Saturday Rules Why College Football Outpasses

Does the NFL have better athletes than the college teams? Yes. Does it ensure more direct flights? Undoubtedly. Which game is better, more entertaining, less predictable? It's not even close. Austin Murphy firmly believes that college football—with its rich traditions and deep passions, its marching bands and menagerie of living, breathing animal mascots, its arm-long lists of ancient blood grudges—is far more captivating, fan-friendly, and, frankly, more fun than the corporate, clinical, hermetically sealed game they play on Sunday. In this rich and raucous celebration of America's real greatest game, Murphy criss-crosses the country during the 2006 season to interview players and coaches (and yes, the USC Song Girls), take part in the sublime off-field mayhem, and otherwise immerse himself in the raw nerve and glory of the gridiron contests waged by the nation's most beloved football schools. Long before the final chapter, one truth becomes abundantly clear: when it comes to football, Saturday rules!