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College football has been around a LOT longer than the NFL. For example, Texas and Oklahoma started playing each other before Oklahoma became a state. A lot of rivalries are 100 years old or more. In addition, for a lot of people, they are leaving home for the first time and those four years create lasting friendships and memories. It is a bond that lasts your entire life because it isn't just a school you are going to. The traditions have been around forever, the students play the game, the play in the band, they cheer on the sidelines and in the stands, they go to class with the students on the field, you see them around campus.
@@DNReacts if you guys are interested in reacting to game highlights, a fun one to check out that just happened might be Georgia and Ohio State. Two college teams who just played a classic in the peach bowl. Vikings-Bills was a great recent NFL game.
absolutely. i watch another british guy who does college football reactions here and there and his one video got over 100k views in like a month and he gained a few thousand subs. going to sub here as well to see more in the future :)
@@DNReacts I would suggest putting up a pole for what we want to see you guys react to on the community tab and then react to the two that get the most votes. Just my opinion. I have my preference of the Bills vs Vikings game but someone else might suggest a different game I would agree with that would be a better one to react to. 🤷♂️
College football is one of the best sports to follow. Not because of the top tier athleticism, but because of the passion that a lot of the players and fans have for the sport. They may not be the best players ever, but they love it. Its incredibly entertaining. If you ever get the chance to go to a BIG rivalry game, its an amazing experience.
There are 32 NFL teams (30 cities) across a massive country. For a lot of people, a college football game is the only thing reasonably close to home. OTOH, Texas has multiple NFL teams, and the colleges in Texas still draw huge crowds.
Duh!!! Texas ONLY has 2...count them...2 NFL teams.... So does, Ohio, and Pennsylvania....Florida, California and New York all have 3 NFL teams each.... So, Texas is no big deal....and there are loads of colleges and high schools in those states that field football teams. So maybe you should get out of your basement and off the computer and see the real world for a change? At least your own country!!
@@josephcernansky1794 - Technically, Mr. Holier Than Thou, NY only has one team, given that 2 play in NJ (and share a stadium) as do 2 of the 3 California teams. Jacksonville, FL averages the lowest attendance. Meanwhile, FAR more people go to college games in TX than in NY or CA.
The pageantry, tradition, and atmospheres are second to none in college football. Each game is an event, where people tailgate in a parking lot or on campus for hours before and after kickoff. From the bitter rivalries, to the marching band, the live mascots, or the 4th quarter light shows, it just doesn't get any better than a fall Saturday. Definitely react to some of the best college football traditions and atmospheres!
Some high school games draw 15,000 people so by the time you have college many draw from 40,000 to 105,000 plus a lot of TV coverage. There are over 100 college games going on every week at various levels and there is a whole playoff season after the main 12 games with conference championships and semi-final and final National Championship games plus many post season bowl games in December. Many fans plan the whole Saturday around pre and post game activities as well as the game. Many start at 8am and go until late in the evening.
My first time in Texas I bought a map and was horrified. It had all the high schools on it. I thought itvwas some pediphile map! I was looking for museums or other sightseeing places. It was explained that ...football.the HS stadiums around Houston were sooo large to my eyes.
JeffS Basically the High school is the local football club and the college is the higher league,whereas in europe and the rest of the world,they may be school teams ,but the basis is the local club where parents bring their children to play a particular sport in a single sport club or in a multisport club.It doesn't stop at adulthood either amateur players can continue playing until they are no longer physically able too.
i’m from pennsylvania and college football is MASSIVE here at Penn State. the capacity for Beaver Stadium where they play is over 100,000 and they’ve had a few turnouts where about 110,000 people have came to watch. personally i’ve never been to one but it looks absolutely insane. there are a few other college stadiums with 90k-100k+ capacity as well. but most of them are anywhere from 65k-85k capacity. it’s mental
also you guys should react to tours of some of the college teams facilities!! they will BLOW you away, they have unbelievable amounts of money to dump into insane facilities for their teams. teams like alabama or LSU or oregon would be good ones to start with! :)
@@ChaoticCobras Thank you for the comments. It’s definitely crazy! Especially compared to what we’re used to over this side of the pond. We will add these suggestions to the list and there will be plenty more college content coming out in future weeks/months, next one due later this week.
Texas has 2 college football stadiums that seat 100K+, and those 2 colleges first played against each other in 1894. The biggest college stadium in the US has 110K+ -. But High School football is huge also. My small rural town in Texas (population 1,100) has a 700+ seat high school stadium, and is often SRO. You see 3 (sometimes 4) generations of family come to watch a relative play. We like football.
Part of the reason college football is bigger is due to the connection people have with their schools (students, staff, alumni) and the connection of the school with the local communities. Every state has one or more college football teams of some sort of division level. Not all states have an NFL team.
College football is way bigger than the NFL, you get alumni, current students and locals who all turn out for the games. College is also the pipeline to the NFL so these dudes go all out every Saturday
I live in a small college town with a Division 3 team. There are two levels of div 1 with over 200 teams, then 2, then 3... that's how low Division 3 is. They still get anywhere from a few hundred to a couple thousand show up.
The game we call football started in college there was no professional football at the time. U guys should react to IMG high school academy, u will really get a sense of how big football is here.
You are forgetting that these guys also play in front of 100's or 1000's of fans in High School too. The only time you get that experience of playing in front of family is in Jr High
These kids are treated like royalty. You should check out the training centers and locker rooms. South Carolina’s, Clemson’s, Alabama’s, LSU. Those have really nice training facilities and locker rooms.
Yes. I'm here in the home city of the University of South Carolina ( Carolina Gamecocks, stadium capacity 78,000), Columbia, SC and our long time rival is Clemson University (Tigers) out of Clemson, SC.
Rita Y Price, I’ve been a Carolina fan for over 50 yrs. Was born and raised in Aiken, SC. Now, I live 10 mins. from Clemson and it torture some days during football season. God save me!!! LOL…..
The pressure is usually something that they learn early on. Most of these players have been playing since they were kids, and many attend specific schools geared towards their sport. Those who go through this schooling definitely learn how to deal with the pressure.
Keep in mind that these are large universities. There are thousands of smaller schools that also have less extravagant programs. When I played in high school there were nine or ten thousand fans every Friday night. When I went to a small college and played, five thousand would be a nice crowd. Check out the video on high school stadiums and you'll see where it starts.
It has a _very_ catchy name. It's called the "College Football Playoff National Championship". The game serves as the final of the College Football Playoff, a bracket tournament between the top four teams in the country as determined by a selection committee. The participating teams in the College Football Playoff National Championship are determined by two semifinal games, hosted by an annual rotation of bowls commonly known as the New Year's Six, thus, the teams to compete in the final are not directly selected by a selection committee as they were in the past. When I was a kid, _many many years ago,_ there was no such thing as a College Football Champion. The #1 spot was just determined after Bowl season by a committee. As I'm sure you can imagine, this was not a popular way to determine this.
Also, back when committees determined, there were (still are) 2 rankings the Coaches poll, and the Associated Press... so there were times when 2 teams could be considered national champions.
Cool fellas! Yes from the age of 8 years old, I played this American pass time, it helped form teamwork, one for all and all for one, playing for your family, Home Town, and for the sheer passion of the game. Personally, this game helped me define myself, I learned that it is hard work and desire that makes it happen. I learned that it's not what you talk about, it is what you DO! Like the majority of those who play, my time ended in High School, I had a catastrophic right knee injury, and I lost 3 of my cruciate ligaments, the Posterior, Meddile & Anterior bomb over. I was able to watch my brothers play on the collegiate level. I took the lessons of this great game and have built a wonderful life for myself and my family. Keep watching awesome!!
The reason college, our uni, 18-24. Our bachelor's degrees take 4 years here, is not every state has nfl teams, and our states are as large as many European countries, so even if your state has 1 or more nfl teams it might take 4+ hours to get there, but universities are everywhere. Plus we have turn out for all things our children do, we have high school football, ages 14-18, Friday night, college Saturdays and nfl Sundays.
Some reasons for college ball being so big: 1) Regionality. America is *HUGE* . The NFL doesn’t have enough teams to cover every region of fans and their associated rivalries. 2) History. The NFL is relatively new compared to college football. The modern format of two conferences started in the 60s, but college football has been going on for over 100 years. Plus, NFL teams uproot and move all the time, so there’s no attachment to the home city. 3) Pageantry. Related to #2, college teams have decades upon decades of very unique traditions, songs, symbols, etc. The NFL is extremely sterile. Show up, play ball, go home. They could play their games on the moon and it wouldn’t change much. 4) Strategy. Football is arguably the most strategic sport in the world. In the NFL, there are only ever a handful of schemes in popular rotation at a time. At the college level, virtually every scheme imaginable is employed because the teams have a wide disparity in talent, resources, etc. In fact, the overwhelming majority of the schemes in use in the NFL were invented at the college level. 5) Development. 99.9999% of NFL players come from college football. If you want to know who the next big NFL stars are going to be, you’ve got to watch college ball.
The passion just means more because you're not just rooting for a hometown team, but a school that often times you attended. You're apart of it and have a deeper sense of connection. That said, if you go to areas like New England where there's not a powerhouse collegiate team, the NFL is bigger. It really just depends on the region... and the success of the teams for whether people gravitate towards the NFL or college football.
Some things to keep in mind about college ball: There are nearly 120 colleges that play in what’s called Division 1. Among them there are 5 “power” conferences consisting of 10 - 16 teams, and several other “Group of 5” conferences averaging the same number of member schools. They play 8 games each season within their conferences, and 4 matchups against outside schools. And the fandom is massive because as someone else mentioned, they’ve been playing since 1900 & earlier. My alma mater, Penn State, has about a half million active alumni association members. I’ve been at games with 111 thousand other people, and most of those seats are season ticket holders. Now players are basically free agents, with the ability to transfer to another team at any time - the the new “Name, Image & Likeness” law allows kids to make fortunes while still in college, doing testimonials ads and selling merchandise. We’re talking potentially millions for some of these 18+ year olds !
Yes and some of the future first round NFL draft picks, especially quarterbacks are making several million dollars in college like Bryce Young and CJ Stroud from Alabama and Ohio State respectively made over $3 million dollars in their 3rd year in college and will leave college early to enter the NFL draft. These kids are allowed to leave college if they are 3 or more years removed from high school and those that will be 1st or 2nd round draft picks will usually leave early. The top 5 kids to be chosen in the draft will typically make $30-$34 million dollars plus a $20 million dollar signing bonus. They are instant millionaires. When a decent salary in the US is considered $60,000 to $100,000 a year, you can understand why these kids are so passionate and their goal is to make an NFL roster, although only 1% of them will make it. Some of the top programs in the country like Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, LSU, etc produce more NFL prospects than most other schools. Georgia had 16 drafted last year, LSU had 14 drafted in 2019, Ohio State has usually at least 10 drafted every year.
"You have to get your foot down" - In college football, one foot must touch inbounds, but in the NFL, both feet must touch inbounds for the touchdown to be counted.
@@DNReacts Yeah, there are quite a few subtle differences in the rules between youth leagues, high school, college and NFL. Of course, the fundamentals of the game are the same at all levels, but it can get a bit tricky if you’re used to primarily watching one particular level of play all the time and then watch a game from another level of competition. You pause for a second and say “Wait, he can’t do that!” and then you realize, oh yeah he can.
Another major difference between college and NFL is when a player is "down". In the NFL if the player with the ball falls down on the ground he can get up and continue running UNLESS he was down because of contact by the other team. In college if the runner falls down, whether by contact or by his own, he is down and the play is over. An example is like on a fumble or interception. In the NFL you can dive on the ball or fall to the ground....and if no one touched you you can get up and run. In college ball you dive on the ball or fall down after a catch, you can not get up and continue running. You are down, it's your ball but the play is over. ALSO...the "hash marks" that run down the center and length of the field from goal line to goal line. In the NFL those hash lines are spaced to be in line with the gosl posts.....in college those lines are further apart and practically divide the field lengthwise into thirds.
In additon any part of the body that's not a hand or foot coming down inbounds counts the same as having both feet land inbounds. There was a touchdown in the NFL scored, where the player landed on his left butt cheek, since that is what hit first, it was inbounds, and the receiver had full control of the ball the TD counted. This rule applies to all catches whether they're on scoring plays or not. "On the line" is the considered out of bounds in both the NFL & College.
Roll Tide ,collage football is our version of royalty these kids start very young and most are consider kings of the high school football field in small towns every where you'll find us on Friday night at a game.
What a fun video! Y'alls reactions are priceless. Yes, they are playing for the national championship in college football. The Georgia Bulldogs won it 2 years in a row (no small feat). Please react to the 2 part video 'The Greatest American Sports Fans'. Keep up the good work and Go Dawgs!!
College football existed long before the NFL. Late 1800’s was the birth of American football, in universities. The NFL came around in 1920 but wasn’t nearly as popular as college football until the 1950’s. College football in America is all about tradition. I grew up watching Alabama football with my grandfather. He grew up listening to Alabama football in the 1920’s on the radio. Winning in college is about state and regional pride or rivalry. Winning in the NFL is about making millions of dollars. It’s like the difference between pro soccer player or playing for the World Cup. Completely different motivations for each.
And remember growing up in small town America Friday night lights and football was ALL you had for local entertainment. These schools all have local stars and heroes that make it into college ball. Whole small town identities built on their football team and their history and rivalries. It's in our blood
College football is really an extension of high school in which you have so much student involvement in the games, from the players, cheerleaders, bands, etc., but you also have huge alumni presence on game weekends. Further to this, a lot of your top college programs are in predominantly smaller towns. Just using my college as an example, Texas Tech, is in Lubbock, Texas. When I went to school there, Lubbock had a population of approximately 110,000 people. Each fall, however, you added an additional 50,000 students into the economy. These towns, literally revolve around the University and all that comes with that. I'm currently living and working overseas but I still have my season tickets to Tech football. At least once a year, my college buddies and I choose one weekend to all meet in Lubbock and go to a game. When I was living in Dallas, I would either drive the 6 hours or take an hour flight each weekend, to Lubbock, when there were home games. This happens all over the country every weekend in the fall!!
I really disagree that college football is an extension of the High School version. Only the top 5% or so of High School players will ever see a collegiate field of any kind, even fewer a Power 5 school. It could better be said that the College game is the pre-extension of Pro football.
These college football players are very elite athletes. Most have been scouted since HS or earlier. Been devoted for many years, and offered scollerships to commit to play and go to certain schools.. Very very hard to make a college team. For some hard to make a HS team at many levels.
College football national championship is the Superbowl equivalent in college. Teams essentially are ranked throughout the regular season based on strength of schedule and strength of wins. At the end of the season the top 4 go on into the College football playoffs with the overall winner being named National Champion.
Y'all probably caught on but what Americans call college is really "University" for the rest of the English speaking world. The reason it is so large is because the rest of the students and graduates of the university take great pride in beating their rivals. Lots of rivalries can be traced back to the beginning of the sport or school itself. The pageantry around the sport is amazing, it may not be as popular a reaction video but checking out videos like "The greatest college football traditions" or videos around the college bands are super interesting. I'm a band nerd and college bands put on amazing shows at halftime to entertain the massive crowds. Most major universities have bands of over 200 students who have practiced all week to put on a show.
Yeah I knew that about American culture, we have either college or university in the UK, they aren’t the same thing. It’s amazing how much goes in to college football and the amount of dedication from everyone! Would love to learn about the traditions and check out the bands. We are really enjoying learning about everything!
Speaking of hyped from a young age, the top 15, by capacity, High School (let me say that again... High School) football stadiums, mostly in Texas, hold over 10,000 people. The top 3 all hold over 20,000 people.
I love that take you had around the 5 min mark about the US college kids already facing scrutiny and pressure at a young age and probably only the ones who can handle it make it out which lends to the country having so many major sport success. Cool theory.
Fun fact. Nike was founded at the University of Oregon. You should check out their uniforms. They wear a different one every game, all due to Nike being owned by an Oregon alumni.
The military plane fly overs are a staple of large scale outdoor sporting events here and are always completed after the singing of the national anthem
12:39-12:41 "They even brought a horse." As a Florida State fan, I laughed so hard. I definitely recommend watching them "Plant the Spear" which was what they were in the middle of doing as Renegade (the horse) bucks once, then Osceola (the man) throws the Spear into the ground before the start of each home game while the crowd erupts with a "Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh-BOOM!" Absolutely electrifying and gives you chills.
It's worth understanding that football started with colleges. Boys came back from the civil war to study in college, and they played this game against the other kids they were at war with. Back in that time, people died on the field every other game. This tradition goes back to the 1860's. The pomp and circumstance is as old as our unified country, and older than most association football clubs.
That part in the middle that had the song till I see you again, was honoring recent college football players that died: like Jake Webb, Dwayne Haskins, and etc.
The preparation these college teams go through for those games, everything from the countless hours of practice, exercising, video sessions, etc. Once it's time to play and go out to compete, so worthwhile!!! Good job guys, watch The Program, it's about as close to college football as you can get.
College football is BIG MONEY for the colleges/universities as well as for the tv stations that air the games on tv. The Ohio State University Football Stadium where I live and is only 10 minutes away from my apartment can have over 110,000 people in the stands especially for a big game. You should react to The Ohio State University Marching Band "Hollywood" tribute video! The Ohio State University Marching Band is known as "The Best Damn Band in the Land" The Ohio State University Marching Band also performed at Wimbley Stadium in London during the NFL demonstration games. The band played a tribute of "British Invasion" songs which is another great video I highly recommend!
Don't listen to this drivel from anOSU fan....they have a mascot that is nothing but a POISON CHESTNUT!! They're JUST another OSU....there are multiple OSU's in the USA....NONE of them are worth a damn......the one in Ohio has a stadium that viewed from the top looks like a giant TOILET!! Ohio Stadium is a great place to take a DUMP!! ( and that Giant Toilet stadium has NEVER had 110,000 people inside it.....but if they ever do....don't forget to FLUSH!!)
2 cents: First there are colleges that are smaller & have smaller stadiums. Here are the biggest in the US: 1 Michigan Stadium 107,601 Ann Arbor Michigan 1927 Michigan Wolverines (NCAA) 2 Beaver Stadium 106,572 University Park Pennsylvania 1960 Penn State Nittany Lions (NCAA) 3 Ohio Stadium 102,780 Columbus Ohio 1922 Ohio State Buckeyes (NCAA) 4 Kyle Field 102,733 College Station Texas 1927 Texas A&M Aggies (NCAA) 5 Neyland Stadium 102,455 Knoxville Tennessee 1921 Tennessee Volunteers (NCAA) 6 Tiger Stadium 102,321 Baton Rouge Louisiana 1924 LSU Tigers (NCAA) 7 Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium 100,119 Austin Texas 1924 Texas Longhorns (NCAA) 8 Bryant-Denny Stadium 100,077 Tuscaloosa Alabama 1929 Alabama Crimson Tide (NCAA) 9 Sanford Stadium 92,746 Athens Georgia 1929 Georgia Bulldogs (NCAA) 10 Cotton Bowl 92,100 Dallas Texas 1930 Red River Rivalry (NCAA) State Fair Classic (NCAA) The National Football League (NFL) is a 'professional' American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). $17.19 billion is generated by NFL. There are approximately 893 football colleges spanning five different division levels: NCAA Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, NAIA and NJCAA. NCCA has 130 teams. Alaska and Vermont are the only two states without a college football program at any of those levels (Alaska doesn't host one at any level), so they are being withheld. Division I athletic programs generated $8.7 billion in revenue in the 2009-2010 academic year. Most revenue is football & basketball. Yale (one of the oldest) has gained the most national titles (18). However, within the AP Poll Era, Alabama is considered the top winner with 13 titles. Alabama has won just under half of the last 13 national titles, winning in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2020. The full college football bowl game schedule for the 2022 season features 43 contests spanning three weeks in December and January. What state has the most NCAA football teams? Pennsylvania is the leading state for football colleges by state 2022. The Keystone State has a total of 52 football colleges. Who is the most successful college football team? Michigan famously holds the record for the most wins in college football history, so it naturally follows that the Wolverines have a few titles to their name. They have two in the poll era (since 1936). Most popular? College Total fans Gen Z fans Millenial fans Gen X fans Baby Boomer fans 1 Ohio State University 6,277,707 515,522 1,530,465 1,471,083 1,978,901 2 University of Alabama 4,136,400 705,754 809,123 1,263,019 1,104,415 3 Penn State University 3,970,925 552,361 902,398 764,906 1,556,878 4 University of Notre Dame 3,510,694 335,583 478,628 1,273,379 1,101,871 5 University of Texas-Austin 3,136,464 572,186 702,743 1,072,626 621,804 6 Michigan State 2,938,450 253,850 619,072 1,029,206 856,508 7 University of Michigan 2,877,610 85,948 715,881 687,111 1,106,529 8 University of Georgia 2,835,217 288,560 825,478 537,894 1,021,821 9 Florida State University 2,751,432 228,704 694,154 657,475 687,392 10 UCLA 2,724,802 309,317 721,538 862,425 579,221 Bowl Games: (To name a few) Rose Bowl Game 1902 (92,542) Pasadena, California Orange Bowl (Hard Rock Stadium) 1935 (64,767) Miami Gardens, Florida Sugar Bowl (Caesars Superdome) 1935 (72,208) New Orleans, Louisiana Cotton Bowl Classic (AT&T Stadium) 1937 (80,000) Arlington, Texas Peach Bowl (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) 1968 (71,000) Atlanta, Georgia Fiesta Bowl (State Farm Stadium) 1971 (63,400) Glendale, Arizona Sun Bowl (Sun Bowl Stadium) 1935 (51,500) El Paso, Texas Gator Bowl (TIAA Bank Field) 1945 (76,867) Jacksonville, Florida Citrus Bowl (Camping World Stadium) 1946 (60,219) Orlando, Florida Liberty Bowl (Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium) 1959 (58,325) Memphis, Tennessee Independence Bowl (Independence Stadium) 1976 (53,000) Shreveport, Louisiana Holiday Bowl (Petco Park) 1978 (40,209) San Diego, California ReliaQuest Bowl (Raymond James Stadium ) 1986 (65,908) Tampa, Florida Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Chase Field) 1989 (48,519) Phoenix, Arizona
By seating capacity, eight of the ten largest stadiums in the world are for American college football. The NFL is bigger than college, but the college fanbase is much more intense. Most of the games are played on rivalry weekend. since that's also Thanksgiving weekend in the US, games are played on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The regular season ends two weeks later with Army vs. Navy. The weekend in between is for conference championships.
Regarding your comment about the horse near the end of the video (that team was Florida State, by the way), several schools have live animals at their games: Tennessee, Texas, Texas A & M, Georgia, and Oklahoma are a few examples. One of my favorites is Colorado, because they run a live bison across the field for their team's entrance. LSU used to station their mascot (a live tiger in a cage) next to the visiting team's locker room so opponents had to pass by him.
Here's a fact that tells you something about our priorities: in most states in the US, the highest paid state employee is a college football coach... they're often paid millions. Occasionally it's a basketball coach instead. College football is huge in part because the universities have huge student bodies to fill stadiums... the stadium at Ohio State holds about 105,000 people, and the university has 60,000 students; and the closest NFL teams would be the Browns and Bengals, over 100 miles away. Where I was born, in Montana, the closest NFL team would have been my current city... Seattle, 400 miles away... so college games are much more local and accessible.
College football is bigger because it’s been around longer. Walter Camp is the father of American football and it was first played among college teams.
Love the review!! I will say that one of the best videos to get a feel for college football atmospheres is the "Best Traditions in College Football" part 1 and 2. Another thing to point out is that there is definitely a range for attendance. There are so many universities in the US so one D3 university might have the same turnout as your uni matches (couple parents and bored students) but a D1 school like Michigan University, Ohio State, Alabama are going to consistently pull in 90k+ to the games. Worth noting too that many states dont have NFL teams. So for a state like West Virginia, WVU is effectively their NFL team. So the whole state, whether they attended or not, are going to support that college team. Pretty cool!! Glad you guys are checking out the game!! All the best from PA!
Thank you for the comment Micah! We’ve been recommended that one so will definitely be doing it at some point! Appreciate the info, we are enjoying the sport and learning so much! Hope you’ll stick around, appreciate the support!
The rule for the Pylon (The orange foam at the goal line) is that if the ball touches the pylon then it is considered to have crossed the goal line and is a touchdown. Because often plays happen so fast that it is hard to see if the ball crosses the line, especially at that part of the end zone, then they made it a rule that if the BALL touches it, then it is a TD. Hope this helps.
college sports have been around longer however i think the main reason is people who aren't sports fans that went to college still have an allegiance to a school so when a game comes up/ rivalry there's more participation. other sports rely on fans of that sport and then fans of that team to support. College fans rely on graduates to support.
University of Michigan's "Michigan Stadium" aka "The Big House" is the largest stadium in the western hemisphere and third largest in the world at over 107,000. Pennsylvania State University's "Beaver Stadium" is the fourth largest stadium in the world at just over 106,000.
There are 32 NFL teams, named after the places they play (Seattle, Washington, etc.) That means that nearly half of the US states don't have one. There are 130 universities with major college football teams (bowl subdivision level, i.e. the teams you're seeing in this video) Thats more than 2 per state. For example: The Salt Lake City, UT metropolitan area has ~2.7 million people, but no NFL team-but it does have two universities with major football teams and >30,000 students each. The Gainesville, FL metropolitan area has ~340 thousand people, but no NFL team-but it does have a university with a major football team and >50,000 students. Residents of these two cities can either cheer for an NFL team named after some other city that's very far away (500 miles away for Salt Lake City, 300 miles away for Gainesville) OR they can cheer for a team based in their own city-where they probably know someone who attends that college (likely even their own children) and where they probably went to college themselves. When the University of Utah (in Salt Lake City) played against the University of Florida (in Gainesville) to start last season, these two communities got to cheer for the "hometown" team playing against a team from across the country. There's local loyalty plus regional rivalry that just isn't available to these two populations with the nearest NFL teams (Denver and Miami, i.e. two completely different and distant cities from either Salt Lake City or Gainesville). Repeat this across the United States, and then add the fact that colleges/universities are deeply woven into the fabric of American urban life. The university medical schools are the major hospitals, the university libraries are the biggest libraries, the youth-education programs give the younger kids stuff to do after school to keep them off the streets, and in many cities the university is one of the largest employers in the city, or even in the state. NFL is good, but unless you live in one of the NFL markets and there's an NFL team with your city's name on it, you're much more likely to feel proud of (and fond of) the university named after the place where you live-where you probably have years of great memories all the way dating back to when you were a student but also extending to your present everyday life. Finally, the level of skill in college ball can be amazing because most of the guys playing college ball while they're in school have dreams of playing in the NFL (which gets most of its players from the ranks of college football). So they're all working out and practicing night and day, maintaining amazing fitness levels, etc. in hopes of ending up in the professional ranks of the NFL after college where they can earn millions or hundreds of millions. As a result, of this level of investment, it's not a "second class" sport on the field, either. I say this as a college ball fan who knows the college ball world inside out but only halfway follows NFL (no local NFL team within hundreds of miles, but I cheer for the college I attended and regularly attend the games-even though tickets can set you back $1k or more at times, yes, to a college ball game).
The NFL still generates the most revenue and views in the US what college football is wildly popular just because each state has more than a couple universities so everyone has a team that they can route four with their whole heart… there is plenty of fans like that for the NFL as well
The Stadiums aren't just filled by Alumni and students. It doesn't even matter if you know someone who went to the school. Sometimes you are a fan of a certain school because of where you live, or you inherit fandom from watching games on tv with your Dad. Same with College Basketball. March Madness is coming soon!!
High school football culture might shock you more. My small rural town would basically shut down on Friday nights to watch the high school football game.
College football is a multi billion dollar business-broadcast rights, merchandising, etc etc. But these players are unpaid bc they’re considered “amateur” yet these kids go out and play their hearts out. That passion, dedication, and hunger is the epitome of sports. Fans know it and love it. Yeah, some of these players do it bc they know it’s their ticket to the NFL but others who know they probably won’t get selected still do it bc they love the sport. You just gotta love that spirit.
Great video! Just like you guys are Brits getting into American Football, I'm the opposite. I'm an American who's been getting into the Premier League lately! Hope y'all enjoy our traditions! College football has a ton of pageantry and traditions to enjoy!
@DN Reacts I started following Liverpool first as a friend from London introduced me to the PL through them. I haven't really solidified a favorite club yet though. Just taking in as many games as I can catch. NBC carries a ton of PL games, but a lot of the cup games are split to other streaming services
Just have to break the plane of the end zone. Imagine there is a laser screen projected up from goal line. Just the tip of the ball breaking the plane is a touchdown.
That interception @ 3:22 was made by D.J. Graham of the Oklahoma Sooners vs the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He was formerly a defensive player, but after that miraculous catch, he's now officially made the switch to wide receiver & should premier next season for OU!
I think college football is more popular because... It's been around longer than the NFL, which means fans have been following it longer. It's often generational, as in the great-grandfather played there and then it passed down from son to son to represent the family school or legacy. Students start off together and are friends from high school, or even earlier in elementary school, and they'll support their friend all the way through college football by attending games. It's easier and less expensive to get to a college game than an NFL game. I live in the state of Alabama and my team is the Alabama Crimson Tide. Roll Tiiide! 🐘 I'm a girl, so I never played for the team, but I do support them. I'm only about an hour and a half away from the University of Alabama, home of the Tide, and there are at least four other colleges with teams that I can drive to within thirty minutes to two hours within my state, and not much longer if I wanted to attend college games in nearby states. As for an NFL team, the Atlanta Falcons are about two hours away, and it's about five hours to get to the New Orleans Saints in Louisiana. If I went to a Saints game, it'll be expensive with the tickets, gas for the car, food, partying or at least sightseeing, and definitely a hotel for at least one night to rest. *Stadium size* (you questioned it in another video) They need to be quite large because there are more people in the stands, because people want to see their son or sibling playing for the school their grandfather played for, the students take up a lot of seats to support their school and, of course there has to be room for the huge marching band, dance line and majorettes. There's room for cheerleaders, too, but they don't get to sit down nearly as much as the others.
I live in Rural upstate South Carolina. 15 minutes drive from Clemson. We have no pro sports team in our state. Like said before in the middle of nowhere are these massive stadiums which much of rural ppl congregate on Saturdays.
There are several divisions based on school size and skill. The top two are called FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) and it’s bigger brother the FBS ( Football Bowl Subdivision), each has a National Championship Game. There are thee smaller school divisions D2, D3, and NAIA. There is a little overlap in the top two, a FCS team champion would be some where in the middle of the FBS division. On a bad day a FBS school might only see 20k to 30k, but at the top 75 teams you are looking at 50k to 110k fans. But the number of eyeballs on the TV will be in the millions, some games over 10 million. Even the smallest schools will have at least 5K in attendance.
College football is more regional, so it brings in more local people who actually live in the area. For example if you live in Montana, there aren’t any pro teams close at all but they do have two D1 college football teams that get a good amount of support
You can score even if your body is out of bounds as long as you havent stepped out of bounds or the ball hasnt. The second either happen, you are considered down. In terms of the pylon, as long as the tip of the ball touches the line for the endzone, its a touchdown. The ball does not need to pass the line completely. In college, only one foot down is needed to be called a complete pass. In professional league, you need two.
If you're surprised by how big College Football is, you'd be mind blown by how big High School Football is, specifically Texas High School football. Also I would recommend watching highlights of games that just finished, as well as the Super Bowl highlights
From about 7:10 to 8:06 it showed guys that unfortunately passed away before the 2022 season. One they showed prominently was Spencer Webb, who played for the Oregon Ducks and is in my pfp
An older school will have many generations in the family. History and tradition. And because rooting for the school is actually something to root for as opposed to what is essentially an entertainment company (NFL). Also, bear this in mind, the entire roster turns over for every school every 3-5 years. Imagine how hard it is to be the best of the best with that happening continuously.
Another thing to remember is that for how large the US is landmass wise the NFL has 32 teams whereas the NCAA Div.1 has around 140 teams so the Universities represent a way more local population especially in states where there are no NFL teams.
The horse at the end is much more than just a horse. That tradition belongs to Florida state University (FSU) the horse name is renegade and the rider is Chief Osceola it’s a tradition built to represent the Seminole tribe in Florida. You should look into the pregame tradition. It’s a whole show. With a flaming spear thrown.
It's because it's close to home - mostly. There are 30 NFL teams. This country is huge. Most of us grew up with a team near us we could appreciate. Over time, it became bigger than what even the NFL could become.
"bigger" is a relative term. The NFL is bigger in its financial reach and shares $17.2 Billion with only with 32 teams whereas College has 125 in the top section (FCS). They do not share money equally and in some cases their conferences make way more money (SEC and Big 10) than others (AAC Mountain West and the like). As an example SEC in 2021 made $833 Million, Big 10 just signed a $1 Billion a year deal for the TV rights to the conference. So in total earnings College is bigger, most of the bigger teams have more in stadium crowds, but UCLA (for example) has a 100,000 seat stadium that cannot fill up on a week to week basis (or get close). College, like most of English Football teams, do not move so local loyalty is immense.
Not sure if this was mentioned or not but around the 7:15 mark of your video they started showing #7 from Ohio State Dwayne Haskins and #18 from Oregon Spencer Webb. They both passed away this last year so it was a little tribute in the video.
Most of these guys started playing in grade school. So by the time they reach High School and then College. They understand what it’s all about and they don’t have eyes for anything else but the Pros.
I'm from the New England where it's all about the pro teams. I now live in Alabama. My wife went to Alabama it's like you're born and made to choose between the two big schools down here.
I live in New England but took a job in Alabama in the mid 90's that lasted a few years. First question asked was: who you for, Alabama or Auburn. People outside Alabama don't know the religious passion of football down there.
We Americans push and encourage our kids at a young age to be competitive, and we can at times put pressure on them especially if they are good in a particular sport. The main reason college football is so popular is because a lot of kids are future NFL stars.
In America The term College and university are typically the same thing.. it more common for Americans to say College than university, mainly when someone says university it's something specific like Boston College vs Boston University which are two different schools in Boston Massachusetts
To answer the question you had about the popularity and interest in college football; the student athletes are not paid and only a very small number will play professionally. The larger schools obviously have bigger budgets for uniforms, stadiums, etc. However, they cannot ‘bid’ for the best players. The University of Georgia Bulldogs have been the country’s number one team for the last two seasons (rarely done twice in a row) and I saw only two or three highlights. The media definitely has its favorites. Keep in mind, these players are not paid, but everything they need is provided for them…AND they get a free education. This is the only way so many underprivileged kids get to go to college.
Umm players are paid now with NIL. Kids are getting paid directly out of high school now. Certain players have been paid millions. Some make more than others based on how good of a player they are. Unfortunately, NIL is taking over College Football
When they go up for a jump ball and one guy catches it above the other, it’s called a head top. You say “head top!” While patting the top of your head lol
Some bits of that video were a tribute. The close ups of the Utah players, and the Oregon player Spencer Webb. Tragically, sometimes these student athletes lose their lives before reaching adulthood. There was some film in there of players who passed away before this season and bits of things their teams did to honor their memory.
I think college football is bigger for probably three big reasons...1) accessibility...there are hundreds of colleges across the US so you can more easily see a college game whereas NFL teams are centralized to major cities so if you live in a smaller community (or what we call a college town), you can go catch a game any given day 2) affordability...college games are way cheaper than NFL games to attend and 3) hometown heros ....you're more likely to actually know the players personally on a college team. These are guys you grew up with and sit in class with everyday.
College football brings band, cheerleaders, students, community, alumni, donors. All together. I never got an education or passion or tradition from a professional league.
Tailgating is a big part of college football tradition. The fans dress in tacky school colors and gather in the stadium parking lots a couple of hours before the game and have BBQ or picnic food and, perhaps, a pint or two.
College football stadiums can hold 100,000 people and bring in millions to the schools. They are playing their best bc scouts are watching to take them to the NFL. It's extremely competitive. Georgia Bulldogs won it all this year.
College football games actually start hours before the game when fans gather in the parking lots for "tailgating". It can range from a family pulling fold out chairs from the car and a picnic lunch to....a group of family/friends arriving in motorhomes. to set up tents with tables & chairs with tvs to watch the pre-game shows, massive grills to fix anything from bbq to jambalaya, setting up full bars, stereos cranked up, flags flying, pick up games in the aisles, and socializing as people walk around to check out what everyone else is cooking and the sharing of food/drinks. Many parking lots open about 4 hours or more before the actual start of the game.
If you want to see how the player development pipeline works, check out the Massillon vs McKinley high school football game. It's one of the oldest rivalries in the game. Several high schools play in the stadium where the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game is played. Babies born in the Massillon hospital get either a football or cheerleader pompoms. PeeWee football league starts at age 5. Also check out a video of the festivities during the Hall of Fame week.
In your video you remarked at how massive college sports games are in the US and wondered why that is so different in the UK. It's really pretty simple, but it takes some explaining. The answer is that we don't have the club system with multiple levels of teams at each club, where a person can theoretically play on a youth team, age up into an adult team, work their way up to the A team and play in professional football. (I also like how the clubs themselves are promoted and demoted, it's great.) Instead, in the US, all sports go through the local school systems. So in high school, you are assigned to a particular school based on your address, and you can play sports at that school. If you want to play in college, you are typically selected at age 15 or 16 or so in high school (10th grade) by college coaches who start recruiting you. You then sign with a college team in your last year of high school (12th grade). The moment you take your first college class, your "eligibility" timer starts ticking. From that point, you can only play 4 years of college football, and you have a period of 5 total years in which to do so. Oddly, if you delay college for a few years (let's say you play professional baseball) then you can start college at age 25 or so and you'll have 4 years of eligibility. It's pretty insane really. Anyway, what this basically means is that if you don't play college football, then you're pretty much done with football for life at age 18. Only the best of the best go on to play big time college football, and for about 2% of those guys it is a stepping stone to the NFL. (the NFL doesn't require a college education, but they do require that you have been out of high school for 3 years before you can be drafted) There are only about 120 or so "large" college football teams in the US, so in effect college football is the farm league for the NFL, or something akin to the English Football League. Only the players are time bound by when they start taking college classes, and somehow this serves to help colleges pretend that their football players are actually students, instead of massive sources of income.
Ill add to the other things people have said as to why college football is bigger than NFL. College players are still trying to make it to the league and get paid. They have more hunger and drive. It just makes it more interesting than men who are already rich and many are rather tired of the game or just don't love it anymore.
The skill disparity is much much higher in college which allows for many more highlight plays. In the NFL everyone is the absolute best of the best so it's much more rare to see people getting styled on. To answer your question at 11:30, there are several reasons: - It's cheaper to go to games. NFL tickets are hundreds of dollars. - There a wayyy more college stadiums around the US. There are 32 NFL teams and 131 D1 NCAA college football teams so they are much more accessible. - There's much more tradition surrounding college football. The NFL certainly has it's traditions but nothing like what you see at the college level. - It's more fun to watch. The games are higher scoring, the comebacks are bigger, and the highlights are crazier.
College football in the US is a rare example of reality exceeding the Hollywood depictions. People in America associate their college teams with state pride so the energy in those stadiums is MASSIVE! I don't even particularly like sports but when I attended OSU, I proudly screamed my lungs out in support of our football team. 😃
There is a big championship game now at the end of the season where the top ranked teams have a playoff. This is fairly recent (last 15 years or so), before that the national champion was essentially voted on by the press - usually one of the only teams remaining with an undefeated record that year. There's dozens of end of year "bowl" games they are called, which are heavily sponsored and most any team with an above winning record will get into one. They are mostly all nationally televised and generate good revenue for those teams and a spot light for some of the players from lesser known schools.
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Why no audio of video?
College football has been around a LOT longer than the NFL. For example, Texas and Oklahoma started playing each other before Oklahoma became a state. A lot of rivalries are 100 years old or more. In addition, for a lot of people, they are leaving home for the first time and those four years create lasting friendships and memories. It is a bond that lasts your entire life because it isn't just a school you are going to. The traditions have been around forever, the students play the game, the play in the band, they cheer on the sidelines and in the stands, they go to class with the students on the field, you see them around campus.
Michigan vs ohio state started as an actual border dispute in 1835. The Game, as it is called is over 100 years old.
Well said
Texas vs Oklahoma games are the best. Hook em horns!
@@sabalomglitz6478 It is the biggest rivalry in all of American sports. Period. Go Blue!
@@mimiv3088 Definitely! We hate each other but I wouldn't want any other rival! Boomer Sooner!
Your channel will grow if you keep coming with American football content. We love watching people learn to love the game.
Thank you for the comment Dave, we’ve learnt so much already and have a lot of AF content coming! We are enjoying learning 🏈
@@DNReacts if you guys are interested in reacting to game highlights, a fun one to check out that just happened might be Georgia and Ohio State. Two college teams who just played a classic in the peach bowl. Vikings-Bills was a great recent NFL game.
I watched Dolphins v Bills, that was a great game! We want to do some highlights but have so many suggestions already 😂
absolutely. i watch another british guy who does college football reactions here and there and his one video got over 100k views in like a month and he gained a few thousand subs. going to sub here as well to see more in the future :)
@@DNReacts
I would suggest putting up a pole for what we want to see you guys react to on the community tab and then react to the two that get the most votes.
Just my opinion. I have my preference of the Bills vs Vikings game but someone else might suggest a different game I would agree with that would be a better one to react to. 🤷♂️
College football is one of the best sports to follow. Not because of the top tier athleticism, but because of the passion that a lot of the players and fans have for the sport. They may not be the best players ever, but they love it. Its incredibly entertaining. If you ever get the chance to go to a BIG rivalry game, its an amazing experience.
I would love to be able to one day!
There are 32 NFL teams (30 cities) across a massive country. For a lot of people, a college football game is the only thing reasonably close to home. OTOH, Texas has multiple NFL teams, and the colleges in Texas still draw huge crowds.
This is true. Texas is its own country and can handle both NFL and college football fans!
Not to mention high school, especially in Texas.
Duh!!! Texas ONLY has 2...count them...2 NFL teams.... So does, Ohio, and Pennsylvania....Florida, California and New York all have 3 NFL teams each.... So, Texas is no big deal....and there are loads of colleges and high schools in those states that field football teams.
So maybe you should get out of your basement and off the computer and see the real world for a change? At least your own country!!
@@josephcernansky1794 - Technically, Mr. Holier Than Thou, NY only has one team, given that 2 play in NJ (and share a stadium) as do 2 of the 3 California teams. Jacksonville, FL averages the lowest attendance. Meanwhile, FAR more people go to college games in TX than in NY or CA.
@@josephcernansky1794 - Meanwhile, get your head out of your a$$. Stop smelling your own $hit -- it's just as foul (if not worse) than anyone else's.
College football fans are so passionate because the fans graduated from the universities and many students also fill the stadiums.
unless they're Alabama fans! 😆😆😆 jk
The pageantry, tradition, and atmospheres are second to none in college football. Each game is an event, where people tailgate in a parking lot or on campus for hours before and after kickoff. From the bitter rivalries, to the marching band, the live mascots, or the 4th quarter light shows, it just doesn't get any better than a fall Saturday. Definitely react to some of the best college football traditions and atmospheres!
Some high school games draw 15,000 people so by the time you have college many draw from 40,000 to 105,000 plus a lot of TV coverage. There are over 100 college games going on every week at various levels and there is a whole playoff season after the main 12 games with conference championships and semi-final and final National Championship games plus many post season bowl games in December. Many fans plan the whole Saturday around pre and post game activities as well as the game. Many start at 8am and go until late in the evening.
Example: University of Tennessee aka Volunteers' stadium, Neyland Stadium can hold over 100,000 spectators
MIchigan Stadium for University of Michigan is the largest of stadiums with a capacity of 107+K or over 107,000
My first time in Texas I bought a map and was horrified. It had all the high schools on it. I thought itvwas some pediphile map!
I was looking for museums or other sightseeing places. It was explained that ...football.the HS stadiums around Houston were sooo large to my eyes.
JeffS Basically the High school is the local football club and the college is the higher league,whereas in europe and the rest of the world,they may be school teams ,but the basis is the local club where parents bring their children to play a particular sport in a single sport club or in a multisport club.It doesn't stop at adulthood either amateur players can continue playing until they are no longer physically able too.
i’m from pennsylvania and college football is MASSIVE here at Penn State. the capacity for Beaver Stadium where they play is over 100,000 and they’ve had a few turnouts where about 110,000 people have came to watch. personally i’ve never been to one but it looks absolutely insane. there are a few other college stadiums with 90k-100k+ capacity as well. but most of them are anywhere from 65k-85k capacity. it’s mental
also you guys should react to tours of some of the college teams facilities!! they will BLOW you away, they have unbelievable amounts of money to dump into insane facilities for their teams. teams like alabama or LSU or oregon would be good ones to start with! :)
@@ChaoticCobras Thank you for the comments. It’s definitely crazy! Especially compared to what we’re used to over this side of the pond. We will add these suggestions to the list and there will be plenty more college content coming out in future weeks/months, next one due later this week.
I’m a Nittany Lion grad!
We Are
@@bys5036work Pennstate
Texas has 2 college football stadiums that seat 100K+, and those 2 colleges first played against each other in 1894. The biggest college stadium in the US has 110K+ -. But High School football is huge also. My small rural town in Texas (population 1,100) has a 700+ seat high school stadium, and is often SRO. You see 3 (sometimes 4) generations of family come to watch a relative play. We like football.
Part of the reason college football is bigger is due to the connection people have with their schools (students, staff, alumni) and the connection of the school with the local communities. Every state has one or more college football teams of some sort of division level. Not all states have an NFL team.
College football is way bigger than the NFL, you get alumni, current students and locals who all turn out for the games. College is also the pipeline to the NFL so these dudes go all out every Saturday
Yeah it looks amazing! Can’t wait for more college football! Thanks for your comment!
I live in a small college town with a Division 3 team. There are two levels of div 1 with over 200 teams, then 2, then 3... that's how low Division 3 is. They still get anywhere from a few hundred to a couple thousand show up.
The game we call football started in college there was no professional football at the time. U guys should react to IMG high school academy, u will really get a sense of how big football is here.
@@rhoetusochten4211 and some colleges don't have a football program but have basketball teams that consistently make it to march madness
You are forgetting that these guys also play in front of 100's or 1000's of fans in High School too. The only time you get that experience of playing in front of family is in Jr High
These kids are treated like royalty. You should check out the training centers and locker rooms. South Carolina’s, Clemson’s, Alabama’s, LSU. Those have really nice training facilities and locker rooms.
Yes. I'm here in the home city of the University of South Carolina ( Carolina Gamecocks, stadium capacity 78,000), Columbia, SC and our long time rival is Clemson University (Tigers) out of Clemson, SC.
Rita Y Price, I’ve been a Carolina fan for over 50 yrs. Was born and raised in Aiken, SC. Now, I live 10 mins. from Clemson and it torture some days during football season. God save me!!! LOL…..
@@ritayprice3510 Forever to Thee! Love my Gamecocks ❤
Yeah, even mid tier university teams will crazy set ups. Watching all the vlogs for Deion Sanders taking over Colorado has been really eye opening.
😂South Carolina 😂😂
The pressure is usually something that they learn early on. Most of these players have been playing since they were kids, and many attend specific schools geared towards their sport. Those who go through this schooling definitely learn how to deal with the pressure.
Keep in mind that these are large universities. There are thousands of smaller schools that also have less extravagant programs. When I played in high school there were nine or ten thousand fans every Friday night. When I went to a small college and played, five thousand would be a nice crowd. Check out the video on high school stadiums and you'll see where it starts.
It has a _very_ catchy name. It's called the "College Football Playoff National Championship". The game serves as the final of the College Football Playoff, a bracket tournament between the top four teams in the country as determined by a selection committee. The participating teams in the College Football Playoff National Championship are determined by two semifinal games, hosted by an annual rotation of bowls commonly known as the New Year's Six, thus, the teams to compete in the final are not directly selected by a selection committee as they were in the past.
When I was a kid, _many many years ago,_ there was no such thing as a College Football Champion. The #1 spot was just determined after Bowl season by a committee. As I'm sure you can imagine, this was not a popular way to determine this.
Also, back when committees determined, there were (still are) 2 rankings the Coaches poll, and the Associated Press... so there were times when 2 teams could be considered national champions.
Cool fellas! Yes from the age of 8 years old, I played this American pass time, it helped form teamwork, one for all and all for one, playing for your family, Home Town, and for the sheer passion of the game. Personally, this game helped me define myself, I learned that it is hard work and desire that makes it happen. I learned that it's not what you talk about, it is what you DO!
Like the majority of those who play, my time ended in High School, I had a catastrophic right knee injury, and I lost 3 of my cruciate ligaments, the Posterior, Meddile & Anterior bomb over.
I was able to watch my brothers play on the collegiate level. I took the lessons of this great game and have built a wonderful life for myself and my family.
Keep watching awesome!!
Thank you for your comment Joel! Appreciate it!
The reason college, our uni, 18-24. Our bachelor's degrees take 4 years here, is not every state has nfl teams, and our states are as large as many European countries, so even if your state has 1 or more nfl teams it might take 4+ hours to get there, but universities are everywhere. Plus we have turn out for all things our children do, we have high school football, ages 14-18, Friday night, college Saturdays and nfl Sundays.
Some reasons for college ball being so big:
1) Regionality. America is *HUGE* . The NFL doesn’t have enough teams to cover every region of fans and their associated rivalries.
2) History. The NFL is relatively new compared to college football. The modern format of two conferences started in the 60s, but college football has been going on for over 100 years. Plus, NFL teams uproot and move all the time, so there’s no attachment to the home city.
3) Pageantry. Related to #2, college teams have decades upon decades of very unique traditions, songs, symbols, etc. The NFL is extremely sterile. Show up, play ball, go home. They could play their games on the moon and it wouldn’t change much.
4) Strategy. Football is arguably the most strategic sport in the world. In the NFL, there are only ever a handful of schemes in popular rotation at a time. At the college level, virtually every scheme imaginable is employed because the teams have a wide disparity in talent, resources, etc. In fact, the overwhelming majority of the schemes in use in the NFL were invented at the college level.
5) Development. 99.9999% of NFL players come from college football. If you want to know who the next big NFL stars are going to be, you’ve got to watch college ball.
The passion just means more because you're not just rooting for a hometown team, but a school that often times you attended. You're apart of it and have a deeper sense of connection. That said, if you go to areas like New England where there's not a powerhouse collegiate team, the NFL is bigger. It really just depends on the region... and the success of the teams for whether people gravitate towards the NFL or college football.
Makes perfect sense, thank you Ryan!
Some things to keep in mind about college ball:
There are nearly 120 colleges that play in what’s called Division 1.
Among them there are 5 “power” conferences consisting of 10 - 16 teams, and several other “Group of 5” conferences averaging the same number of
member schools.
They play 8 games each season within their conferences, and 4 matchups against outside schools.
And the fandom is massive because as someone else mentioned, they’ve been playing since 1900 & earlier.
My alma mater, Penn State, has about a half million active alumni association members.
I’ve been at games with 111 thousand other people, and most of those seats are season ticket holders.
Now players are basically free agents, with the ability to transfer to another team at any time - the the new “Name, Image & Likeness” law allows kids to make fortunes while still in college, doing testimonials ads and selling merchandise.
We’re talking potentially millions for
some of these 18+ year olds !
Yes and some of the future first round NFL draft picks, especially quarterbacks are making several million dollars in college like Bryce Young and CJ Stroud from Alabama and Ohio State respectively made over $3 million dollars in their 3rd year in college and will leave college early to enter the NFL draft. These kids are allowed to leave college if they are 3 or more years removed from high school and those that will be 1st or 2nd round draft picks will usually leave early. The top 5 kids to be chosen in the draft will typically make $30-$34 million dollars plus a $20 million dollar signing bonus. They are instant millionaires. When a decent salary in the US is considered $60,000 to $100,000 a year, you can understand why these kids are so passionate and their goal is to make an NFL roster, although only 1% of them will make it. Some of the top programs in the country like Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, LSU, etc produce more NFL prospects than most other schools. Georgia had 16 drafted last year, LSU had 14 drafted in 2019, Ohio State has usually at least 10 drafted every year.
"You have to get your foot down" - In college football, one foot must touch inbounds, but in the NFL, both feet must touch inbounds for the touchdown to be counted.
Thank you!! I didn’t know it was different in College and NFL, really appreciate it!
@@DNReacts Yeah, there are quite a few subtle differences in the rules between youth leagues, high school, college and NFL. Of course, the fundamentals of the game are the same at all levels, but it can get a bit tricky if you’re used to primarily watching one particular level of play all the time and then watch a game from another level of competition. You pause for a second and say “Wait, he can’t do that!” and then you realize, oh yeah he can.
Another major difference between college and NFL is when a player is "down". In the NFL if the player with the ball falls down on the ground he can get up and continue running UNLESS he was down because of contact by the other team. In college if the runner falls down, whether by contact or by his own, he is down and the play is over. An example is like on a fumble or interception. In the NFL you can dive on the ball or fall to the ground....and if no one touched you you can get up and run. In college ball you dive on the ball or fall down after a catch, you can not get up and continue running. You are down, it's your ball but the play is over.
ALSO...the "hash marks" that run down the center and length of the field from goal line to goal line. In the NFL those hash lines are spaced to be in line with the gosl posts.....in college those lines are further apart and practically divide the field lengthwise into thirds.
In additon any part of the body that's not a hand or foot coming down inbounds counts the same as having both feet land inbounds.
There was a touchdown in the NFL scored, where the player landed on his left butt cheek, since that is what hit first, it was inbounds, and the receiver had full control of the ball the TD counted.
This rule applies to all catches whether they're on scoring plays or not. "On the line" is the considered out of bounds in both the NFL & College.
Roll Tide ,collage football is our version of royalty these kids start very young and most are consider kings of the high school football field in small towns every where you'll find us on Friday night at a game.
What a fun video! Y'alls reactions are priceless. Yes, they are playing for the national championship in college football. The Georgia Bulldogs won it 2 years in a row (no small feat). Please react to the 2 part video 'The Greatest American Sports Fans'. Keep up the good work and Go Dawgs!!
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it 😀
College football existed long before the NFL. Late 1800’s was the birth of American football, in universities. The NFL came around in 1920 but wasn’t nearly as popular as college football until the 1950’s. College football in America is all about tradition. I grew up watching Alabama football with my grandfather. He grew up listening to Alabama football in the 1920’s on the radio. Winning in college is about state and regional pride or rivalry. Winning in the NFL is about making millions of dollars. It’s like the difference between pro soccer player or playing for the World Cup. Completely different motivations for each.
RTR!
And remember growing up in small town America Friday night lights and football was ALL you had for local entertainment. These schools all have local stars and heroes that make it into college ball.
Whole small town identities built on their football team and their history and rivalries.
It's in our blood
College football is really an extension of high school in which you have so much student involvement in the games, from the players, cheerleaders, bands, etc., but you also have huge alumni presence on game weekends.
Further to this, a lot of your top college programs are in predominantly smaller towns. Just using my college as an example, Texas Tech, is in Lubbock, Texas. When I went to school there, Lubbock had a population of approximately 110,000 people. Each fall, however, you added an additional 50,000 students into the economy. These towns, literally revolve around the University and all that comes with that.
I'm currently living and working overseas but I still have my season tickets to Tech football. At least once a year, my college buddies and I choose one weekend to all meet in Lubbock and go to a game. When I was living in Dallas, I would either drive the 6 hours or take an hour flight each weekend, to Lubbock, when there were home games. This happens all over the country every weekend in the fall!!
I really disagree that college football is an extension of the High School version. Only the top 5% or so of High School players will ever see a collegiate field of any kind, even fewer a Power 5 school. It could better be said that the College game is the pre-extension of Pro football.
These college football players are very elite athletes. Most have been scouted since HS or earlier. Been devoted for many years, and offered scollerships to commit to play and go to certain schools.. Very very hard to make a college team. For some hard to make a HS team at many levels.
Yeah I can tell the level is extremely high even at College level, so it makes sense that the players are already elite athletes!
@@DNReacts Americans start to play sport at a very young age and we take our sports very seriously.
And 1% get a shot at the NFL.
College football national championship is the Superbowl equivalent in college. Teams essentially are ranked throughout the regular season based on strength of schedule and strength of wins. At the end of the season the top 4 go on into the College football playoffs with the overall winner being named National Champion.
Y'all probably caught on but what Americans call college is really "University" for the rest of the English speaking world. The reason it is so large is because the rest of the students and graduates of the university take great pride in beating their rivals. Lots of rivalries can be traced back to the beginning of the sport or school itself. The pageantry around the sport is amazing, it may not be as popular a reaction video but checking out videos like "The greatest college football traditions" or videos around the college bands are super interesting. I'm a band nerd and college bands put on amazing shows at halftime to entertain the massive crowds. Most major universities have bands of over 200 students who have practiced all week to put on a show.
Yeah I knew that about American culture, we have either college or university in the UK, they aren’t the same thing. It’s amazing how much goes in to college football and the amount of dedication from everyone! Would love to learn about the traditions and check out the bands. We are really enjoying learning about everything!
Speaking of hyped from a young age, the top 15, by capacity, High School (let me say that again... High School) football stadiums, mostly in Texas, hold over 10,000 people. The top 3 all hold over 20,000 people.
That’s so mad! Thanks again!
I love that take you had around the 5 min mark about the US college kids already facing scrutiny and pressure at a young age and probably only the ones who can handle it make it out which lends to the country having so many major sport success. Cool theory.
Fun fact. Nike was founded at the University of Oregon. You should check out their uniforms. They wear a different one every game, all due to Nike being owned by an Oregon alumni.
That’s a pretty cool fact! Appreciate your comment!
The military plane fly overs are a staple of large scale outdoor sporting events here and are always completed after the singing of the national anthem
12:39-12:41 "They even brought a horse."
As a Florida State fan, I laughed so hard. I definitely recommend watching them "Plant the Spear" which was what they were in the middle of doing as Renegade (the horse) bucks once, then Osceola (the man) throws the Spear into the ground before the start of each home game while the crowd erupts with a "Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh-BOOM!" Absolutely electrifying and gives you chills.
I actually screen capped this and sent it to my husband! Nothing like an FSU game.
It's worth understanding that football started with colleges. Boys came back from the civil war to study in college, and they played this game against the other kids they were at war with. Back in that time, people died on the field every other game. This tradition goes back to the 1860's. The pomp and circumstance is as old as our unified country, and older than most association football clubs.
That’s great info, thank you!
That part in the middle that had the song till I see you again, was honoring recent college football players that died: like Jake Webb, Dwayne Haskins, and etc.
The preparation these college teams go through for those games, everything from the countless hours of practice, exercising, video sessions, etc. Once it's time to play and go out to compete, so worthwhile!!! Good job guys, watch The Program, it's about as close to college football as you can get.
College football is BIG MONEY for the colleges/universities as well as for the tv stations that air the games on tv. The Ohio State University Football Stadium where I live and is only 10 minutes away from my apartment can have over 110,000 people in the stands especially for a big game. You should react to The Ohio State University Marching Band "Hollywood" tribute video! The Ohio State University Marching Band is known as "The Best Damn Band in the Land" The Ohio State University Marching Band also performed at Wimbley Stadium in London during the NFL demonstration games. The band played a tribute of "British Invasion" songs which is another great video I highly recommend!
Don't listen to this drivel from anOSU fan....they have a mascot that is nothing but a POISON CHESTNUT!! They're JUST another OSU....there are multiple OSU's in the USA....NONE of them are worth a damn......the one in Ohio has a stadium that viewed from the top looks like a giant TOILET!! Ohio Stadium is a great place to take a DUMP!!
( and that Giant Toilet stadium has NEVER had 110,000 people inside it.....but if they ever do....don't forget to FLUSH!!)
@@josephcernansky1794 Thanks for the complement! Sore Loser!
2 cents:
First there are colleges that are smaller & have smaller stadiums.
Here are the biggest in the US:
1 Michigan Stadium 107,601 Ann Arbor Michigan 1927 Michigan Wolverines (NCAA)
2 Beaver Stadium 106,572 University Park Pennsylvania 1960 Penn State Nittany Lions (NCAA)
3 Ohio Stadium 102,780 Columbus Ohio 1922 Ohio State Buckeyes (NCAA)
4 Kyle Field 102,733 College Station Texas 1927 Texas A&M Aggies (NCAA)
5 Neyland Stadium 102,455 Knoxville Tennessee 1921 Tennessee Volunteers (NCAA)
6 Tiger Stadium 102,321 Baton Rouge Louisiana 1924 LSU Tigers (NCAA)
7 Darrell K Royal-Texas
Memorial Stadium 100,119 Austin Texas 1924 Texas Longhorns (NCAA)
8 Bryant-Denny Stadium 100,077 Tuscaloosa Alabama 1929 Alabama Crimson Tide (NCAA)
9 Sanford Stadium 92,746 Athens Georgia 1929 Georgia Bulldogs (NCAA)
10 Cotton Bowl 92,100 Dallas Texas 1930 Red River Rivalry (NCAA)
State Fair Classic (NCAA)
The National Football League (NFL) is a 'professional' American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC).
$17.19 billion is generated by NFL.
There are approximately 893 football colleges spanning five different division levels: NCAA Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, NAIA and NJCAA.
NCCA has 130 teams.
Alaska and Vermont are the only two states without a college football program at any of those levels (Alaska doesn't host one at any level), so they are being withheld.
Division I athletic programs generated $8.7 billion in revenue in the 2009-2010 academic year. Most revenue is football & basketball.
Yale (one of the oldest) has gained the most national titles (18). However, within the AP Poll Era, Alabama is considered the top winner with 13 titles. Alabama has won just under half of the last 13 national titles, winning in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2020.
The full college football bowl game schedule for the 2022 season features 43 contests spanning three weeks in December and January.
What state has the most NCAA football teams?
Pennsylvania is the leading state for football colleges by state 2022. The Keystone State has a total of 52 football colleges.
Who is the most successful college football team?
Michigan famously holds the record for the most wins in college football history, so it naturally follows that the Wolverines have a few titles to their name. They have two in the poll era (since 1936).
Most popular?
College Total fans Gen Z fans Millenial fans Gen X fans Baby Boomer fans
1 Ohio State University 6,277,707 515,522 1,530,465 1,471,083 1,978,901
2 University of Alabama 4,136,400 705,754 809,123 1,263,019 1,104,415
3 Penn State University 3,970,925 552,361 902,398 764,906 1,556,878
4 University of Notre Dame 3,510,694 335,583 478,628 1,273,379 1,101,871
5 University of Texas-Austin 3,136,464 572,186 702,743 1,072,626 621,804
6 Michigan State 2,938,450 253,850 619,072 1,029,206 856,508
7 University of Michigan 2,877,610 85,948 715,881 687,111 1,106,529
8 University of Georgia 2,835,217 288,560 825,478 537,894 1,021,821
9 Florida State University 2,751,432 228,704 694,154 657,475 687,392
10 UCLA 2,724,802 309,317 721,538 862,425 579,221
Bowl Games: (To name a few)
Rose Bowl Game 1902 (92,542) Pasadena, California
Orange Bowl (Hard Rock Stadium) 1935 (64,767) Miami Gardens, Florida
Sugar Bowl (Caesars Superdome) 1935 (72,208) New Orleans, Louisiana
Cotton Bowl Classic (AT&T Stadium) 1937 (80,000) Arlington, Texas
Peach Bowl (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) 1968 (71,000) Atlanta, Georgia
Fiesta Bowl (State Farm Stadium) 1971 (63,400) Glendale, Arizona
Sun Bowl (Sun Bowl Stadium) 1935 (51,500) El Paso, Texas
Gator Bowl (TIAA Bank Field) 1945 (76,867) Jacksonville, Florida
Citrus Bowl (Camping World Stadium) 1946 (60,219) Orlando, Florida
Liberty Bowl (Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium) 1959 (58,325) Memphis, Tennessee
Independence Bowl (Independence Stadium) 1976 (53,000) Shreveport, Louisiana
Holiday Bowl (Petco Park) 1978 (40,209) San Diego, California
ReliaQuest Bowl (Raymond James Stadium ) 1986 (65,908) Tampa, Florida
Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Chase Field) 1989 (48,519) Phoenix, Arizona
By seating capacity, eight of the ten largest stadiums in the world are for American college football. The NFL is bigger than college, but the college fanbase is much more intense. Most of the games are played on rivalry weekend. since that's also Thanksgiving weekend in the US, games are played on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The regular season ends two weeks later with Army vs. Navy. The weekend in between is for conference championships.
Regarding your comment about the horse near the end of the video (that team was Florida State, by the way), several schools have live animals at their games: Tennessee, Texas, Texas A & M, Georgia, and Oklahoma are a few examples. One of my favorites is Colorado, because they run a live bison across the field for their team's entrance. LSU used to station their mascot (a live tiger in a cage) next to the visiting team's locker room so opponents had to pass by him.
That’s crazy 😂 thanks for the info!
That’s crazy 😂 thanks for the info!
Here's a fact that tells you something about our priorities: in most states in the US, the highest paid state employee is a college football coach... they're often paid millions. Occasionally it's a basketball coach instead. College football is huge in part because the universities have huge student bodies to fill stadiums... the stadium at Ohio State holds about 105,000 people, and the university has 60,000 students; and the closest NFL teams would be the Browns and Bengals, over 100 miles away. Where I was born, in Montana, the closest NFL team would have been my current city... Seattle, 400 miles away... so college games are much more local and accessible.
Also check out best college atmospheres and best college entrances! We look forward to college football season more than most holidays.
Thank you for the suggestions! Appreciate the comment 😀
Michigan vs Ohio State, "The Game" for over 100 years. "THE TEN YEAR WAR" in the 70s and 80s is legendary.
College football is bigger because it’s been around longer. Walter Camp is the father of American football and it was first played among college teams.
Love the review!! I will say that one of the best videos to get a feel for college football atmospheres is the "Best Traditions in College Football" part 1 and 2. Another thing to point out is that there is definitely a range for attendance. There are so many universities in the US so one D3 university might have the same turnout as your uni matches (couple parents and bored students) but a D1 school like Michigan University, Ohio State, Alabama are going to consistently pull in 90k+ to the games. Worth noting too that many states dont have NFL teams. So for a state like West Virginia, WVU is effectively their NFL team. So the whole state, whether they attended or not, are going to support that college team. Pretty cool!! Glad you guys are checking out the game!! All the best from PA!
Thank you for the comment Micah! We’ve been recommended that one so will definitely be doing it at some point! Appreciate the info, we are enjoying the sport and learning so much! Hope you’ll stick around, appreciate the support!
The rule for the Pylon (The orange foam at the goal line) is that if the ball touches the pylon then it is considered to have crossed the goal line and is a touchdown. Because often plays happen so fast that it is hard to see if the ball crosses the line, especially at that part of the end zone, then they made it a rule that if the BALL touches it, then it is a TD. Hope this helps.
college sports have been around longer however i think the main reason is people who aren't sports fans that went to college still have an allegiance to a school so when a game comes up/ rivalry there's more participation. other sports rely on fans of that sport and then fans of that team to support. College fans rely on graduates to support.
University of Michigan's "Michigan Stadium" aka "The Big House" is the largest stadium in the western hemisphere and third largest in the world at over 107,000. Pennsylvania State University's "Beaver Stadium" is the fourth largest stadium in the world at just over 106,000.
There are 32 NFL teams, named after the places they play (Seattle, Washington, etc.)
That means that nearly half of the US states don't have one.
There are 130 universities with major college football teams (bowl subdivision level, i.e. the teams you're seeing in this video)
Thats more than 2 per state.
For example:
The Salt Lake City, UT metropolitan area has ~2.7 million people, but no NFL team-but it does have two universities with major football teams and >30,000 students each.
The Gainesville, FL metropolitan area has ~340 thousand people, but no NFL team-but it does have a university with a major football team and >50,000 students.
Residents of these two cities can either cheer for an NFL team named after some other city that's very far away (500 miles away for Salt Lake City, 300 miles away for Gainesville) OR they can cheer for a team based in their own city-where they probably know someone who attends that college (likely even their own children) and where they probably went to college themselves. When the University of Utah (in Salt Lake City) played against the University of Florida (in Gainesville) to start last season, these two communities got to cheer for the "hometown" team playing against a team from across the country. There's local loyalty plus regional rivalry that just isn't available to these two populations with the nearest NFL teams (Denver and Miami, i.e. two completely different and distant cities from either Salt Lake City or Gainesville).
Repeat this across the United States, and then add the fact that colleges/universities are deeply woven into the fabric of American urban life. The university medical schools are the major hospitals, the university libraries are the biggest libraries, the youth-education programs give the younger kids stuff to do after school to keep them off the streets, and in many cities the university is one of the largest employers in the city, or even in the state.
NFL is good, but unless you live in one of the NFL markets and there's an NFL team with your city's name on it, you're much more likely to feel proud of (and fond of) the university named after the place where you live-where you probably have years of great memories all the way dating back to when you were a student but also extending to your present everyday life.
Finally, the level of skill in college ball can be amazing because most of the guys playing college ball while they're in school have dreams of playing in the NFL (which gets most of its players from the ranks of college football). So they're all working out and practicing night and day, maintaining amazing fitness levels, etc. in hopes of ending up in the professional ranks of the NFL after college where they can earn millions or hundreds of millions. As a result, of this level of investment, it's not a "second class" sport on the field, either.
I say this as a college ball fan who knows the college ball world inside out but only halfway follows NFL (no local NFL team within hundreds of miles, but I cheer for the college I attended and regularly attend the games-even though tickets can set you back $1k or more at times, yes, to a college ball game).
The NFL still generates the most revenue and views in the US what college football is wildly popular just because each state has more than a couple universities so everyone has a team that they can route four with their whole heart… there is plenty of fans like that for the NFL as well
The Stadiums aren't just filled by Alumni and students. It doesn't even matter if you know someone who went to the school. Sometimes you are a fan of a certain school because of where you live, or you inherit fandom from watching games on tv with your Dad.
Same with College Basketball. March Madness is coming soon!!
High school football culture might shock you more. My small rural town would basically shut down on Friday nights to watch the high school football game.
College football is a multi billion dollar business-broadcast rights, merchandising, etc etc. But these players are unpaid bc they’re considered “amateur” yet these kids go out and play their hearts out. That passion, dedication, and hunger is the epitome of sports. Fans know it and love it. Yeah, some of these players do it bc they know it’s their ticket to the NFL but others who know they probably won’t get selected still do it bc they love the sport. You just gotta love that spirit.
Great video! Just like you guys are Brits getting into American Football, I'm the opposite. I'm an American who's been getting into the Premier League lately! Hope y'all enjoy our traditions! College football has a ton of pageantry and traditions to enjoy!
That’s so cool, do you have a team that you like yet? We are really enjoying it, college football is mind blowing!
@DN Reacts I started following Liverpool first as a friend from London introduced me to the PL through them. I haven't really solidified a favorite club yet though. Just taking in as many games as I can catch. NBC carries a ton of PL games, but a lot of the cup games are split to other streaming services
Damo (guy on the left) is a Liverpool fan and I’m a Manchester United fan (their arch enemies) 😂 glad you’re able to take in plenty of games!
The "Big Game" in College Football is the National Championship
Just have to break the plane of the end zone. Imagine there is a laser screen projected up from goal line. Just the tip of the ball breaking the plane is a touchdown.
That interception @ 3:22 was made by D.J. Graham of the Oklahoma Sooners vs the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He was formerly a defensive player, but after that miraculous catch, he's now officially made the switch to wide receiver & should premier next season for OU!
I think college football is more popular because...
It's been around longer than the NFL, which means fans have been following it longer.
It's often generational, as in the great-grandfather played there and then it passed down from son to son to represent the family school or legacy.
Students start off together and are friends from high school, or even earlier in elementary school, and they'll support their friend all the way through college football by attending games.
It's easier and less expensive to get to a college game than an NFL game. I live in the state of Alabama and my team is the Alabama Crimson Tide. Roll Tiiide! 🐘
I'm a girl, so I never played for the team, but I do support them. I'm only about an hour and a half away from the University of Alabama, home of the Tide, and there are at least four other colleges with teams that I can drive to within thirty minutes to two hours within my state, and not much longer if I wanted to attend college games in nearby states.
As for an NFL team, the Atlanta Falcons are about two hours away, and it's about five hours to get to the New Orleans Saints in Louisiana. If I went to a Saints game, it'll be expensive with the tickets, gas for the car, food, partying or at least sightseeing, and definitely a hotel for at least one night to rest.
*Stadium size* (you questioned it in another video)
They need to be quite large because there are more people in the stands, because people want to see their son or sibling playing for the school their grandfather played for, the students take up a lot of seats to support their school and, of course there has to be room for the huge marching band, dance line and majorettes. There's room for cheerleaders, too, but they don't get to sit down nearly as much as the others.
I live in Rural upstate South Carolina. 15 minutes drive from Clemson. We have no pro sports team in our state. Like said before in the middle of nowhere are these massive stadiums which much of rural ppl congregate on Saturdays.
I’m pretty sure at 7:12 - 8:08 where it focused a bit more on those 3 or 4 different players there, that those were players who ended passing away.
I can only imagine what you guys would think if you went down to Texas for a high school football game with over 40,000 people in the stands.
That would be insane! I’d love to watch a college or high school game!
I'm from bama, but one my bucket list is HS game texas
There are several divisions based on school size and skill. The top two are called FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) and it’s bigger brother the FBS ( Football Bowl Subdivision), each has a National Championship Game. There are thee smaller school divisions D2, D3, and NAIA. There is a little overlap in the top two, a FCS team champion would be some where in the middle of the FBS division. On a bad day a FBS school might only see 20k to 30k, but at the top 75 teams you are looking at 50k to 110k fans. But the number of eyeballs on the TV will be in the millions, some games over 10 million. Even the smallest schools will have at least 5K in attendance.
College football is more regional, so it brings in more local people who actually live in the area.
For example if you live in Montana, there aren’t any pro teams close at all but they do have two D1 college football teams that get a good amount of support
You can score even if your body is out of bounds as long as you havent stepped out of bounds or the ball hasnt. The second either happen, you are considered down. In terms of the pylon, as long as the tip of the ball touches the line for the endzone, its a touchdown. The ball does not need to pass the line completely. In college, only one foot down is needed to be called a complete pass. In professional league, you need two.
If you're surprised by how big College Football is, you'd be mind blown by how big High School Football is, specifically Texas High School football. Also I would recommend watching highlights of games that just finished, as well as the Super Bowl highlights
We have seen the two play off games, going to watch the Super Bowl live, can’t wait!
From about 7:10 to 8:06 it showed guys that unfortunately passed away before the 2022 season. One they showed prominently was Spencer Webb, who played for the Oregon Ducks and is in my pfp
That’s really sad, so young as well!
An older school will have many generations in the family. History and tradition. And because rooting for the school is actually something to root for as opposed to what is essentially an entertainment company (NFL).
Also, bear this in mind, the entire roster turns over for every school every 3-5 years. Imagine how hard it is to be the best of the best with that happening continuously.
Another thing to remember is that for how large the US is landmass wise the NFL has 32 teams whereas the NCAA Div.1 has around 140 teams so the Universities represent a way more local population especially in states where there are no NFL teams.
The horse at the end is much more than just a horse. That tradition belongs to Florida state University (FSU) the horse name is renegade and the rider is Chief Osceola it’s a tradition built to represent the Seminole tribe in Florida. You should look into the pregame tradition. It’s a whole show. With a flaming spear thrown.
It's because it's close to home - mostly. There are 30 NFL teams. This country is huge. Most of us grew up with a team near us we could appreciate. Over time, it became bigger than what even the NFL could become.
"bigger" is a relative term. The NFL is bigger in its financial reach and shares $17.2 Billion with only with 32 teams whereas College has 125 in the top section (FCS). They do not share money equally and in some cases their conferences make way more money (SEC and Big 10) than others (AAC Mountain West and the like). As an example SEC in 2021 made $833 Million, Big 10 just signed a $1 Billion a year deal for the TV rights to the conference.
So in total earnings College is bigger, most of the bigger teams have more in stadium crowds, but UCLA (for example) has a 100,000 seat stadium that cannot fill up on a week to week basis (or get close).
College, like most of English Football teams, do not move so local loyalty is immense.
Not sure if this was mentioned or not but around the 7:15 mark of your video they started showing #7 from Ohio State Dwayne Haskins and #18 from Oregon Spencer Webb. They both passed away this last year so it was a little tribute in the video.
People have pointed that out, that’s a great touch from the video makers!
Most of these guys started playing in grade school. So by the time they reach High School and then College. They understand what it’s all about and they don’t have eyes for anything else but the Pros.
I'm from the New England where it's all about the pro teams. I now live in Alabama. My wife went to Alabama it's like you're born and made to choose between the two big schools down here.
I live in New England but took a job in Alabama in the mid 90's that lasted a few years. First question asked was: who you for, Alabama or Auburn. People outside Alabama don't know the religious passion of football down there.
We Americans push and encourage our kids at a young age to be competitive, and we can at times put pressure on them especially if they are good in a particular sport. The main reason college football is so popular is because a lot of kids are future NFL stars.
In America The term College and university are typically the same thing.. it more common for Americans to say College than university, mainly when someone says university it's something specific like Boston College vs Boston University which are two different schools in Boston Massachusetts
To answer the question you had about the popularity and interest in college football; the student athletes are not paid and only a very small number will play professionally. The larger schools obviously have bigger budgets for uniforms, stadiums, etc. However, they cannot ‘bid’ for the best players.
The University of Georgia Bulldogs have been the country’s number one team for the last two seasons (rarely done twice in a row) and I saw only two or three highlights. The media definitely has its favorites.
Keep in mind, these players are not paid, but everything they need is provided for them…AND they get a free education. This is the only way so many underprivileged kids get to go to college.
Umm players are paid now with NIL. Kids are getting paid directly out of high school now. Certain players have been paid millions. Some make more than others based on how good of a player they are. Unfortunately, NIL is taking over College Football
When they go up for a jump ball and one guy catches it above the other, it’s called a head top. You say “head top!” While patting the top of your head lol
Some bits of that video were a tribute. The close ups of the Utah players, and the Oregon player Spencer Webb. Tragically, sometimes these student athletes lose their lives before reaching adulthood. There was some film in there of players who passed away before this season and bits of things their teams did to honor their memory.
Thank you for the info, that’s really sad!
I think college football is bigger for probably three big reasons...1) accessibility...there are hundreds of colleges across the US so you can more easily see a college game whereas NFL teams are centralized to major cities so if you live in a smaller community (or what we call a college town), you can go catch a game any given day 2) affordability...college games are way cheaper than NFL games to attend and 3) hometown heros ....you're more likely to actually know the players personally on a college team. These are guys you grew up with and sit in class with everyday.
College football brings band, cheerleaders, students, community, alumni, donors. All together. I never got an education or passion or tradition from a professional league.
The BALL only needs to break the hypothetical PLANE of the endzone line to be a touchdown. Player does not need to be in the endzone.
Guys
In College Football, one foot touch inbound with a catch is legal; while in NFL, both feet has to be inbound during a catch.
Tailgating is a big part of college football tradition. The fans dress in tacky school colors and gather in the stadium parking lots a couple of hours before the game and have BBQ or picnic food and, perhaps, a pint or two.
Keep in mind that some of these states will have 2-5 college football stadiums of this size as well. It truly is mind blowing to think of sometimes.
“That’s Some Throw!” Meanwhile it’s a pick six. 😂
College football stadiums can hold 100,000 people and bring in millions to the schools. They are playing their best bc scouts are watching to take them to the NFL. It's extremely competitive. Georgia Bulldogs won it all this year.
College Football (NCAA) is so huge, because America is huge, and everybody gets a local team. There are only 30 pro teams, and 250 college teams.
College football games actually start hours before the game when fans gather in the parking lots for "tailgating". It can range from a family pulling fold out chairs from the car and a picnic lunch to....a group of family/friends arriving in motorhomes. to set up tents with tables & chairs with tvs to watch the pre-game shows, massive grills to fix anything from bbq to jambalaya, setting up full bars, stereos cranked up, flags flying, pick up games in the aisles, and socializing as people walk around to check out what everyone else is cooking and the sharing of food/drinks. Many parking lots open about 4 hours or more before the actual start of the game.
You can't overstate the atmosphere and theater and level of ability of these games.
Incredible
"The best catch I've ever seen"... DeVonta Smith!!! ROLL TIDE!!!!
If you want to see how the player development pipeline works, check out the Massillon vs McKinley high school football game. It's one of the oldest rivalries in the game. Several high schools play in the stadium where the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game is played. Babies born in the Massillon hospital get either a football or cheerleader pompoms. PeeWee football league starts at age 5. Also check out a video of the festivities during the Hall of Fame week.
In your video you remarked at how massive college sports games are in the US and wondered why that is so different in the UK. It's really pretty simple, but it takes some explaining. The answer is that we don't have the club system with multiple levels of teams at each club, where a person can theoretically play on a youth team, age up into an adult team, work their way up to the A team and play in professional football. (I also like how the clubs themselves are promoted and demoted, it's great.)
Instead, in the US, all sports go through the local school systems. So in high school, you are assigned to a particular school based on your address, and you can play sports at that school. If you want to play in college, you are typically selected at age 15 or 16 or so in high school (10th grade) by college coaches who start recruiting you. You then sign with a college team in your last year of high school (12th grade). The moment you take your first college class, your "eligibility" timer starts ticking. From that point, you can only play 4 years of college football, and you have a period of 5 total years in which to do so. Oddly, if you delay college for a few years (let's say you play professional baseball) then you can start college at age 25 or so and you'll have 4 years of eligibility. It's pretty insane really.
Anyway, what this basically means is that if you don't play college football, then you're pretty much done with football for life at age 18. Only the best of the best go on to play big time college football, and for about 2% of those guys it is a stepping stone to the NFL. (the NFL doesn't require a college education, but they do require that you have been out of high school for 3 years before you can be drafted)
There are only about 120 or so "large" college football teams in the US, so in effect college football is the farm league for the NFL, or something akin to the English Football League. Only the players are time bound by when they start taking college classes, and somehow this serves to help colleges pretend that their football players are actually students, instead of massive sources of income.
Ill add to the other things people have said as to why college football is bigger than NFL. College players are still trying to make it to the league and get paid. They have more hunger and drive. It just makes it more interesting than men who are already rich and many are rather tired of the game or just don't love it anymore.
The skill disparity is much much higher in college which allows for many more highlight plays. In the NFL everyone is the absolute best of the best so it's much more rare to see people getting styled on.
To answer your question at 11:30, there are several reasons:
- It's cheaper to go to games. NFL tickets are hundreds of dollars.
- There a wayyy more college stadiums around the US. There are 32 NFL teams and 131 D1 NCAA college football teams so they are much more accessible.
- There's much more tradition surrounding college football. The NFL certainly has it's traditions but nothing like what you see at the college level.
- It's more fun to watch. The games are higher scoring, the comebacks are bigger, and the highlights are crazier.
College football in the US is a rare example of reality exceeding the Hollywood depictions. People in America associate their college teams with state pride so the energy in those stadiums is MASSIVE! I don't even particularly like sports but when I attended OSU, I proudly screamed my lungs out in support of our football team. 😃
There is a big championship game now at the end of the season where the top ranked teams have a playoff. This is fairly recent (last 15 years or so), before that the national champion was essentially voted on by the press - usually one of the only teams remaining with an undefeated record that year. There's dozens of end of year "bowl" games they are called, which are heavily sponsored and most any team with an above winning record will get into one. They are mostly all nationally televised and generate good revenue for those teams and a spot light for some of the players from lesser known schools.