Dallas ? I can’t tell you the time or date that the transformation took place. I can only tell you that it has.
College football Saturdays have surpassed pro football Sundays as the greatest day in sports.
I didn’t feel that way 20 years ago, and I didn’t feel that way five years ago. As a Cowboys beat writer or as a columnist following the big stories, you’re going to pay a lot more attention to the NFL than to the good college teams that play 200 miles north and south of town.
But I’m not talking about covering games or being a sports writer.
I’m talking about watching the college game and flipping around the dial all day and night Saturday being a more exhilarating and rewarding thrill ride than doing likewise with the pro games Sunday.
It has at least something to do with the downside of fantasy football. The same thing that elevates the ratings of the pro game also robs a little of the passion and breeds an extra level of cynicism in the pro game.
“Randy Moss scored two touchdowns again? Why didn’t he ever do that for me?”
Also, there are no true upsets in the NFL. The first week of the season there wasn’t even a seven-point favorite.
Something magical happens somewhere in the college game each week.
If it isn’t always on the level of Appalachian State taking down Michigan, then it’s Arkansas’ incredible comeback in Alabama followed by Alabama’s improbable comeback against Arkansas.
I hadn’t planned on watching much of that game Saturday night. I wanted to watch USC just to make sure the Trojans aren’t really better than LSU and confirm that they should be ranked No. 2 behind the Tigers.
The Sagarin ratings don’t lie. LSU is four points better than USC. At least.
But after Arkansas cut what had been a 21-point late third quarter lead to 31-17, I stayed with it. The Razorbacks reeled off 28 points in less than 12 minutes, only to let Alabama rally for 10 in the final 4:20 for a 41-38 win.
That’s a football game.
And, by the way, I am not going to let the college season be spoiled by all of the doomsayers.
Already on talk shows and in chat rooms, Oklahoma fans are lamenting the Sooners’ No. 4 ranking and fearing that they will go undefeated and NOT get to the national championship game in the Superdome.
As good as LSU and USC and Oklahoma are, it’s ridiculous to be talking in the middle of September about what’s going to happen if all three go undefeated.
USC has stumbling blocks on its schedule, with games at Oregon and Cal. And who saw Southern Cal lose to Oregon State last year?
For LSU to go unbeaten, the Tigers have to win in Alabama – we just saw that’s not as easy as it used to be – and they might have to beat Florida twice.
Because of the depths the Big 12 has sunk to, it’s hard to look at anything on the Sooners’ schedule and say it’s a potential loss. But I don’t think this Sooners team is any better than the undefeated, No. 1-ranked team that lost the Big 12 championship to Kansas State by 28 points four years ago. So stop complaining. Enjoy the ride.
The fact that college players don’t stick around campus long enough for us to create fantasy leagues, makes the game the best thing going in the fall.
And although you can, you don’t even have to buy a Direct TV package to overdose on it every Saturday.
