College Football Is No. 1
Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 06:33PM The college basketball sycophants are back at it again, spewing about the greatness of their game (all three weeks of it) and just how terrible college football is. Don't believe a word of it.
As is tradition here (fourth year now!), below is a reproduction of a list of The Sporting News' Tom Dienhart's 65 reasons college football is superior to college basketball. Feel free to chime in with your own reasons.
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My annual March ritual is to post the following: "65 Reasons College Football is Better than College Basketball". It's from an article written by The Sports News' Tom Dienhart, dated 3/6/2002 (and updated 3/8/2007). Feel free to add to the list. Take it away, Tom:
The NCAA Tournament will begin next week. It's a fun event, especially the first weekend. In fact, it may be among the four best days on the sports calendar. Still, college hoops pales in comparison to college football. Let me count the ways, 65 of them in all.
1. Homecoming queens and their screaming, crying sorority sisters.
2. Sea of pumping pom-poms on a Saturday night in the SEC. (It IS the nation's best conference.)
3. Crisp, cool autumn air in arrogant Ann Arbor, Mich.
4. Heisman Trophy.
5. Players doing the Heisman pose.
6. Flyovers at Air Force. Wow, it's loud.
7. Drifting blimps in a clear October sky.
8. Saturday morning. (The anticipation.)
9. Saturday afternoon. (The excitement.)
10. Saturday night. (The celebration.)
11. Holy trinity of Corso, Herbstreit and Fowler at YOUR campus.
12. Yell Leaders at super-charged College Station, Texas.
13. Mascots that could trample you -- and eat you: Ralphie and Mike the Tiger.
14. Marching bands (They're your band nerds. Hike up your pants, slip on your Drew Carey glasses, put on your pocket protector and show 'em some love! At least at halftime.)
15. Golden Girl, Girl in Black and Silver Twins in staid West Lafayette, Ind.
16. RVs as far as the eye can see in stately State College, Pa.
17. Candelabras and linen tablecloths at The Grove in lovely Oxford, Miss.
18. Old Brass Spittoon. (Quick aside: Whatever happened to the Bourbon Barrel?)
19. The "excellent" Bob Davie. (You know I love ya.)
20. Paul Bunyan's Axe.
21. "Simple Gifts" in explosive Morgantown, W.Va.
22. Floyd of Rosedale.
23. Cy-Hawk.
24. USC Song Girls.
25. Dawg Walk.
26. Tiger Walk.
27. Vol Walk.
28. The Fifth Quarter in rollicking Madison, Wisc.
29. Tunnel Walk in over-the-top Lincoln, Neb.
30. Our "Pardner," Brent Musburger. (Wonder what he's "looking live at" right now? Fascinating.)
31. Booming Big Bertha bass drum in way-cool Austin, Texas.
32. Rolling Toomer's Corner on "The Plains."
33. Welcome to Death Valley at LSU, and Clemson, too.
34. Clanging cowbells in dot-on-the-map Starkville, Miss.
35. Jingling car keys as toe meets leather. Anywhere.
36. Red River Rivalry in "Big D."
37. Third Saturday in October.
38. Tightwad Hill in bizarre Berkeley, Calif.
39. Trick plays in beautiful Boise, Idaho.
40. Water taxis at U-Dub.
41. Vol Navy.
42. Grave sites for Reveille and Uga. (Take off that hat and bow your head.)
43. Your buddy's Keith Jackson impersonation. Let me hear ya say "Whoa, Nellie!."
44. Fuuummmmbbbbllleeeeee!!! (Sorry about that.)
45. Hokey Pokey in bucolic Blacksburg, Va.
46. No Dick Vitale. (Awesome, Baby!)
47. Mountain views at Washington, Colorado, UCLA and BYU.
48. Civil War in "Orygun."
49. Hunkering down between the hedges in silver britches in awesome Athens, Ga.
50. Doting the "i" in Columbus, Ohio.
51. Notre Dame pep rallies. Yes, even when Regis is there.
52. Chief Osceola and Renegade in Tallahassee, Fla.
53. Tigers running down a hill in "the 25 most exciting seconds in college football" in crazed Clemson, S.C.
54. Duck! Flying tortillas in way-out-there Lubbock, Texas.
55. "2001: A Space Odyssey" entrance in insane Columbia, S.C.
56. Army-Navy.
57. Beano Cook's voice (Love it when he says "Notre Dame.")
58. Saturday morning drive from Spokane, Wash., to the Palouse (It's out of this world. Literally.)
59. Checkerboard end zones in nutty Knoxville, Tenn.
60. Flasks. (Where do hide yours?)
61. Running through the "A" in frenzied Fayetteville, Ark.
62. RUF/NEKS and the Sooner Schooner in abnormal Norman, Okla.
63. Year-round chatter/debate over polls that matter.
64. Iron Bowl. War Damn Eagle! Rooollll Tide! (You gotta pick a side. Be careful.)
65. Sweaty, bleeding, grass-stained, off-key BMOCs serenading fans with the fight song. Three words: Beaut. I. Ful.
Sorta makes you wanna crumble up that silly NCAA hoop bracket you'll fill out, mute Jim Nantz and start planning your first tailgate, doesn't it?
Sure it does.
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