YES IT IS
No, we’re not saying that any college football team would beat or even stand a chance against a pro team. They wouldn’t. But the college game is better.
College Football is Better than the NFL
A Couch Potato’s Paradise
If you love watching football, what can possibly be better than games starting at noon on Saturday and ending at 2:30 in the morning the following day? Even if a football fan has the NFL Sunday Ticket or NFL Red Zone, there are so many more college football games to watch than the pros.
Even though it’s not as popular as in the pros there is college fantasy football. It’s a thrill when you’re down by 20 points, your fantasy opponent has finished for the day and all you have left is Shedeur Sanders who throws three touchdowns in the last minute of regulation and overtime to go with a pair of two-point conversions and you win by three points in the middle of the night. If you don’t play college fantasy football you still get to see the scene in Boulder as Colorado remains undefeated winning a game where they looked to be down and out.
Since there are so many college football games on television every Saturday during the season on so many networks, fans can channel surf all day and night from game to game to game.
ESPN’s College Game Day
OK, so NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown, Football Night in America, NFL Sunday Ticket, NFL RedZone, and the network pregame shows are nice. The Fox pregame show for college football is great too. But nothing, absolutely nothing, compares to ESPN College GameDay.
You have the celebrity guest pickers, Rece Davis who is top-notch, Kirk Herbstreet, Lee Corso, and we can’t forget about Desmond Howard, the Heisman winner from yes, Michigan. Add in the Washington State Cougars flag at every weekly stop, campus views, a big game, and the fans, and there is an atmosphere that simply can’t be beat. Yes, the fans really make the show and the talking heads are right near the fans. It’s also outside, unlike the NFL pre-game shows, which only add to an already electric atmosphere. Attendance at GameDay should be on everyone’s bucket list. If rowdy is what you’re looking for then ESPN Game Day is the show for you.
The Food
While the NFL teams have made improvements to their stadium fare and tailgating can provide some tasty items, many of the college towns with big-time college football teams are known for having numerous great restaurants. It would take a book to list all of the great restaurants to visit across the country in college towns before or after the big game.
Wait a minute. Former Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge wrote one based on his halftime segment while working for ESPN called “Taste of the Town”. To name just a few, hotspots there is Zingermanns Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan. You’ll pay $22 for a pastrami sandwich and not care about the price.
If you decide that you just have to go to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for an LSU Tigers game because of the game day atmosphere, then head on over to Parrainn’s Seafood for some amazing crawfish etouffee.
And don’t forget about Austin, Texas. Located just a ten-minute drive from Darrell Royal Memorial Stadium is Terry Black’s Barbecue famous for its beef ribs and brisket. Someone is going to be upset that their favorite restaurant in their college town isn’t mentioned so getting Blackledge’s book is a good idea. Local fare rules the day.
Fight Songs
“San Diego Super Chargers” and “Hail To The Commanders” just don’t cut it for different reasons. “Fly Eagles Fly” and “Skol”, the fight songs for the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, respectively, are pretty good but no NFL fight songs compare to college fight songs.
“Anchors Away” for the Naval Academy inspires pride in our country. Notre Dame’s “Victory March” brings back thoughts of The Gipper and Knute Rockne. Kids everywhere hear the song and dream of being the next “Rudy”. “Hail to the Victors” for Michigan is as catchy as a fight song can be and rivals the “Victory March” for the best fight song ever. “Buckeye Battle Cry”, “Boomer Sooner,” and “Rocky Top” are right up there with the best of the best.
Again someone is going to be upset. But that’s the point. There are so many great college fight songs that stir up our emotions that there is no comparison between NFL and college fight songs.
Homecoming Weekend
OK, so every once in a while, NFL teams will invite some of their best former players to town for a game and some festivities. Again, these events don’t hold a candle to the annual homecoming weekends on college campuses. If you’re lucky, maybe Game Day will be there for your school’s annual event but that might be asking for too much.
Regardless, coming back to the scene of your glory days for a game, seeing old friends, and trying your favorite local fare are memories that will last forever. To tell and be the recipient of some embarrassing but true stories from yesteryear is as good as it gets. Add in a few “beverages” and you might be the one singing your college fight song the loudest.
There you have it. College football is king. Even when compared to the pros.
