College Football from a Student Perspective

By Brian Wisowaty

There will always be those who wish and hope that Seton Hall University will develop a football program (again) in the future. In the meantime, and with realistic views in mind, there is no reason to ignore NCAA Football throughout the upcoming fall.

First and foremost, I am of the strong belief that New Jersey residence does not mandate required cheering and rooting for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have certaintly turned things around from where they stood five or ten years back, but there are many teams that can draw local interest.

You have the perennial national powerhouses that can draw fans from around the nation: Florida, USC, Texas, Oklahoma, and Ohio State to name a few. Some college football die hards, such as myself, live for programs who have been up and down in the last decade but remained popular overall: Miami (FL), Florida State, Alabama, Penn State, and "everyone's favorite" Notre Dame.

As a Hurricanes fan, I have seen Miami go from back-to-back national championship berths (record in them: a controversy-filled 1-1) to a team that failed to qualify for a bowl game in 2007. Nevertheless, I rank them amongst my "top teams" that I follow, perhaps on par with my dedication to the New York Mets. That's saying much for a college student at a school with (a) the aforementioned lack of a football team and (b) a thick rivalry (and I daresay dislike) for that university in Piscataway.

My following of the 'Canes is just a simple example that college football can matter to anyone who loves the sport. The NFL may have become a 365, 24/7 industry, but the enthusiasm, historic rivalries, and intensity of the college game is calling out to sports fans everywhere. Especially if they do not have a team where they attend classes.

So, whether you support a school so popular that they have merchandise in Jersey sporting good stores, or pick the obscure program that you can boast sole "fanship" over, I implore you to keep in mind: some excellent football is played on Saturdays.


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