Every weekend throughout the fall and part of the winter, millions of Americans gather in stadiums and living rooms to watch football games. College football games are typically played on Saturdays while NFL games are typically played on Sundays. While both showcase tremendous athleticism and strategy within the sport, college football provides a greater experience for fans and viewers.
The overall atmosphere of attending a college football game in-person is unmatched. Fans take pride in supporting their teams and hold their own traditions as watching college football is a way of life. College towns and cities are brought to life with thousands of people roaming the campus. Fans can attend tailgates or parties before the game to hang out with friends and eat great American food. College tailgates are more like parties and are exciting with much more passionate fans, while NFL tailgates are more relaxed, calm, and, sometimes boring. During the game, college football fans are incredibly loud and passionate. When the stadium is full, it is not uncommon for the fans in the stadium to break 100 decibels, which is about as loud as a motorcycle up close, according to the University of Tennessee, or to even register seismic activity, according to Virginia Tech. Unlike the NFL, college football fans are much more passionate and football games are a fun experience.
College football games are also more entertaining to watch. College football produces higher scoring games than the NFL, meaning there are more exciting plays and highlights found in college football. The higher level of competition in the NFL produces more predictable games, while college football games are more unpredictable causing many underdog victories, leaving fans on the edge of their seats. A major rule difference between the leagues is overtime. In the NFL, the team that wins a coin toss is awarded the football by kickoff and only needs a touchdown to score. A majority of teams that win the coin toss in overtime win the game, which causes the overtime to be less than entertaining. In college football, both teams are given chances to score from the opposing 25 yard line, which can cause memorable intense shootouts.
An important characteristic of college football are the matchups and rivalries. Firstly, there are many more college football games packed into a Saturday than a measly 14 games in the NFL on Sundays. Then, the rivalries within college football are much more intense than the rivalries in the NFL. NFL teams usually play their rival twice a year, causing the rivalry to not be as special. On the other hand, college football teams dedicate their entire season to beating their rival, causing the rivalry game to be the most exciting and important game of the regular season. Overall, college football Saturdays are more thrilling than NFL Sundays.
