Saturday, March 22, 2014

Why March Madness is Better Than The College Football Playoffs

How awesome is March Madness...or what's more commonly known as the NCAA Basketball Tournament?

Tiny Mercer University from the Atlantic Sun Conference beats the legendary Duke Blue Devils of the ACC. North Dakota State of the Summit League beats Oklahoma from the Big 12. Wichita State of the Missouri Valley Conference is a #1 seed and Dayton from the Mid-American Conference beats Ohio State from the Big 10.

None of this could ever happen in College Football.

EVER...

No, these aren't marquee teams, they aren't household names and they don't draw viewers like an Alabama or Oregon in Football, but they draw pretty darn well in their own right.

That's why March Madness is more fun. Much more fun.

You know who is going to be in the College Football playoff. At least one, if not two SEC teams, a team from the Pac 10 and a team from the Big 10. And they haven't even played yet.

None of the teams mentioned in the second paragraph could EVER win College Football's national title. But they could in basketball.

Don't think for a minute Wichita State can't compete with a Kentucky or Florida or any ACC team in Basketball. They can. And they can win.

Remember the Shockers? Yeah, they were in last years Final Four.

Think Mercer could beat Duke in Football? Not a chance. But put the Senior laden Bears on the court with a Duke team chock full of Freshman. When the pressure is on, the seniors pulled away and won.

In basketball, experience usually wins. In basketball a good team beats good individual players. You don't have to have five 5-Star recruits to be successful in basketball.

College Football is all about size and depth. You want to know why the Alabama's and Oregon's of the world win year in and year out? Their 2nd and 3rd team players are better than your starters. They roll out 3 teams of 6-5, 300 lb linemen and three waves of 230 lb running backs who run a 4.4 40 yard dash.

That matters.

March Madness is more fun because it's more random. If you get in, you, in theory have a chance. If you get in, chances are, if you shoot lights out and your opponent doesn't, you could win.

Not in Football. No team from the Sun Belt could beat a top level SEC team. (Yes, we know Lousiana-Monroe beat Auburn a couple years ago and Ga. Southern beat Florida last year.) Your Sun Belt champ will NEVER be in the College Football playoff.

But the Sun Belt champ could win March Madness. Or at least win a couple of games. That will never happen in the College Football Playoff.

I submit to you this: Sure, College Football has bigger names and gets more publicity, but what is more fun to watch? An SEC team vs. the Pac 12 for the College Football championship or an NCAA Championship game featuring an underdog like a Butler, a school that doesn't even play football?

Seriously. How often will the football game be more dramatic? How likely is the football game to have an upset?

If you watch March Madness, it could happen in any game....

Here's a breakdown of Friday's Tournament in Raleigh, NC  from CBSSports.com:

More from Spokane, Washington:

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