College Football

Too much pro football talk. CFB starts next weekend and that’s the only real football worth watching. I grew up in MN but spent the 90’s in Omaha when Nebraska was what Alabama is now. I got hooked on CFB growing up there. Tough to see them struggle but it’s a new year.

If I don’t root for The Big Red the gophers are close behind. Also a closest Cyclones fan just because they are always a scrappy team.

Lot of storylines this year with Oklahoma and Texas, CFP potential expansion and NIL. I get a bit concerned CFB will continue to become more like the pro game but I will still enjoy it more.

I can’t be the only one who prefers CFB?

Matt Moen wrote:

I grew up in MN but spent the 90’s in Omaha when Nebraska was what Alabama is now

Ummm no, the Blackshirts were a fraction of what Alabama is now. And I’m amazed Scott Frost hasn’t been able to turn them around, and if he can’t I’m not sure it can be done in today’s CFB. Go Irish! RTB, SKi U Mah and Go Gophers!

Also, I hate the conference realignment, we are going to end up with 2-3 conferences with 86 teams each…

I prefer college way over the NFL.

What a lineup of games on Sept 4th!

Agree with everything but the first sentence. The 94 Nebraska team because of its defense is often considered best of all time. The 95 team may have been better.

Sabans teams are all time best, no doubt. I love to hate Alabama but you have to give them respect. But, they are consistently giving up over 30 in CFP games.

I prefer NFL for the competitive balance but I enjoy watching a good college game too sometimes. Especially the “local” teams in the big ten like Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

What’s up with the early big ten conference games? Usually there’s 3 non-conference cup cakes on the schedule to start the season. Ohio State right out of the gate? Yikes.

I follow college ball and take my son to gophers games when we can make it. Such a fun atmosphere. I try to follow NFL a little but I just don’t care for it the last few years.

I’d rather watch a good college than a pro game any day . I do fear with all the changes lately , the “haves” are gonna separate themselves even farther from the rest . I do remember when Nebraska was good , but Alabama good ? Not so much . Go Badgers🍻

I can tell I’m not gonna win the Nebraska vs Alabama argument. Hard to compare across decades but Nebraska was the team of the 90’s. 2000’s was probably Florida but USC and Miami had great teams.

2010 and beyond is Alabama. Certainly SEC domination. Throw a little Clemson in for good measure I guess.

Maybe now it’s the Fleck era….that would chap Dutchboy good.

Big 10 guy all the way for me.
Bama has the dynasty right now. Wonder what will happen if/when Saban retires. I get tired of SEC this and SEC that. They usually have about 3 maybe 4 good teams. The rest are usually mediocre at best.

I think there are alot of great college coaches . Saban gets too much credit for being a “great “ coach . What he is , is a great recruiter . Definitely helps being at an institution that prioritizes winning over everything else . Lets face it , he’s coaching nfl caliber players at every position , creating an uneven playing field against most of the competition they face .

Better chance of Nebraska beating ‘Bama then Fleck having a era of any kind in Minnesota. Mr. Elite will take a 30 point pounding against Ohio State.

Dutchboy wrote:

Better chance of Nebraska beating ‘Bama then Fleck having a era of any kind in Minnesota. Mr. Elite will take a 30 point pounding against Ohio State.

I hate to agree with you but I do. I’d like to see the gophs be competitive but I think they are gonna get throttled.

PJ will win 7 this year, go to a bowl game, and in a year or two he’ll know it’s time to move on. End up at a mid tier SEC or ACC school and we’ll all be buying hope again.

Dutchboy wrote:

Better chance of Nebraska beating ‘Bama then Fleck having a era of any kind in Minnesota. Mr. Elite will take a 30 point pounding against Ohio State.

Just like every gopher team/coach the last 20 years and probably the next 20.

BigWerm wrote:

Also, I hate the conference realignment, we are going to end up with 2-3 conferences with 86 teams each…

I know it’s all about the money but how can you have a 16 team SEC conference? That’s two conferences if you can only play half the teams in a regular season.

As an Iowa State fan, I always love to see Nebraska lose since they left the Big 12 for the Big 10. (Sorry Matt… I know Texas started it and I’m also happy when Texas loses.)

boone wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>BigWerm wrote:</div>
Also, I hate the conference realignment, we are going to end up with 2-3 conferences with 86 teams each…

I know it’s all about the money but how can you have a 16 team SEC conference? That’s two conferences if you can only play half the teams in a regular season.

As an Iowa State fan, I always love to see Nebraska lose since they left the Big 12 for the Big 10. (Sorry Matt… I know Texas started it and I’m also happy when Texas loses.)

I miss the old Big 12 days….the only good thing for NU being in the B10 is I see all the games on TV versus when they where in the Big 12.

Best CFB game I ever went to was early 2000’s in Ames….had a coworker who’s son played for the Cyclones and she got my wife and I tix to come down and sit with them in the family section. We didn’t root for NU, just took the game in. NU was in control the whole game and huge favorites but the Cyclones stormed back and tied the game. Went to 3 OT’s and Nebraska finally won when ISU tried a trick play for a 2 pt conversion. Nebraska’s physicality eventually wore them out but the atmosphere there, being in the family section, and taking the game in was amazing. My wife became an instant CFB fan.

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for ISU….and you’re ranked in the Top 10 this year so that’s not too bad!

Matt Moen wrote:

PJ will win 7 this year, go to a bowl game

That’s exactly what the over/under win total is for them this season per the sports books in Vegas.

I enjoy watching both, but find myself becoming more of a college football fan each year.
Grew up watching the Badgers at Camp Randall as a young kid in the 70’s (yes I know, that does age me LOL). Dad was an alum, and after getting out of the Army, he went back and worked for UW starting in ’69. We went to about every home Badger game for 9 years.
We lived in Middleton just outside Madison for the first 3 years, and then moved to LaCrosse. He kept his season tickets, and the best 5 days of every year for me were the Saturdays he and I would drive down for the home games. We’d leave early, and drive down Hwy 14 all the way. Gorgeous drive back then.

We’d stop in Richland Center for breakfast each time. And then it was a stop at “Kelly’s” in Middleton for roast beef sammies. He had a reserved parking spot on one of the student house lawns a couple blocks away, and we’d hang out there for maybe an hour before heading to the game. They always had a kegger tapped for their patrons before and after the game.
Crazy game day experience even back then. And the entire stadium smelled like weed. Still miss those game day trips, thanks pops!!
I also usually hit a UMD game or two up here and follow D2 football too.
Going to be great to seeing stadiums back full of folks again!!!

I will say Nebraska’s tailgating is ELITE (to use a Fleckism), my sister-in-law married a farmer down there and we went down for a game. Even the highway signs a hundred miles away said “Leave the Tailgating for Huskers Games” 2 days before the game, and the drive over Saturday morning every. single. vehicle. on the freeway was dressed in red. Halftime was a mad dash back to the parking lots to shotgun beers, and after the game seemed like no one wanted to go home. This was for blowout non-conference game, I can only imagine what Iowa-NE is like.

College football is my favorite sport. I think for many it may be a combination of A) it’s the most popular sport in the country and B) the uniqueness of each school, region, conference, stadium, traditions, etc.

I love the NFL too, but I’m much more likely to tune into a random Thursday night Cincinnati/Toledo game than a random NFL game unless I’ve got a stake in it somehow.

The NFL is so good at expanding and maximizing viewership and exposure, so I have no idea why they haven’t followed the college football model. Aren’t Saturdays a blast? You’ve got Big Ten and other conferences kicking off at 11am, you’ve got some Big12 games starting around noon, some 2, 2:30, and 3pm starts, maybe a few 5-6pm starts, and then the major prime time games, plus some Oregen, USC, Hawaii, etc. starting at 9pm. No way am I able to catch a fraction of that with kids and typically fall work if I’m not at my job, but that amount of football is awesome.

Much, much more variety in the style of play in college too.

Like many, I’ve spent the last 20 years or so wishing they’d just go with a black-and-white, simple playoff system where you get there by achieving specific criteria that everyone knows about ahead of time. Computer rankings and “playoff committees” somewhat ruin it in my opinion. There have been years in other pro sports where good teams have missed the playoffs in tough divisions and teams with poorer records in bad divisions have made the playoffs, and that’s just the way it is; they won their respective division and earned it.

I’m intrigued by the recently proposed 12-team playoff format but as others have said there’s such a big disparity already.

Feel like I just spent a lot of time ragging on CFB, but it’s the best!

Tough matchup to start the season for the Gophers but that could be the perfect time to play a team like OSU since they have a new QB and some other key changes. Both teams have had a long time to prepare for each other. I wouldnt be shocked to see the Gophers win, but I just hope its not a massive blowout. A repeat of the PSU game from a couple years ago and whatever bank stadium its called now would implode.

Dan wrote:

Like many, I’ve spent the last 20 years or so wishing they’d just go with a black-and-white, simple playoff system where you get there by achieving specific criteria that everyone knows about ahead of time.

Agreed 10000%, the NCAA, in their infinite wisdom, operates an awesome playoff system in every other division of CFB, and if they did the same for D1 it would rival NFL playoffs in popularity. 11 Conference champions, and 5 at large bids, 16 team playoff, makes too much sense!

I am a gopher alum and big college football fan. Fleck gets a bunch of hate, but that win over Penn State a couple years ago was the most fun sporting event I have even been too. Full sellout crown and everyone on their feet for the entire game was a blast, I hope we can continue to see competitive games with the top tier big 10 programs.

I’ll be at the Ohio state opener… yeah it could be a blow out, but also would be a really fun time if we can keep it close.

And yes, the conference realignment stuff is a complete joke. It’s all about money, but will definitely hurt college football in the long run.

Born & raised on a Nebraska farm, and still love the Huskers!
Let’s give the ’94 & ’95 teams their due, but let’s not forget the ’70 & ’71 Huskers!!! &, & in ’97 when they took Payton Manning & the Tn Vols to the cleaners in the 42-17 whooping in the Orange Bowl. The worse thing that ever happened to NU was Callahan! Recruiting died, the top tier recruiting pipeline dried up. LOVE College football! GBR!!!

Would love to be a college football fan but let’s face it, they’re maybe 5 or 6 teams with a legitimate shot at winning a National title. Unless you’re a fan of one of those teams your season is going to end how? Congrats on your team’s victory in the Cracker Barrel Bowl, but just seems like a waste of time cheering for teams in sports that have no chance at the real thing.

BigWerm wrote:

I will say Nebraska’s tailgating is ELITE (to use a Fleckism), my sister-in-law married a farmer down there and we went down for a game. Even the highway signs a hundred miles away said “Leave the Tailgating for Huskers Games” 2 days before the game, and the drive over Saturday morning every. single. vehicle. on the freeway was dressed in red. Halftime was a mad dash back to the parking lots to shotgun beers, and after the game seemed like no one wanted to go home. This was for blowout non-conference game, I can only imagine what Iowa-NE is like.

My family roots are in Nebraska. We used to go down for a couple games a year and we’d get flooded with family when the Huskers played MN up here.
The whole state shuts down on Saturdays.
Johnny Roger’s mounted his Heisman trophy on the hood of his car!

I do think that the overall atmosphere at a college football (and basketball and hockey too) game is better than at a pro game. The student sections and the band make it better. Jump around at Camp Randall is awesome.

Dink buster wrote:

Would love to be a college football fan but let’s face it, they’re maybe 5 or 6 teams with a legitimate shot at winning a National title. Unless you’re a fan of one of those teams your season is going to end how? Congrats on your team’s victory in the Cracker Barrel Bowl, but just seems like a waste of time cheering for teams in sports that have no chance at the real thing.

Completely disagree on this….you have rivalries, bowl games, conferences, etc. to always cheer for. Even if your team isn’t great there are a million different angles to take with college football. The best part about college football is it isn’t just about the national championship.

gimruis wrote:

I do think that the overall atmosphere at a college football (and basketball and hockey too) game is better than at a pro game. The student sections and the band make it better. Jump around at Camp Randall is awesome.

Agree…most of the big time schools have a great atmosphere. Think about Wisconsin, Nebraska, Ohio state, Michigan, penn state in the big 10 alone. They are all amazing places. Even the atmosphere at TCF is pretty good. Minnesota does have good rivalries even though they have been on the wrong side of most of the games.

Read today that Nebraska has the second hardest schedule in the country this year. Everyone talks how tough the SEC is but 5 of the 10 toughest schedules are B10 teams. Only 3 are SEC…..B10 is deep again this year.

Well….not a good start for my squad. Favored to beat Illinois and look like a b squad team with all the mistakes. Scott Frost may not make it through the year if they don’t beat some teams they aren’t supposed to.

Hope the gophs put up a fight against THE Ohio state this weekend.

Alright, whoever said the big 10 is deep is not watching the same football I am. They are a bunch of mediocre teams beating up on each other. Actually like that’s how most conferences are. No conference is very deep. Take the top 3 of the SEC and top 2 of the B10 put and you have a bunch of average and below average teams.

I don’t like the conference realignment but it might lead to the best version of CFB we get. Say a Top 30 schools or whatever I’m once conference would lead to great games every week. You would also get great games outside of that too. I dont want this to happen, but it’s possible eventually and if it does happen well I guess that’s what happens with the money involved in college sports.