College football kicks off with a bang

College football was in full swing again Saturday. Finally, the best sport was back after an eight-month break.

On Thursday and Friday, there was a little tease of what was to come during the weekend.

College football games started at noon, and the last game Saturday started at
10:30 p.m.

There is one thing about college football that makes it so special. There are games on all the time.

You could just watch your favorite team or just about every conference in a day.

College football fans are in heaven on Saturdays. Games start at different times, and in the middle of the day there could be 10 or more games on at the same time.

It’s possible for a fan to watch more than 12 hours of college football and spend part of
two days watching the games because some of the late-night Saturday games run into Sunday morning.

The level of play ranges from game to game and from conference to conference. In a day, a person will see many different offenses, defenses and distinct plays.

Another reason college football is so great is there are so many teams and
conferences.

There are 125 schools competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Six conferences that contain 73 teams make up the Big Six conferences, which have automatic bids into the BCS.

Therefore, there are 52 teams that are in other conferences or are independent.

Some of those 52 teams are mid-majors that have the chance to upset well-known and ranked teams. There have been teams from conferences other than the Big Six, such as Boise State and TCU, that have been deemed BCS busters.

Then there’s Michigan. They were upset by a team from the Football Championship Subdivision, which is a level lower than FBS. Usually the talent on a team from the FCS is considerably lower than on an FBS team.

Michigan’s 2007 game against Appalachian State was memorable because Appalachian State blocked a last-second field goal attempt to upset the
Wolverines, 34-32.

Rivalries have helped to make college football the amazing sport it is today. Arguably, the biggest rivalry games are Michigan vs. Ohio State, Army vs. Navy and USC vs. Notre Dame.

The Civil War game between Oregon and Oregon State has been played since 1894.

There are so many other things that make college football special that you simply don’t see in the NFL and in other sports.

Tailgating, the memorable team entrances, rowdy student sections and historic stadiums make college football great.

One could easily lose a Saturday to college football. Nothing compares to this sport.

If Saturday was a preview of what is to come for the rest of the college football season, this season will be one to remember.

Follow columnist Jaylen Johnson on Twitter @nelyaJohnsonIDS.