College Football season kicks off next Thursday. It’s been a long awaited 7 months since Alabama’s improbable comeback against Georgia in the National Championship Game back in January. Obviously College Football isn’t as popular in the Northeast these days with the struggles of UConn and Boston College over the last several years. While UConn is projected to have another down year, BC is a dark horse in the ACC. Many preseason polls have them slated to finish as the 4th or 5th best team in the conference. If you’re not familiar with the BC Running Back A.J. Dillon (you should be if you payed any attention to the NCAA last year), make it a point to watch him this upcoming season. He’s a sneaky Heisman candidate. Whether you’re a die-hard college football fan or not, there are plenty of reasons to get pumped for the start of a new season…
It gives you an excuse to go grab a “couple casuals” with your friends every Saturday afternoon – Is there anything better on a Saturday afternoon then meeting up with your buddies to grab a few beers and watching the SEC game of the week? Every Saturday CBS has one of the best games of the week at 3:30 and can always be used as a good excuse to go hangout and drink with your friends. “It’s a nice Fall Day, (insert bar name) has their windows open. Let’s go grab a few beers and watch #20th ranked LSU try and take down #5 ranked Georgia.”
Every single game matters – One reason we all love the NFL and especially College Football is every single game matters. In the NFL you only get 16 games, but if you start out 0-1 or 0-2, by no means is your season over. The same can’t be said for College Football. If your favorite team loses a game in the early stages of the season, you better win out to have ANY chance of making the Playoff. The stakes are so high, week in and week out, during College Football season. Your favorite team’s national title chances can end with the blink of an eye, if they struggle and lose a game or two early on.
The Rivalries – As much as I love pro sports and a good rivalry like the Celtics vs. Lakers, Red Sox vs. Yankees or the Bruins vs the Canadians, there’s nothing quite like watching an Alabama vs. Auburn or Michigan vs. Ohio State game. These games deliver year in and year out. You can feel the emotion in the players, coaching staffs, and fans, when watching live on TV. With these power programs, there’s always SO much on the line as well. Conference championships, undefeated seasons, and chances to go to the National Championship game. The finishes never cease to amaze us, despite the fact some of these rivalries go back all the way to the late 1800s. Just when you think you’ve seen it all… some new crazy finish blows your mind. My favorite ending is still the end of the 2013 Iron Bowl…
It gives us something to bet on every Saturday afternoon – As great as an awesome Saturday summer day or spring day is, at some point people around the nation need their fix… and for many people that means getting in on some College Football action on Saturday. Whether you’re a die-hard or casual, everyone loves jumping in on the SEC game of the week or ESPN Primetime game to make their day a little more interesting. “Dude Bama is bound to regress soon… 17 point favorites against a ranked Texas A&M team… no way they’re covering that”… 3 hours later… “Oh wow Bama’s up 42-7. Am I ever going to learn my lesson to stop betting against them!?”
You can throw on the shirt of any team you want to support that Saturday. Show up to the bar where all of the alumni watches the games in the area and everyone in the bar will love you. – Alright, so I’m sure this wasn’t one people were expecting to see but hear me out… if you went to a good sports school in college, you know the pride and passion you have for your team. Whether it’s College Basketball or Football, if your alma matter has a big game you want to be watching it in a place with other fans who are locked in on that TV until the game is finished. I may have done this a few times last year with a certain ACC team. I mean it when I say it was 2 of the most enjoyable days I’ve had in Boston. I was pumping up the crowd in the bar on big plays. They put on the fight songs during commercials and muted the TVs to get the crowd fired up. The place goes wild anytime their team scores and you feel like you’re part of the college football atmosphere that we often miss here in the Northeast. I highly suggest it if you want to change up your Saturday once in awhile, meet some new people, and get a unique experience in whatever city you’re in.
Sports Chatter with MJD 