The last week of the college football regular season is here, and it is a shame. Yes, there are still bowl games left which are always awesome, as they match up teams that may not play each other often and they always seem to be competitive games. The games are also always between good teams, and something wild is bound to happen. But, there is a very limited amount of games, and they all take place over winter break. Football will not be gone after the college season is over, thanks to the NFL, but it is just not the same.

The thing that will be missed most about the college football season is tailgating. There is something special about waking up on a game day, even if it’s earlier than 6:00 in the morning. On the day of a home football game, the campus completely changes. Almost any open space will be used to tailgate in. The whole campus will be used for partying and what is not to like about that? The smell of hot grills can be appreciated by everyone, and the food that comes off of them is even better. And after you are done tailgating, you get to watch a great product in college football whether it’s in the stadium with thousands of screaming fans, or from the comfort of a couch at home.

The second part of college football that I will miss, is the actual football. I prefer the style of college football over the NFL, so when it’s over I am always a bit sad. The game in college is usually played at a faster pace with more scoring. I know some people don’t like college football as much as pro for this reason but I really enjoy it. It is always fun to watch a game in which more than 10 total touchdowns are scored. This happens a lot more often in college than the pros. Also, I like how there is a greater spread of talent in college. At the NFL, every player is incredibly good, and it makes the competition that much greater, and standout players don’t look quite as good as they do at the college level. This allows for what I think is a more exciting game in college than in the NFL.

After the college football season is over, we also lose a day of football. No longer is there football on Saturday, as the NFL plays on Sunday and Thursday during the regular season. This makes a huge difference in my week, as I no longer have an excuse on Saturday for not doing homework, because usually there is football to watch from 11:00 am past midnight for the west coast game.

The last reason I will miss the college football season, is special to this year alone. I will miss watching the Iowa Hawkeyes have a historic season. The hawkeyes have just beaten Nebraska to remain undefeated. This is the first time Iowa has ever gone 12-0, and it came as a huge surprise. After last years 7-6 record capped off by a poor performance in the bowl game, no one expected this. Lets just hope that the hawkeyes can continue their winning ways.