College football, we miss you
There’s not much debating that we’re in the most sluggardly time of the college football cycle. We’re also concurrently in the most hopeful period. Spring ball is just starting, a rigorous recruiting/transfer window just closed and a new one is beginning. This is where potential depth charts are beginning to be imagined, important position battles are beginning, and we’re getting our first look at early enrollee freshmen. Everyone is undefeated right now and essentially every fanbase is confident it’s their year.
For some universities, the aforementioned is still true, but there’s even more intrigue as we’re getting our first glimpse into new head coaching regimes all over the country. There’s nothing like the excitement of the unknown, and my goodness do we have just that this upcoming season. Whether it’s the new look SEC, Big Ten, ACC, & Big 12 or conference realignment elsewhere, the landscape of the sport itself has been turned on its head. Some of the change is unwarranted and frankly unnecessary, but we’re essentially helpless in that matter.
Colorado ATH Travis Hunter (12) & Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders (2) - (Ryan Kang/GettyImages)
That’s before we get to any of the other changes like the new twelve team playoff system (that could be increased in the coming years), ever-evolving in-game rule adjustments, and NIL/recruiting guidelines. College Football is undoubtedly in the midst of a facelift, but at the end of the day - nobody truly cares that much. There’s more eyes on the sport than ever, which means there’s more money in the sport than ever, which means nothing is going to change. At least for the considerable future. As much as we hate to admit it at times, we’re far too addicted to ever truly take a stand.
We’ll all rightfully complain - then, there will be spring games all over the country sold out, TV records broken, & all time high social media engagement. Right, wrong, or indifferent, we can’t look away. It’s far too compelling. In a sport as riddled with storylines as college football, there’s always a few that creep into the consciousness of the fandom as whole no matter who you root for individually. When we actually get to the action, there’ll be unforeseen players and teams that captivate our attention. There always is.
Look at players like LSU QB Jayden Daniels and Mizzou RB Cody Schrader - nobody expected them to have the season that they went on to have. Teams like Washington and Arizona became must see TV. Even teams like Liberty, James Madison, & Jacksonville State captured our hearts during mid-week action. That’s before we even get to the rest of the power five programs. We didn’t know it at the time, but we also witnessed the last season of Nick Saban coaching the greatest dynasty in the history of the sport.
Alabama coach Nick Saban, right, and his players run onto the field before facing Michigan. - (Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
We watched Kirby Smart and Georgia attempt to pull off three straight National Championships, but that was halted when they ran into Alabama and Saban. Florida State pulled off an undefeated regular season, but missed out on the playoffs due to Jordan Travis’ broken leg. Then they had the privilege of playing a pissed off UGA team in the Orange Bowl. It went about as well as you’d think a pissed off UGA team against a bunch of second team guys would go, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Deion Sanders entered the national scene with a 45-42 win over TCU in a thriller. He then turned Colorado into a top four watched team in the country and they arguably provided us with the game of the year in 2023 with the overtime win over Colorado State that over 10 million people stayed up at an 11pm EST kick off time to watch. Oh yeah, Conor Stallions gate happened and Michigan went on to squeak by Ohio State and Alabama in great games along their way to winning a National Championship. Then Jim Harbaugh and JJ McCarthy left for the NFL.
The Cortland Red Dragons won the DIII football champions for the first time in program history. Cortland defeated North Central (IL) 38-37 to win the title. - (NCAA.com)
I even vividly remember being at the bar of one of my favorite local restaurants enjoying a burger and some beers with my lady while the D-III National Championship game was on - SUNY Cortland vs North Central in the Stagg Bowl. It went from background noise, to the entire bar being on the edge of our seats watching the back and forth contest that ended in a 38-37 Cortland victory after a failed two point conversion attempt from North Central. If you follow me on Twitter (never folding and calling it X) then you hear me say this all the time, “that’s what it’s all about.” And man did that ring true in that moment. A random Friday night at the bar turned into one of my most fond football memories.
I don’t know about you, but damn - I can’t wait for more of that feeling.