FOR THE LOVE OF TRADITION... (updated 10-13-2006) Last Sunday afternoon, I had to make a utterly tough decision. Should I watch the Eagles-Cowboys NFL game on FOX or watch a re-airing of the Arizona-UCLA game on FOX College Sports? Yes, I thought about it a few seconds and even started watching the Eagles-Cowboys game, but something came over me during the first commercial break. But how can I possibly choose college football over the NFL? How can I choose these amateurs over the greatest football players on the face of the earth? How can I defend the humdrum nature of 65,000 screaming fashion-forward (sky blue, I hear, is hot) UCLA fans against parity (NFL motto: Excellence just gets in the way)? How can I justify the depth of antipathy that Florida-Florida State college fans have for each other when compared to the thrills of a NFL game in October (or the rematch three weeks later)? What is the worth of winning the Dakota Marker, Little Brown Jug, the Old Oaken Bucket, or the Egg Bowl, when compared to the $26.5 million guaranteed to a "player that only plays NFL football because he loves the game"? Oh, the sleepless nights, searching for answers... Oh, the agony. Oh, and one other thing: I came up with 50 reasons why college football is better than NFL football, but I'll only subject you 10. 1. Passion The appeal of college football is rooted in the simple notion that your team represents you, your state, your alma mater, your youth. I graduated from North Dakota State University, therefore I am and always be a BISON. The NFL represents -- what, exactly? A bunch of 25-year-old millionaires who will dump your town the minute their agent secures a better offer. There is no loyalty in the NFL. College football is all about loyalty. 2. 25-year-old Millionaires Speaking of which, college football has none. What the game does have, instead, is humility. Sure there are exceptions, but for every Marcus Vick there are 100+ Steve Walkers. You want the bling and the talk? Have at it. We'll stick with guys who are still happy to get their names in the paper. 3. Rivalries Montana-Montana State. Harvard-Yale. Alabama-Auburn. Texas-Oklahoma. NDSU-SDSU. Williams-Amherst. No matter the division, there are rivalries that go 365-24-7. You revel in victory and agonize in defeat. What does the NFL offer in comparison? Dallas-Washington? How big can a rivalry be when they play it twice a year? 4. Playbook Buffet College offenses range from the option employed by Navy and Air Force to the I to the West Coast to the spread. Every week brings something different. They stretch the capabilities of defensive coordinators and the enjoyment of the fans. Most NFL offenses come from the same cookie cutter. Call them Two Degrees of Bill Walsh. 5. Overtime It's simple. In college, both teams get the ball. In the NFL, you can lose the game without one side of your team stepping onto the field. 6. Ticket Prices The highest cost of a ticket at North Dakota State this season is $20. The highest cost of a ticket at the Minnesota Vikings this season is $120. Where would you rather be? 7. Commercials After Kickoff The worst thing to happen to football since the XFL. Let's go over this. Extra point. Lots of commercials. Kickoff. Lots of commercials. By the time the game starts again, you've got to remind yourself who's playing. That's not a problem in college football. 8. College Halftimes NFL halftime means a break. College halftime means tradition. Marching bands dot the I in Ohio or at least rouse the emotions by playing the fight song. HBCU bands take halftime to a new high, combining enlivening music with spine-tingling showmanship. Non-marching bands, such as the LSJUMB (Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band) at Stanford, mock all that is sacred. Either way, it's an inestimable part of the college football experience. NFL halftime means, um, time to make a sandwich. 9. Traditions Checkerboard end zones. Aggies kissing their girls after a touchdown. Nittany Lion roars. Boats on Lake Washington anchoring at a Husky game. Fireworks. Male cheerleaders faking pushups for points scored. The flaming spear at midfield. The Sooner Schooner. Touchdown Jesus. Traditions are the imprimatur of every college team and its fans. As long as the NFL is operated out of one office in New York, tradition will be disallowed. 10. Eternal Youth Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, whose name has gotten tossed into every NFL coaching search since he left the Ravens staff in 1998, said he likes the college game because he likes to develop young players. The rhythm and arc of a collegiate career embody the fulfillment of potential. It's the same reason we continue to go back to our alma maters season after season. College football reconnects you with the kid you were, when Monday morning meant only a political science class, not the resumption of the mortgage chase. That's why you go back to campus every fall. The Bottom Line Despite the fact that people grow up in cities with NFL teams, there is never any REAL connection to the teams. It's nothing to be a Cowboys fan living in Debuke, Iowa. College football has emotional attachments that the NFL will never have. People GO to these universities. They have classes with the players. They join alumni clubs. The sheer emotion of college football trumps the NFL every day of the week. I consider myself a Vikings fan. But I never get broken up about a Vikings loss. On the other hand, I'm a North Dakota State University Bison fan. And when they lose, I'm bummed for days. When they win, it'd take a nuclear strike on my house to dampen my mood.