Jason Ross: My Favorite Time In College Football
Tuesday night they are going to announce, yet again, the latest four teams that will represent College Football's Playoff System.
This has changed almost every week and will likely change again in the coming weeks. Most of America, myself included, gets all hot and bothered by what the committee ends up selecting for their weekly four.
Well, I say forget about that and just enjoy what we are about to see over the next couple of weeks and that is some of the great rivalries in the game.
Instead of worrying about who has played who, which team has "the best loss" and who is playing their best now, just enjoy the actual games. Over the next two weeks we will see the best thing about college sports: rivalries.
Games with meaning, history and tradition always feel bigger. Starting in just over a month, we will have an overload of college football bowl games with teams that have zero connection playing one another. However, Starting this week we get Cal vs. Stanford, USC vs. UCLA and even right here in our backyard Sacramento State at UC Davis.
Let's take the Causeway Classic for example. These two teams - Sac State and UC Davis - are both having tough seasons at (2-8). The winner will get it's third victory of the season and that still isn't much to brag about.
Beating your rival is something to brag about though. The difference in winning that final game or not is huge for the team and for those alumni. Both schools have made their way through a season of playing Big Sky teams, has the community noticed?
I can tell you that each school's fan base will be way more aware of what happens this weekend than any other this season. That is what makes this great. The records aren't impressive but the tradition is.
The same can be said for Cal vs. Stanford and the rivalry that I have the longest connection to, USC vs. UCLA.
I started going to that game since I was 3 years old. It means something to me. I have had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows all surrounding that game. The Bruins and Trojans have been highly ranked and suffered through poor seasons but the game is all that mattered.
Next week, we will have Ohio State against Michigan with a ton on the line. It adds to that great rivalry. Auburn vs. Alabama is coming and so many more across the nation that it is time to get back to what we all should like college football for and that is the GAME.
Rivalries add to it and keep the tradition going. So good luck to all the teams this year on their version of the BIG GAME, except for you USC.
