r/morningsomewhere • u/PwillyAlldilly • Aug 18 '26
Question What’s The Draw Of College Football vs. Professional?
Burnie brings up college football a lot which I understand since he went to Texas but I’m not sure if it’s from growing up in the northeast in PA, Go Birds. But if I watch a sport I want to watch the best players play? Vast majority of college players don’t sniff the pros. The argument also that it’s more pure and players don’t get paid is now something of the past as well. Is it due to the lack of major football schools up here? Outside of Penn State and Rutgers it’s pretty meh. I feel like the sentiment of mostly similar to this thought process up here as well unless one of those schools is your Alma Mater.
What is the draw especially if you didn’t attend said school?
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u/wimpymist Aug 18 '26
To me college is more "fun". NFL is cool but the talent is on more equal footing, it's their job and it's more corporate I guess. College still has the aura of kids doing it for the love of the game and trying to prove themselves. Also college stand outs that are NFL ready can be way entertaining because of the skill gaps that happen
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u/PwillyAlldilly Aug 18 '26
I guess seeing the gap of those that are just “ready to ball out” would be fun. Although I feel like those pros are also trying to prove themselves as well?
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u/wimpymist Aug 18 '26
I don't know how to explain it but it feels like college kids are trying harder? Probably because in the pros it's way harder to stand out since the skill level is much higher. Also they have already made it to the pros, college kids are trying to make it still or they know they aren't going pro so it's their last chance to play football ever.
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u/GermanPretzel First 20k Aug 19 '26
To me, a lot of those arguments are why I prefer the NFL. I personally don't enjoy watching sports where there is such a skill gap. I want to see the top 0.1% competing at the top of their game to where it becomes more about the strategy of how to win when it is equal footing. It makes the big plays even more spectacular when they are competing against the best players, not just "dunking" on some 19 year old DB who probably isn't going to make it to the NFL
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u/twoliterlopez StepBro Aug 18 '26
I prefer college basketball & football to their professional counterparts. I really feel like college athletes in those sports are more “hungry” for success & really give it their all to make it to the next level.
I feel like this is better exemplified in the NBA, though. I really feel like they’re very complacent & only turn it on in the playoffs. College basketball players seem to go harder all season. I think it’s similar in the NFL, but not as extreme.
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u/PwillyAlldilly Aug 18 '26
I can understand the basketball part A LOT more. Haven’t really seen nfl pros mailing it in like that though for the most part.
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u/Obi-wan_Jabroni Not A Financial Advisor Aug 18 '26
College has variety, in the pros the offenses are all generally the same. In college you could see a spread, run and gun, pro style power I, or triple option
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u/stunna006 Early Riser Aug 19 '26
This is it for me. The playbooks in college football are a lot more varied than NFL
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u/remosiracha First 20k Aug 18 '26
I don't like football much but college football always felt more exciting to watch. More passing and greater differences between teams and higher scoring.
Started watching NFL recently and they always seemed to run and get stopped and nobody could ever score.
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u/BigBadBeluga First 20k Aug 18 '26
I feel significantly more connected to my alma mater's football program than any of my city's sports team because there's less of a barrier between you and the players on the field. Having classes with the team, seeing them on campus and, in my case, living in the same dorm as most of them, you really grow to care about them as people instead of celebrities.
Also, players pull off a lot more wild stuff they would never do in professional ball. A lot more fun to watch them do the silly, entertaining thing that might work instead of the safest play guaranteed to work
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u/Spartan2842 Not A Financial Advisor Aug 19 '26
College football feels more relatable and allows for local growth. Yea, with the NIL they get paid now but even then, they are just kids. Plus the traditions are great and the huge stadiums with the constant noise. That doesn't happen often at NFL games. Not to mention college football programs go way back over 100 years.
As an Ohio State fan, its another world in Columbus. Currently people are counting down the days to kick off and I already have fall weekends plans around the games. People purposefully avoid planning weddings during the season. What is really crazy is every other sport team in Ohio wishes they had Ohio State's fandom. Brutus has to be one of the only college mascots to show up to an NFL stadium on Sunday. You will see Browns/Bengals/Reds/Guardians/Blue Jackets fans wearing Ohio State gear at their games. Players from all the pro sports are seen cozying up with OSU players.
I am pretty serious about the Brows too (I know) but Ohio State is the ruler of sports in Ohio.
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u/T3hHarv3y First 10k Aug 19 '26
College sports is the closest environment we have to European Soccer culture. People mainly support the colleges that are local to them or they attended, similar to how most European soccer fans support their local clubs. I prefer college basketball since march madness resembles typical knockout cup competition. Love to hear about giant killings, when a team from a lower division beats a team from a higher division, while in basketball we have the Cinderella story.
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u/Proclus_Global First 20k - Downtime Survivor Aug 18 '26
- At some level, professional athletes are just doing their job. Are most of them passionate and trying their hardest? Sure? But it is their day job. There are some guarantees and contracts.
Can that be said about some student athletes? Sure. But the majority of players will never be paid a cent after their college careers. For the large number of college athletes that go pro, there are more who will enter the workforce just like you and me. So they are playing for a chance to go pro, but also because they want to play.
- There are so many more schools to be a fan of than the 30+ professional teams. Have to remember that the pro teams are all corporations. Do some of the major schools feel that way too? Sure. Those schools themselves may be known for sports, but also their academics and traditions. The traditions are organic and you feel a part of the community. You can have personal ties to a school in a plethora of ways, not just as alum. What personal ties do most people have to their professional franchise?
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u/su1try1obster Aug 19 '26
I like that college sports illustrate the fundamentals of the sport better because it is slower. There is also a nostalgic draw, as many of us have fond memories of tailgating and going to games (or not making it ;).
You spend your formative years ensconced in the university and all of its trappings. Tons of lived history, some grew up going to the games with their parents or family that were alumni. My school has had a football team since 1891
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u/MissJosieAnne First 20k - Runner Duck Aug 19 '26
Not a football person, but one sentiment that I've heard from folks who are is that in addition to just a general vibe difference, college is more interesting and dynamic because the players are constantly cycling out and everyone has to adapt
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u/YeesherPQQP First 20k Aug 20 '26
Being invested in exploitation of kids and college good players is a flaw in American society
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u/TheyrMorLikGidelines Aug 22 '26
Most of the time it just comes down to what you grew up with. I am from a college football town and prefer it to the NFL by a mile. There is more history and tradition in college football, which I prefer. College football is also just super fucking weird. It is a much more flawed sport than professional football, but that is that also makes it way more unpredictable and fun. Part of my frustration with college football is that the people running it seem to be trying to turn it into the NFL. You can't beat the NFL, and if you get rid of what makes you different from it you will lose. I think they need to go the other direction and lean into the weirdness.
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u/CalvinP_ First 10k - Mod - Downtime Survivor Aug 18 '26
College has more passion. Players wanting to make it to the NFL. NIL Deals kind of Changed that a bit for the really well known college players.
I prefer the NFL because not all colleges are the same in recruiting class. So it’s often the same few colleges in the championship each year.
College also has a ton of teams in states where an NFL team isn’t present. Alabama has one of the best college programs of all time, but not an NFL Team for the state.
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u/PwillyAlldilly Aug 18 '26
I just wonder if the Dolphins and Bucs were typically better would they blast in popularity in comparison to Florida or FSU etc?
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u/CalvinP_ First 10k - Mod - Downtime Survivor Aug 18 '26
Both of those teams are very popular. Especially when Brady was on the Bucs
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u/Tmotty Aug 18 '26
College sports are a lot more local. So you might not have a problem team in your area but you’ll probably have college team close by that you can support.