Reasons to Love the NFL over the NCAA

[Reginald Rutledge]

I am a college football fan, trust me. I wear my emotions on my sleeve when it comes to the "Big Orange". There's no question. But my frustrations of college football does not center around whether my team lose as much around the hypocrisy of the NCAA.

In 1976 or 1978, I remember watching Notre Dame and Alabama. I remember Dave Casper catching a great pass to win the game for the Fighting Irish. I am not certain if the broadcasters were Keith Jackson, Frank Broyles, or Duffy Doughretty (?), but all I remember is the discussion of a playoff system coming up. I remember them talking about hopefully a playoff system will be coming soon to establish who the real National Champion is instead of the mythical mess. I thought "Wow, that will certainly add excitement in the game". That's one of those moments in life you never forget. More than 30 years later, that has not been rectified because of greed by universities, media, and bowl associations. In my lifetime, I don't foresee it coming to past! I wish it would.

Coach J, no doubt Cal played a great game. I've got no problem with the win of Cal. They outplay the VOLS in nearly phase of the game. The atmosphere was electric! We always know that anytime two teams win, despite what the prognosticators say, there is a 50-50 chance to win or lose. That's the intriguing aspect of college football. Like you, I am definitely "Old School" too. I love watching the old movies of Knute Rockne, the Galloping Ghost and so many other AMC movies on college football. It send chills up my spine. Shucks, I even cry when Rudy says, "I've been waiting for this day all my life".

Suffering through losing of your college team is difficult but its all a part of winning. In 1998, the VOLS won a national championship on January 4th. That was my birthday, probably the greatest present I ever had. That was a season on the brink for me because I always knew if we had one loss, we would be done. To me, that's unfair!

Too many great teams have one loss and have no chance of getting back in the hunt. It's undfair to those teams because dependent on the time of year, they may be better than a team who is still undefeated. It's even worse when you are a team who went 14-0 and still had no shot. I remember 2003 and 2004, LSU and Auburn went undefeated and still had no claim on the National Championship because writers said otherwise.

To me, those seasons were great seasons for my SEC-rival schools but a big time waste too! They could not decide on the field. For me, with all the things I do, waddling through a Saturday plopped down to watch college football is just something I can now not waste my time doing. Yeah, I will still watch a game or two from the SEC and maybe OU, Nebraska, and Meechegan and the VOLS, but I will not plan my Saturdays around college football. It's one and done.

Congrats Coach J on a tremendous win. The Anthony Forsett kid (RB) went to high school at Grace Prep, which is about 2 minutes from my house. We know the program well. The head coach is Mike Barber, former tight end for the Earl Campbell-led Houston Oilers. His daughter and mine played volleyball together and we've traveled together so we know he produce fine players. That Forsett kid was just one in a long line of great players he had.

[5-13 Studios]

it's not always one and done. the best time for a college team to lose is early in the season, and if they lose to what turns out to be a decent team, the polls rank more in their favor. florida lost to auburn in october last season, 27-17 and still won the national title. i still can't get over that one. %*$&!^#&$*@! buckeyes !

[Coach_J]

Hi Reg,

Greetings again my friend. Now I understand why you and I get aong so well. My birthday is January 2nd and your birthday is January 4th. I guess you can say that we are just two old goats (smile).

College football is not what it used to be. I am so glad you responded because I was thinking about what I am about to say after I initially replied to your post. I grew up sitting in front of my TV on Saturday afternoons watching college when it was more fun to watch. At least it was more fun for me. Again I am old school and grew up watching the Wishbone, Student Body Left and Student Body Right. Who would have thought that the last two Heisman Winners from USC would be QB's. Woody and Bo' in November deciding who would go to the Rose Bowl, Paul "Bear" Bryant and his houndstooth hat, and on New Years Day hearing the voice of the late Curt Gowdy broadcasting the Rose Bowl on New Years Day. So much $$$$$ involved along with corporate sponsorship has taken the fun out of it. The Southwest Conference is no longer around because of $$$$$ making the Cotton Bowl no longer part of the Championship mix. Thank goodness it is football season because ESPN Classic occasionally shows classic college football games of the past. Right now I say bring on the pros and the wide screen TV's every Sunday at the local Crowne Plaza. College Football will always have the various long standing traditions but I need the pros.

Coach_J

[Orleanian In Exile]

I certainly get the point regarding how the polls in college football are set up and are completely arbitrary. A simple, purely mathematical point system such as the one dreamed up by Brian McAtee just as a hobby but which works astonishingly well would do much to eliminate the human-error factor inherent in a poll system based entirely upon the opinions of a given group of "experts" who might be bringing their own prejudices to the table any given week. I'm also not thrilled with the bowls now being corporatised entities: the most ridiculous of which in recent history was the late and unlamented "IBM/OS-2 Warp Bowl" and the "Meineke Car Care Bowl".

I have to say I'm still one of those who's not sold on the idea of a playoff system. The Bowls offer a championship to multiple schools even if it's merely a conference crown and a consolation trophy to a number of other schools who did have at least a winning season but didn't quite get to the summit —at least they get some payoff for the effort. The constellation of bowl games fuels incentive for a football programme to get to that next level next year. It also fuels rivalries and intensifies the competition: in a year in which two or three teams can stake a logical claim to have been the "real" national champion, you know those schools are going to go hard against one another in the next season to win that championship beyond doubt. Happened to Notre Dame when they got screwed out by Miami (who went undefeated in games but also didn't face quite as heavy a schedule as the Irish did, who suffered only one loss that year) in the polls in 1987; they roared right back the next year and won that championship outright.

The BCS is a trainwreck of a system and I knew it was going to be the moment it was proposed. What needed fixing wasn't the bowl system but the polling mechanisms. Take it entirely out of the hands of coaches and sportswriters who all have their biases no matter how much they deny it to themselves and everybody else and make it a matter of simple mathematics, and let the maths as well as the efforts of the teams decide who can claim a national championship. And if there's a bit of controversy over rival claims, well, a bit of controversy can be a good thing. Especially if it fuels spectacular football the next season.