Blog of the Week: College Football vs The NFL

The Super Bowl or the BCS Championship, which would you rather watch? What’s better: the NFL or College Football? This is a question that has been asked for ages, and still people have varying opinions. To a non-fan of the game of football, this question would seem to have an obvious answer, the NFL, but to any true fan, this obviously is not the case. Professional football and college football have a majority of the same rules, dominant athletes, and close to the same caliber refs, so why is it so hard to decide which is better?

There are so many different factors that convince different people as to which is better, so many ways to argue for both sides of the ball, so many reasons to love the game of football. In the NFL, the most enduring and clear reason is that the athletes are faster, stronger, and more experienced: the best of the best so to say. With the best athletes, and the fiercest competitors, how can college football possibly compare to the NFL?  

There is no denying that the NFL brings game-winning touchdown drives, huge hits, star-studded performances, 250+ rushing games, and more, way more. The Super Bowl is, if not the biggest, one of the biggest events in Sports each and every year. The NFL showcases big time players in big time situations, it showcases stars in instances of adversity, it showcases new developing talent stemming from young inexperienced players. It showcases a playoff system. A negative aspect of the NFL is the sudden death overtime rule, whereas in college, both teams have an equal opportunity.

Ohio State vs. Michigan, 1938

Sure the NFL has the more talented and profilic athletes, but the passion and tradition of College football is unmatched. The rivalries start on the gridiron but extend to a culture, a way of life. Rivalries such as Michigan vs. Ohio State, Georgia vs. Florida, and Texas vs. Oklahoma epitomize such rivalries. These rivialries have lasted forever, and will never die out. College football is also way more innovative and creative than the NFL. Sure, you might see the occasional flea-flicker, or double reverse in the NFL, but creativity in College football makes the game fun to watch. Boise State’s statue of liberty or Iowa’s fake field goal characterize this creativity. One negative aspect to college football is the BCS Bowl selections instead of a playoff, I still am struggling to understand why an 8 or 16 team playoff has not been substituted for the unfair BCS system.

In my opinion, college football is more exciting and fun to watch until it is playoff time in the NFL and the stars shine the brightest. But I am only one man, and my lone opinion plays no role in determining which one is truly better.