College or NFL, Which is the superior product?

[CullmanTide]

I've had discussions with fans about which is more entertaining, college or pro. Watching NFL preseason and noticing all the empty seats got me thinking if Alabama had a preseason game how many would show up to watch. I don't think it'd matter if we played LSU or McNeese St. the place would be packed right? Think about it, we are starved for any tidbit of information we can get on our team. Over 90,000 show up for a spring practice. I realize this is Alabama and we have nothing better to do according to outsiders but what do you say?

 

[conturbo]

NFL is far superior as far as game play but nothing beats atmosphere of college

 

[selmaborntidefan]

The college traditions and atmosphere are more exciting.

The NFL crowns a champion on the field.

So take your pick. I know I pay more attention to Alabama during a 3-8 debacle than to my Falcons in a Super Bowl year.

 

[Florida Tom]

Well I drove 700 miles to go to the A Day game this year there along with 92,000 of my closest friends, BTW you can go to a Bucaneers game & tailgate, Leave 2 tickets on your windshield, when you come back you will find 4 tickets there, true story, College Football is the Best! I had rather see The Sisters of the Poor University play We Beat U than any pro Game.

 

[rjtide]

As far as the actual game itself.......no question the NFL is the better product. If you want to get into including the gameday experience, the tailgating, the tradition, etc then its college football.

 

[CrimsonNagus]

I disagree that the NFL is a better product. I very rarely sit down and watch an entire NFL game from beginning to end (the Super Bowl is the exception). The games are just not as exciting IMO. Too vanilla with play calling and formations, I like the more variety and creativeness of the college game. I can sit there on Saturdays and watch from 10am all the way through the late nigh ESPN game, even if it is 2 C-USA teams.

I think part of the problem I have with the NFL is there strict TV restrictions. I can watch twice as many college games on one Saturday then I can all weekend for NFL games. If your lucky, you might get 3 games on Sunday afternoon, sometimes 4 but, most weeks it seems like it is only 2. Add in the Sunday night and Monday night and that's on average 5 games per weekend. I have that many college games to choose from at 11 am on Saturdays. I don't count Sunday Ticket because it is only on DirecTV and ridiculously over priced IMO.

I watch the NFL because it's there. If the lockout had not ended and the season was canceled, I honestly wouldn't have missed it.

 

[crimsonaudio]

I disagree that the NFL is a better product.

NFL players are vastly superior, but I agree, it's less entertaining.

 

[AlexanderFan]

The talent level in the NFL prevents most of the exciting plays (in all 3 phases) that we love to see. It's a heavyweight boxing match out there. Jab, jab, look for a weakness, step back. It gets boring quickly. I much prefer the college game.

 

[BAMA1979]

Execution by players and teams: NFL
Entertainment: college
Gameday experience: college
Tailgating: college

 

[gamersfuel]

nothing like seeing a chess match between an elite NFL QB and an elite NFL LB... thats why i love the NFL, you get to watch these great matchups at different positions. and i admit to loving the soap opera like week leading up to game day. but as far as atmosphere goes, college all the way.

 

[IH8Orange]

The NFL is the more polished product. But that doesn't make it better.

I was arguing the point once with a hard-core NFL fan and he said that it never makes sense to choose amateurism when a professional option is available.

So I asked him why didn't he marry a prostitute. After all, they're professionals.

 

[TheTradition]

I know most fans usually like one or the other. Hardly do I ever see someone who follows both.

I hate the NFL, but I know a lot of people especially in the north love it. I guess if you're the type of fan who likes to watch clean, mistake free football, then the NFL is definitely better. I usually can't even sit through a whole NFL game. Like others have said, the atmosphere of the college game is unmatched, and the NFL doesn't compare. I know there is a lot more mistakes, but that's what makes the games exciting IMO.

 

[CrimsonBleedRed]

NFL players are vastly superior, but I agree, it's less entertaining.

The talent is vastly better in the NFL, but the players are coached better in college. Not to mention NFL players have already "made it", whereas college kids are having to bust their butts to get there, thus............they play harder and with more heart.

I love the NFL game, but give me the college game over the NFL 9 out of 10 times.

 

[BAMA1979]

The talent is vastly better in the NFL, but the players are coached better in college. Not to mention NFL players have already "made it", whereas college kids are having to bust their butts to get there, thus............they play harder and with more heart.

I love the NFL game, but give me the college game over the NFL 9 out of 10 times.

I completely agree that the talent is vastly better in the NFL, but I don't believe that college players are coached better or that they work harder and have more heart. There are great coaching staffs and below average coaching staffs in both college and pro football. Guys who are lazy and complacent in college are almost always lazy and complacent as pros. Guys like Greg McElroy, Julio Jones, Preston Dial, etc. who worked hard in college have probably worked at least as hard to make it in the NFL because the level of competition is greater and they have more time to focus on football. The percentage of NFL players who can relax because they are not in jeopardy of losing their job is not very high and the almost all of the guys who have that job security got it through hard work.

 

[nathan]

As a "product"... NFL is superior. It has to be right? I have thought long and hard about why I'm not in the market for that particular product though and I don't have a good answer. Why is college football so much more appealing to me? Why does middle school football seem more exciting even? It can't just be "the money" issue can it? I don't know. Maybe this says more about me than it does the structure?

 

[swamptroll]

I much prefer college football. It's like highschool on a much larger, grander scale. Highshool players run, lift weights, and practice just to get an opportunity to play the game they love. It's much the same way in college. Guys that have no chance of an NFL offer still come out in 100 degree weather and bust their back sides. You could fill BDS with kids who would walk on because they care about football and they love Alabama. I will stop short short of saying that NFL players are spoiled, rich brats(that's the NBA), but they have no loyalty to to the team, the fans or their team mates. Their loyalty is to the highest bidder. I like to see Bama players succeed in the NFL, but thats about the extent of my interest.

 

[crimsonaudio]

The talent is vastly better in the NFL, but the players are coached better in college. Not to mention NFL players have already "made it", whereas college kids are having to bust their butts to get there, thus............they play harder and with more heart.

Agree to disagree - the NFL players have more coaches and more time to practice every week, on top of superior talent and maturity.

College football is quite sloppy in comparison.

I love the NFL game, but give me the college game over the NFL 9 out of 10 times.

On this we agree.

 

[GrayTide]

Do not watch the NFL, haven't seen a Super Bowl on TV since the Bears/Pats game in 1986. College football only.

 

[BamaJeff]

I love'em both

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Perhaps I can draw an analogy.

I've been to numerous baseball games. I've been to maybe 3 NBA games.

Which was more entertaining? BY FAR the NBA.

Which do I watch much more often? MLB.

I don't even watch the NBA Finals on TV. I haven't watched a regular season basketball game......well, ever that I can remember except when I was in the stands for it.

I was at the Georgia Dome record attendance when Jordan came. The entertainment during breaks was phenomenal. I went to a Mavs-Spurs pre-season game about four years ago - fantastic.

And I'd still rather watch baseball than b-ball.

Maybe it's the same with the NFL and college. Boneheaded mistakes are rarer in the NFL (which is part of why we recall them more often - they change history). For example, there have been 5 or so occurences of fifth downs in college football.

Have you ever heard of one in the NFL? I haven't. (There may have been one but I haven't heard of it - no national championship was ever enabled by a Fifth Down call, let me put it that way).

The NFL players on the whole are the best of the best - superior to the college players if they met head-to-head. The NFL has a great product.

And yet if you asked me which I'd rather watch......unless it's the playoffs I'd rather see the Apple Cup than an NFL game.