With Turner Gill and the football team in training, I'm starting to feel the college football season creep closer to getting here. Depending on your point of view, that could be a good thing or a bad thing for the Jayhawks. It seems like every time I log on to twitter or RCT there is an announcement of somebody not playing this year, either for injury or other reasons. Mix that in with the new coaching staff and there a lot of questions heading into the season. However, one thing I know for a fact is that I'm excited for college football to get going.
If you're a somewhat regular around here, you know that basketball is what I love (this was supposed to be a basketball post but I didn't feel like finishing it). The only problem with college football is that you have to take the very good with some of the very bad. Lets go through some of the good and bad, hopefully you guys will fill in all of the things I miss.
The Good
- Traditions. The list of traditions that I love could go on a long, long time. I remember sitting in Memorial Stadium as a 10 year old and watching the band come running out of the tunnel thinking it was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen. As far as general college football traditions, things like this and this add flavor to a game that professional football misses.
- Rivalries. If you looked at the 2nd link, you know what I'm talking about here. For us, this means Missouri and Kansas State. Rivalries aren't exclusive to college football but they do seem to mean a little more in the fall than any other time of year. Maybe it's because you generally only get one chance a year to prove it on the field in football or because football is a sport where overpowering your opponent is the goal. I'm not sure why but they are special in the fall.
- Offenses. One of my favorite things about sitting down on a Saturday and watching college football is the variety that can be seen. You can turn on a game and see anything from five wide recievers to a wishbone formation to a pro set. You can catch a team line up and throw the ball all game long and all over the field or I can turn on a Big 10 game and watch teams pound the ball at each other all day.
- Options. Not the kind we can see on offense but viewing options. I can sit down on a Saturday morning and start watching football at 11 in the morning and watch games until midnight if I choose. Throw in a Thursday game every week and the college football fan has more football than they can watch.
- Fans. College football fans can mean a whole lot of things to different people. For me, it really means two things. First, the amazing bloggers devoted to college football. MGoBlog, Dr. Saturday, EDSBS, Football Outsiders, and everybody else that I can't think of right now. Between the viewing options and reading options, I've got more information every week than I can consume. The other part of this includes the everyday fan that comments here and elsewhere on the web (me and you) and devotes all day on Saturday to celebrating and supporting the university.
The Hate
- Money. One of the few things we did learn this summer is that money controls a lot of things. Money almost ruined a whole lot of traditions and rivalries. After watching all of the drama unfold, I became convinced that college football is America's game. A game where money is King, about as American as apple pie.
- Schedules. It is understandable that coaches and athletic directors want to find some non-conference games they can win. However, please play teams that are also hoping to be eligible to play in bowl games.
- Bowl Games. Bowl games are great. A lot of bowl games are better. Too many bowl games is about where we're at though. I don't even mind this really but lets put them all between December 26 and January 2.
- BCS. You had to know this was coming eventually, right? We want playoffs. I don't care if it's 6, 8 or more teams but at least give us something. College football peaks at the end of November and we're stuck waiting at least two weeks before games at all and usually three before interesting games. By the time football picks back up, basketball has taken me away.
- The Track. Just can't get over it.
What'd I miss?