7 Reasons why I told FBS football we needed to see other people

1. It builds you up just so it can tear you down.

Remember the glorious afterglow following the huge-ratings-getting Virginia Tech opener? You know, when all was right in Bronco Nation and the country was paying BSU the respect it deserved. Well FBS football simply could not stand for that so it engineered a VT loss to James Madison just days later. Sure, the Virginia Tech athletic department is partially responsible for thinking that its team could recover and prepare for another game in 4 days, but I’m pretty sure college football put them up to it. That and the Hokies undoubtedly realized that boycotting potatoes was really only a punishment for their taste buds so then decided that losing this week was the best way to carry out their revenge against Boise State.

2. It will do just about anything to get on TV

So what is a team to do when they aren’t getting the media attention they believe they deserve? Your mom might say to keep your head up and try harder: the media can’t ignore you forever. But is that what FBS football does? No. FBS football would rather take the easy way out and lose to an FCS team instead. Besides the James Madison win, Minnesota decided to give one to South Dakota, Ball State rolled over for Liberty, and Washington State barely eeked out the win against Montana State. I guess if you can’t get positive attention, negative attention is better than none at all.

3. It enjoys toying with your emotions

On the 40th Anniversary of the tragic Marshall plane crash, it looked like magic was going to happen. Marshal was about to get its first victory over their rivals, the Mountaineers, in 10 tries. With a 15 point lead going into the 4th quarter and raucous home crowd on hand, everything looked to be in Marshall’s favor. That is, until FBS football woke up from its nap. Subsequently, WVU scored the needed 15 points to take the game into overtime and Marshall missed the field goal needed to take it into a second overtime. And, thus, the Thundering Herd was quieted yet again.

4. It doesn’t come through for you, no matter how supportive you are

Penn State, Miami, and Wyoming were all supposed to come out on top Saturday. Well, by supposed to, I mean no one thought they would, but I believed with all my might that they could shake up the college football world over the weekend. Sadly, not one of them even tried to prove me right. Each team happily dreamed of sock hops and clam bakes while letting Alabama, Ohio State, and Texas (respectively) run away with the win and ruining what was supposed to be a big day of huge matchups in the process.

5. It gives you false hope about where you stand 

Would anyone like to Volunteer to play defense at Tennessee? Cause (Justin Wilcox or not) they don’t seem to get it. Tennessee had a pretty good handle on Oregon during the first half—or at least until the weather delay—going into the locker room with a tied score of 13. But FBS football must have replaced the players’ souls with those of the Lobos for the second half. At least, that’s what it looked like. The offense managed no points in the second half and the defense managed only to watch the Ducks in awe as they scored often and in style.

6. It always compares you to others

“The WAC doesn’t compare to conferences like the ACC.” We’ve all heard it, right? How about we take a closer look at this statement? How many WAC teams have lost to FCS schools this season? None. How many ACC teams have? One. How many points has the WAC scored against ranked opponents in the last 2 weeks? 127. And how many has the ACC scored? 101. How many total games has the WAC lost? 7. How many has the ACC lost? 8. And how many ranked teams does the WAC have? One. And the ACC? One. Surprising as it is, the WAC is looking pretty comparable to the ACC. So how about you give them a little credit? They rarely deserve it.

7. It is obsessed with image

USC may not be eligible to be ranked in the coaches poll, but don’t worry Trojan fans, the AP is as enamored as ever. USC has beaten Hawaii, strictly because Hawaii’s defense failed to show up, and barely escaped an unranked Virginia. Yet, for some reason, the AP still feels that they should be ranked #18, ahead of teams that have faced tougher opponents or had more convincing wins, such as Michigan, Kentucky, Arizona, and even California. Yes, with the AP it’s really your reputation that matters, not so much your performance.