With the start of another NFL season scheduled to kick-off later tonight, I thought it was a fitting time to discuss my appreciation for the sport of football. Perhaps it's the cooler autumn weather or the fast paced physical impact of the game that exhilarates me. Maybe it's the hype, the fans, the tailgates, the stadium atmosphere, the cheerleaders, the rivalries, and the downright intense game play. Football is no doubt a modern day blood-sport, where the physicality of it is what makes it so popular. However it is also a team sport, and requires much more than just brute mindless strength. It requires tactics both from the coaching and the player's execution. The sport has become a bedrock of American culture and society.
In this post I want to shift my focus away from the behemoth professional sports league that is the NFL, the undisputed greatest league in the world. Instead I want to focus on the roots of the game that comes from the collegiate systems where football first developed back in the late 1800s.
I myself have become a fan of college football throughout the years for various reasons. First is my enjoyment of the sport of football that first developed in the mid 1990s when I discovered the NFL. I confess as a kid I wasn't too familiar with the college teams and mostly just followed the NFL. But when I went to Indiana University in 2003 I became more familiar with the culture of college football.
Now just as I did with my post regarding NCAA basketball, I would now like to compare and contrast some of the major differences I notice between college football and the NFL. I'll be honest I prefer the NFL much more since it is what I have become most familiar with. First there is the obvious difference in player/team quality where stars in the NFL simply throw further, run faster, jump higher, and hit harder than in college which ultimately makes for a more thrilling viewership. It's always best to watch the best play the game, which is why I prefer the European soccer leagues over the American soccer leagues.
My biggest argument against college football however is their playoff system which I don't feel is as adequate as that of the NCAA basketball tournament. For years it was just a regular season and then a series of Bowl games. The national title was the two best teams chosen by an overall ranking. Now there have been recent changes to the playoff format including 4 teams however I think this number needs to be increased to 16.
Championships by School
In this post I want to shift my focus away from the behemoth professional sports league that is the NFL, the undisputed greatest league in the world. Instead I want to focus on the roots of the game that comes from the collegiate systems where football first developed back in the late 1800s.
The first ever football game was played between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869 and the game has ever since evolved. College football has a tradition and culture of it's own and has grown to become a very profitable sports market. While it could be considered a farming 2nd tier to the NFL, there are many fans who prefer the college leagues over the NFL.
How I became a fan of College Football
I myself have become a fan of college football throughout the years for various reasons. First is my enjoyment of the sport of football that first developed in the mid 1990s when I discovered the NFL. I confess as a kid I wasn't too familiar with the college teams and mostly just followed the NFL. But when I went to Indiana University in 2003 I became more familiar with the culture of college football.
Of course IU is more regarded for it's basketball than it's football program, but I still took it all in. It was all new to me, from the tailgating, the atmosphere, and the Big Ten conference. I began to understand the success of the Big Ten Conference and it's championship caliber schools such as Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin. I was proud to be a part of all that, and even though IU wasn't a championship caliber football team they were at least in one of the best conferences in the nation. And so just as I declared myself a Detroit Lions fan when I was a kid, I declared myself an IU Hoosier football fan during my college years, since after all it was my alma matter. (Both teams have continued to disappoint, but I remain loyal and hopeful that some day before I die they will win a title).
However my appreciation of college football took a much deeper dive after I graduated from IU. I began work as a tech operator for Sportvision and traveled with the ESPN Thursday Night Football Crew in the fall of 2007. In the fall of 2008 I worked with the Mountain West TV crew, and in various years after I worked many Big Ten and other local games. I have worked at over 30 different college stadiums (of which I will detail below), setting up cameras and computers, and operating digital lines during the broadcast. However the beauty of the experience was to witness each of the college atmospheres and how much they enjoyed their football team. I was especially impressed with the southern college atmospheres which everyone knows takes their football very serious.
College Stadiums I worked at
- Mississippi State
- Auburn
- Cincinnati Bearcats
- Miami Hurricanes
- Georgia Tech
- Maryland
- Virginia Volunteers
- Virginia Tech
- West Virginia
- San Diego St
- Marshall
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- Rutgers
- Wake Forest
- Boise State
- Arizona
- Arizona State
- Michigan State
- Louisville
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Utah Utes
- BYU
- TCU
- Wyoming
- Northern Illinois
- Wisconsin Badgers
- Michigan Wolverines
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Ball State Cardinals
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Western Michigan
- Northwestern
College Stadiums I would like to visit
- Notre Dame
- Washington Huskies
- USC
- Oregon
- Texas Longhorns
- Oklahoma Sooners
- LSU
- Florida Gators
- Alabama
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Penn State
- Clemson- I plan to visit this stadium (home to the 2018 defending champions) this fall with my cousin Marc
College Football vs Professional Football
Now just as I did with my post regarding NCAA basketball, I would now like to compare and contrast some of the major differences I notice between college football and the NFL. I'll be honest I prefer the NFL much more since it is what I have become most familiar with. First there is the obvious difference in player/team quality where stars in the NFL simply throw further, run faster, jump higher, and hit harder than in college which ultimately makes for a more thrilling viewership. It's always best to watch the best play the game, which is why I prefer the European soccer leagues over the American soccer leagues.
However in favor of the college leagues, there is an atmosphere and fan-ship that cannot be overlooked. Iconic football programs such as Notre Dame, U-of-M, USC, Ohio State, and Alabama to name a few have turned their football teams into cult-like status with an undeniable sense of pride. To many college football fans, their team represents a way of life and an embodiment of their local ideals. This idea is especially pertinent in the south where stadium capacities rival that of the NFL. The case being that in college football it's not so much about the money, glamour, and glitz, yet rather more about the team, the university, and the state.
College Playoff System
My biggest argument against college football however is their playoff system which I don't feel is as adequate as that of the NCAA basketball tournament. For years it was just a regular season and then a series of Bowl games. The national title was the two best teams chosen by an overall ranking. Now there have been recent changes to the playoff format including 4 teams however I think this number needs to be increased to 16.
The last game of the regular season is generally played around Thanksgiving, and if the Conference Title games are eliminated this format could be played throughout the month of December. This would bring us four weeks of elimination playoff football, and the Championship game could be played around the New Year holiday. This gives the top 16 teams a fair chance at the title which would make the champion much more undisputed in my opinion. And every other team who does not make the playoffs, yet still deserves contention, can still play in their respective bowl games in honor of tradition. This to me would make the college game all the more exciting especially come playoff time.
College Football Championship History
|
Year
|
National Champion
|
Heisman Trophy
|
|
Clemson (AP,
CFP)
|
||
|
Alabama (AP,
CFP)
|
||
|
Clemson (AP,
CFP)
|
||
|
Alabama (AP,
CFP)
|
||
|
Ohio State (AP,
CFP)
|
||
|
Florida State (AP,
BCS, FWAA, NFF, USA)
|
||
|
Alabama (AP,
BCS, FWAA, NFF, USA)
|
||
|
Alabama (AP,
BCS, FWAA, NFF, USA)
|
||
|
Auburn (AP,
BCS, FWAA, NFF, USA)
|
||
|
Alabama (AP,
BCS, FWAA, NFF, USA)
|
||
|
Florida (AP,
BCS, FWAA, NFF, USA)
|
||
|
LSU (AP,
BCS, FWAA, NFF, USA)
|
||
|
Florida (AP,
BCS, FWAA, NFF, USA)
|
||
|
Texas (AP,
BCS, FWAA, NFF, USA)
|
||
|
USC (AP,
|
||
|
Ohio State (AP,
BCS, FWAA, NFF, USA-ESPN)
|
||
|
Miami (FL) (AP,
BCS, FWAA, NFF, USA-ESPN)
|
||
|
Oklahoma (AP,
BCS, FWAA, NFF, USA-ESPN)
|
||
|
Florida State (AP,
BCS, FWAA, NFF, USA-ESPN)
|
||
|
Tennessee (AP,
BCS, FWAA, NFF, USA-ESPN)
|
||
|
Florida (AP,
FWAA, NFF, USA-CNN)
|
||
|
Nebraska (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI, USA-CNN)
|
||
|
Nebraska (AP,
FWAA, UPI, USA-CNN, USA-NFF)
|
||
|
Florida State (AP,
FWAA, UPI, USA-CNN, USA-NFF)
|
||
|
Alabama (AP,
FWAA, UPI-NFF, USA-CNN)
|
||
|
Washington (FWAA,
UPI-NFF, USA-CNN), Miami (FL) (AP)
|
||
|
Colorado (AP,
FWAA, NFF, USA-CNN), Georgia Tech (UPI)
|
||
|
Miami (FL) (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI, USA-CNN)
|
||
|
Notre Dame (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI, USA-CNN)
|
||
|
Miami (FL) (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI, USA-CNN)
|
||
|
Penn State (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI, USA-CNN)
|
||
|
Oklahoma (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI, USA-CNN)
|
||
|
Brigham Young (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI, USA-CNN)
|
||
|
Miami (FL) (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI, USA-CNN)
|
||
|
Penn State (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI, USA-CNN)
|
||
|
Clemson (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI)
|
||
|
Georgia (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI)
|
||
|
Alabama (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI)
|
||
|
Notre Dame (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI)
|
||
|
Pitt (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI)
|
||
|
Oklahoma (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI)
|
||
|
Notre Dame (AP,
FWAA, NFF), Alabama (UPI)
|
||
|
USC (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI)
|
||
|
Nebraska (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI)
|
||
|
Texas (NFF,
UPI), Nebraska (AP,
FWAA), Ohio State (NFF)
|
||
|
Texas (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI)
|
||
|
Ohio State (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI)
|
||
|
USC (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI)
|
||
|
Notre Dame (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI), Michigan State (NFF)
|
||
|
Michigan State (FWAA,
NFF, UPI), Alabama (AP,
FWAA)
|
||
|
Alabama (AP,
UPI), Arkansas (FWAA), Notre Dame (NFF)
|
||
|
Texas (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI)
|
||
|
USC (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI)
|
||
|
Alabama (AP,
NFF, UPI), Ohio State (FWAA)
|
||
|
Syracuse (AP,
FWAA, NFF, UPI)
|
||
|
Ohio State (FWAA,
UPI), Auburn (AP)
|
||
|
Oklahoma (AP,
FWAA, UPI)
|
||
|
Oklahoma (AP,
FWAA, UPI)
|
||
|
UCLA (FWAA,
UPI), Ohio State (AP)
|
||
|
Maryland (AP,
UPI)
|
||
|
Michigan State (AP,
UPI)
|
||
|
Tennessee (AP,
UPI)
|
||
|
Oklahoma (AP,
UPI)
|
||
|
Notre Dame (AP)
|
||
|
Michigan (AP)
|
||
|
Notre Dame (AP)
|
||
|
Notre Dame (AP)
|
||
|
Army (AP)
|
||
|
Army (AP)
|
||
|
Notre Dame (AP)
|
||
|
Ohio State (AP)
|
||
|
Minnesota (AP)
|
||
|
Minnesota (AP)
|
||
|
Texas A&M (AP)
|
||
|
Texas
Christian (AP)
|
||
|
Pitt (AP)
|
||
|
Minnesota (AP)
|
||
|
Minnesota (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Minnesota (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Michigan (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
USC (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
USC (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Notre Dame (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Notre Dame (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Georgia Tech (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Illinois (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Alabama (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Notre Dame (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Princeton (NCF), California (NCF), Cornell (HELMS)
|
||
|
Cornell (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
California (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Harvard (HELMS,
NCF), Texas A&M (NCF), Notre Dame (NCF)
|
||
|
Georgia Tech (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Pitt (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Cornell (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Army (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Harvard (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Harvard (HELMS,
NCF), Penn State (NCF)
|
||
|
Princeton (HELMS,
NCF), Penn State (NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Pennsylvania (HELMS,
NCF), LSU (NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Princeton (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Chicago (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Pennsylvania (HELMS,
NCF), Michigan (NCF)
|
||
|
Michigan (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Michigan (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Harvard (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Harvard (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Pennsylvania (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Pennsylvania (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Princeton (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Harvard (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Princeton (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Princeton (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (HELMS,
NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (NCF)
|
||
|
Princeton (NCF)
|
||
|
Princeton (NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (NCF)
|
||
|
Harvard (NCF)
|
||
|
Yale (NCF)
|
||
|
Princeton (NCF)
|
||
|
Princeton (NCF)
|
||
|
Princeton (NCF)
|
||
|
Princeton (NCF)
|
| School | National Titles | Seasons |
| Princeton | 28 | 1869, 1870, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1889, 1893, 1894, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1906, 1911, 1920, 1922, 1933, 1935, 1950 |
| Yale | 27 | 1872, 1874, 1876, 1877, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1897, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1927 |
| Alabama | 17 | 1925, 1926, 1930, 1934, 1941, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1992, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 |
| Michigan | 11 | 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1918, 1923, 1932, 1933, 1947, 1948, 1997 |
| Notre Dame | 11 | 1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988 |
| USC | 11 | 1928, 1931, 1932, 1939, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1978, 2003, 2004 |
| Pittsburgh | 9 | 1915, 1916, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1976 |
| Ohio State | 8 | 1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970, 2002, 2014 |
| Harvard | 7 | 1890, 1898, 1899, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1919 |
| Minnesota | 7 | 1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960 |
| Oklahoma | 7 | 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2000 |
| Penn | 7 | 1894, 1895, 1897, 1904, 1907e, 1908, 1924 |
| Michigan State | 6 | 1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1965, 1966 |
| Tennessee | 6 | 1938, 1940, 1950, 1951, 1967, 1998 |
| California | 5 | 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1937 |
| Cornell | 5 | 1915, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1939 |
| Illinois | 5 | 1914, 1919, 1923, 1927, 1951 |
| Miami (FL) | 5 | 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, 2001 |
| Nebraska | 5 | 1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997 |
| Georgia Tech | 4 | 1917, 1928, 1952, 1990 |
| Iowa | 4 | 1921, 1956, 1958, 1960 |
| Texas | 4 | 1963, 1969, 1970, 2005 |
| Washington | 4 | 1960, 1984, 1990, 1991 |
| Army | 3 | 1944, 1945, 1946 |
| Clemson | 3 | 1981, 2016, 2018 |
| Florida | 3 | 1996, 2006, 2008 |
| Florida State | 3 | 1993, 1999, 2013 |
| Lafayette | 3 | 1896, 1921, 1926 |
| LSU | 3 | 1958, 2003, 2007 |
| Ole Miss | 3 | 1959, 1960, 1962 |
| SMU | 3 | 1935, 1981, 1982 |
| Texas A&M | 3 | 1919, 1927, 1939 |
| Auburn | 2 | 1957, 2010 |
| Chicago | 2 | 1905, 1913 |
| Columbia | 2 | 1875, 1933f |
| Georgia | 2 | 1942, 1980 |
| Penn State | 2 | 1982, 1986 |
| TCU | 2 | 1935, 1938 |
| Stanford | 2 | 1926, 1940 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 1964 |
| Boston College | 1 | 1940 |
| BYU | 1 | 1984 |
| Centre | 1 | 1919 |
| Colorado | 1 | 1990 |
| Dartmouth | 1 | 1925 |
| Detroit | 1 | 1928 |
| Kentucky | 1 | 1950 |
| Maryland | 1 | 1953 |
| Navy | 1 | 1926 |
| Oklahoma State | 1 | 1945 |
| Rutgers | 1 | 1869 |
| Syracuse | 1 | 1959 |
| UCF | 1 | 2017 |
| UCLA | 1 | 1954 |
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