College Football came to a close when the Alabama Crimson Tide went up against the Clemson Tigers for the National Championship. Along with the games played in the regular season, there was 40 bowl games played, and most of these give cities a showcase and rewards those senior player with one last game. I understand that a lot of people consider American Football as a business. Yes, it does generate large sums of money, but I'd like to talk about the normal college football athlete. Most college players never reach the NFL, at this time it's somewhere around 1.6 % make it into the pros. Why do the others subject themselves to that kind of weekly punishment? Why do they 'walk-on' to a program without a scholarship paying for their college degree? I'll use Nebraska as an example because it is a program I am familar with. Nebraska has a state population of around 1.9 million, about the total of many large cities. The largest cities are Omaha ( 450,000 ) Lincoln ( 280,000 ) and on game day, the third largest is the football stadium, Memorial Stadium that seats 90,000. Let that sink in for a moment. The third largest is a football stadium. Like the city of Green Bay, Nebraska football is the only game in town, so to speak. Nebraska football has a great tradition through the years. The motto on the stadium in Lincoln sums up how they feel about winning. "Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory." HOW you win is as important as if you win... I have sat in many barns on game day listening to the game on the radio, while helping a farmer friend with repairs on equipment. Things just stop when the 'Big Red' is on the field. Kids grow up wanting to play for Nebraska and are proud to be called 'Cornhuskers'. Each year, numerous students 'walk-on' to get a chance to live their dream. This is why I watch college football games; knowing that most players are in the game for their schools, their families and for the memories they'll have later in life. And sometimes, the NFL teams get it right and draft the RIGHT player.
There are a lot of small college programs as well, and there most of the guys play just for the fun and the camaraderie.
Who do you think will win the Peach Bowl tonight? Georgia or Ohio State? Game is at 8 pm on ABC affiliate TV. Georgia is a 5-point favorite. Go Dawgs!
When I lived in Michigan, the cheer was: OH HOW I HATE OHIO STATE! Now in Florida, UGA is a big rival. I haven't decided yet who I'm rooting for......
I'm from Ohio but was never very fond of Ohio State football. I think I was biased from the Woody Hayes days, listening to my father complain what a jerk he was. Don't know if it was true or not. I was just a baby then. Maybe he was a lot like Nick Saban? Who knows.
I think it was Woody Hayes and Bear Bryant that originally set me against the two teams. Both men were jerks and were treated like royalty.
Woody was The Second Incarnation and could do no wrong until the game when he ran out on the field and punched an opposing player in the throat on national television in the 1978 Gator Bowl. That did it. No excuses could be made. End of an era.
Final: .. GA: 42.. Ohio State: 41 . I think Stetson Bennett (Ga QB) described it best post game: ."It seemed like they beat us the whole game." . Not one of the most interesting games to watch, imo. By the way, the game ended at almost exactly the stroke of midnight. This is the first time in decades I've missed watching the ball drop.
Georgia v. TCU for the national championship tonight 7:30 pm - ESPN (This time I got the network right)