a Philosophy major that plays football. Engineering? Hah. Trent Edwards graduated Stanford with a Poly Sci degree. This is very hard to do. However, how good of a QB is Trent Edwards? The saga continues.

[stuckincincy]

I really had a lot of fun with the UB season last year. Going to games with exciting outcomes, a play-making offense and free is something that is hard to beat.

 

Perhaps the 2008 UB Football season is only a gonna end up a novelty, nostalgic, arbitrary season amongts years of indifference. I mean, part of the fun of it was the fact that it was new, different, not stressful like other Buffalo football teams. If the team starts to matter more, the pressure increases, therefore, the fun level decreases. Does that make sense? I think part of why it was so enjoyable was because quite honestly, the outcome isn't as important to my sports-life as compared to a Bills or Sabres win.

 

All in all, I'd love to see the academic standards of the big schools, especially in the SEC increase. But of course, that'll never happen. I mean, sure, Roscoe Parrish can run really really fast, but can he compose a complete sentence? Is it so wrong to want professional athletes to be composed, thoughtful, dare I even say, insightful people? Probably. But I'd much rather draft players from Notre Dame that are talented and intelligent. Too bad the smart ones aren't good enough. All this said, I just gravitate towards the pro game more. The players in college get paid. If not in actual dollars, in perks, tuition moneys, and job/familial opportunities. Reggie Bush goes to USC for free and just like magic his mom gets a house and a car and a job. If you're gonna sit here and tell me the college game isn't all about money, you'd be lying. That's why my above point, going to college for free, to ya know, actually learn something, will never happen. You're not gonna see a Philosophy major that plays football. Engineering? Hah. Trent Edwards graduated Stanford with a Poly Sci degree. This is very hard to do. However, how good of a QB is Trent Edwards? The saga continues.

 

Good, thoughtful comments, Peevo.