NFL v College

College football is an American tradition, especially at Clemson University. The Tigers have won two national championships in the past five seasons. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

A tale of two leagues

College and NFL football’s return revives everlasting debate

Nicholas Rasmusson rasmunic000@hsestudents.org

As fall rolls around, college football and the NFL return to televisions nationwide. Occurring on weekdays, and more notably Saturdays and Sundays, both leagues are operating at full force. With this, the debate over which is better is revived. Arguments can be made for both sides, but there are a few characteristics that set apart the leagues from one another: tradition, competition and the impact of games. Tradition The NFL has had many traditions throughout its history, but none more notable than their Thanksgiving Day game slate. On Thanksgiving Day, the NFL schedules three games: an early afternoon game, a late afternoon game and a night game. There is nothing better than sitting around the dinner table with your family on Thanksgiving while watching football. Throughout college football’s rich history, many traditions run deep. One tradition that is recognized by many sports fans is the Army-Navy Game. The two service academies square up for millions of fans in the stadium and around the nation. While most of the players on the field will never suit up on a professional level, it is the fact that while these academies may be enemies on the field, they are allies on the battlefield that entices viewers. Many college football teams have traditions specific to their school. Penn State has their annual “White Out” game, Wisconsin plays “Jump Around” by House of Pain after the third quarter, Florida State does the Tomahawk Chop and Notre Dame has their “Play Like a Champion Today” sign. Additionally, Iowa has a tradition called the Kinnick Wave. After the first quarter at every home game, fans and players of both teams turn toward the Stead Family Children’s Hospital and wave at the children inside the hospital, a heartwarming tradition. Both leagues have many traditions, and while the NFL has one of the most recognizable ones, college football has numerous amounts on both a national and team level. College football takes the tradition point. Competition Competition in college football is unique. Teams will typically play a short non-conference schedule early in the season followed by a much longer conference schedule, with maybe one or two non-conference games sprinkled in throughout. This puts marquee games that can set teams apart at the beginning of the season. Depending on the strength of a team’s conference, the remainder of their schedule could be a cakewalk, which depletes their resume. While it is not typically a problem for members of Power 5 conferences and independents, it can be very tough for members of the Group of Five conferences. In the NFL, the existence of conferences are mainly for the playoffs, so competition is sprinkled in throughout the entirety of the season. Contrary to college football, it is very possible for any team to beat another team on any given day, as they are all professional athletes. It is rare that a team gets beat by 50 points in the NFL, but in college football, it is normal that some team gets thumped by 50 points each week. While competition in college football is great during the postseason, the NFL earns the competition point. Impact of Games In the NFL, a strictly recordbased league, it is expected if a team loses a few games. Only one team has completed a perfect season: the Miami Dolphins in 1972. Since NFL teams can afford to lose games, it allows them to sit their starters if they have clinched a playoff spot. College football is completely different because it is based upon momentum and rankings. The rankings are determined by a committee, and that determines who makes the College Football Playoff. Two losses is devastating for a team’s chances to make the College Football Playoff, as no team has ever made the playoff with more than one loss. This ensures that teams play their best players in every game. It shows that every game matters, and playoff chances can come and go for any given team on any given day. Because of this, college football scores this point. While both college football and the NFL are entertaining and have their benefits, college football takes the cake in the battle between the two. The NFL spreads marquee games throughout their schedule slightly better than college football, but college football’s tradition and impact blow the NFL out of the water. Given the choice, I am taking college football every day of the week - especially on Saturdays.