Why UK NFL Fans Should Care About American College Football?
Shout out to NFL fans in the UK! Franchise Tag UK’s very own Gareth Smith did a great job of illustrating the passion that you have for the NFL when I interviewed him this past February about the growth of the NFL in the UK. The NFL has dedicated a lot of resources to growing the game over there, and, as an American, it’s awesome to see people across the Atlantic fall in love with this sport!
So what if I told you there’s a way to take your NFL fandom to another level that simply involves watching MORE American football?
That’s right, I’m talking about college football! Let’s break down why you, as an NFL fan in the UK, should care about American college football even though we insist on sending only Notre Dame over there for you to watch!
The NFL Draft
Maybe you’re a fan of a team that’s a perennial contender. I’m not though. I’m a Carolina Panthers fan. Now, I’m an NFL fan first, so of course I watch the playoffs and the Super Bowl, but oftentimes, the NFL draft is MY Super Bowl.
The draft is where every fan’s hopes should be at their highest. Our record is 0-0. Mathematically, we all have the same chance to win the Super Bowl next season. We certainly don’t have any real evidence that we WON’T be winning the Super Bowl. And we’re picking the young players who will be the key pieces in our unprecedented imaginary Super Bowl run!
Young players who have spent the previous couple of seasons playing college football.
When you watch the NFL draft as someone who is also a college football fan, it enhances the experience. You’re familiar with a lot of the players being selected, which allows you to make snap judgments on your team’s future and your rival’s future, and just generally makes you feel like an expert.
The Panthers traded up to pick Bryce Young #1 overall this year. If I knew nothing about college football, I could obviously assume that Bryce must have a lot of potential for the Panthers to make that move. But I’m EXCITED because I saw how he dominated college football for the past 3 years!
I can brush aside any concerns about his size by telling myself that he accomplished all that he did in the biggest, strongest, most athletic conference in college football, so he’ll be able to hold up at the next level. Time will tell if I’m right, but, as a fan, I will always take any opportunity to be delusional and optimistic.
Following college football gives you that opportunity, it makes the NFL draft (and the draft combine!) matter, which helps make the offseason feel shorter. Who would say no to that?
Bowl Games
In the NFL, the main objective is to win the Super Bowl. There’s one Super Bowl champion every season, so as soon as your team is out of contention, your season is effectively over.
But what if it wasn’t? What if your team still had something to play for even if they weren’t going to be the champion?
In college football, there’s only 1 national champion every year, BUT your team could still end the season victorious thanks to bowl games. To be eligible to play in a bowl game, you have to win 6 games (roughly half of your team’s games depending on their schedule).
Better teams with more wins get to play in the more prestigious bowl games. Less prestigious bowl games make up for it with interesting quirks thanks mostly to weird sponsors (the winning coach of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl gets a Gatorade jug full of mayonnaise dumped on them). Either way, a bowl-eligible team has a 50/50 chance of ending the season with a win.
Obviously, the national championship still matters the most, but it’s a neat little novelty that can give you one last chance to end the season on a high note. It also gives your team a chance to play against another team that typically wouldn’t be on your schedule. And, most importantly, it’s more football!
Rivalries
Until TV money and conference realignment ruin it all, college football is a regional sport. That’s probably why you don’t care about it (yet!). Schools typically play other schools that are close to them in proximity. There’s nothing more fun than having bragging rights over your rivals, especially if they’re close to you. It just means more.
As a South Carolina Gamecock fan (if you don’t have a team, come join me as a Gamecock fan!), there’s NOBODY I hate more than the Clemson Tigers. They’re the worst. They wear a shade of orange that makes them look like a traffic cone, their coach is a ding dong who insists on being called “Dabo”, and they act like they’re better than everyone. I hate them.
More importantly, I LOVE hating Clemson. Similar to the bowl games, you can have a successful season if all you do is beat your rival. In the grand scheme of things, winning only one game is awful, but at least you have bragging rights over your worst enemy. The Gamecocks had a decent season last year that turned into an AWESOME season because we upset Clemson in the final game of the regular season.
These types of rivalries are all over the college football landscape. The rivalries usually have names (South Carolina-Clemson is called “The Palmetto Bowl”) and typically come with a trophy or cup for the winner. Some of the more interesting trophies are:
Paul Bunyan’s Axe (Minnesota-Wisconsin)
The Jeweled Shillelagh (Notre Dame-Southern California)
The Old Oaken Bucket (Indiana-Purdue)
The Golden Egg (Mississippi State-Ole Miss)
How to Get Started?
First things first, keep following all things Franchise Tag UK. I’ll be covering college football here and put out some guides for people new to this version of American football. Also, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and check out my college football season previews as well as the most entertaining college football weekly pick show on the internet, “Brett’s Bets”! Congratulations on having more American football!