Football is the largest sport in the U.S, the two leaders of this sport have to be the NFL and NCAA. As the most beloved sport in America many people ask the question: what is a better watch for the weekend, the collegiate or professional level of sport.
The NCAA does a lot better creating an experience for their games and creating more of an atmosphere increasing the enjoyment of their viewers. While the NFL seems to get all of its attention from players and their actions.
Read more about NCAA vs NFL.
The Collegiate Level of Football
College football is much different than the NFL as there are many more teams in the NCAA than there are in the NFL. This allows for smaller fan bases but creates more personal experiences for each fan. This is shown perfectly through the attendance of games.
A college football game will have a stadium packed with students and fans of the school. The student section is a perfect example of the energy that surges through a college game on any given night. Whether it is a rival game or one the team knows it’s going to win, the students show up to see their team.
This comes into contrast with the NFL where not as many people may show up to each individual game. Since the majority of states either have one team or none at all with an exemption of a few states. It takes a lot more for fans to be able to make it to the game if they are either across the state or in a completely different one. Which makes these large stadiums look empty.
In Season Competition
One aspect of college football that is more exciting to watch than the NFL is the pride students take in their school. With so many different college teams and players the majority of each fan base are much more dedicated than we see in the NFL. This dedication and energy is seen in each game
Since the NCAA championship is very hard to get into, teams most of the time have to be near perfect to make it. Being forced to have an undefeated season with some big wins under their belt. This makes every game intense, especially nearing the end of the regular season where one win or loss could completely change your ranking.
This is in contrast to the NFL where a loss during the season might be a drop in ranking but it doesn’t always mean completely missing the playoffs. Teams can have fluctuating records over the season and it may not affect the chance of making the playoffs as we saw with the Cardinals in the 2022 season.
Since the NCAA creates a more personal experience for the audience this allows the games to be more intense as you are more emotionally invested. Though the NFL may take the news more and have more ratings. It’s hard to deny that college football sweeps the nation every year with passion for each team.
