On-campus games are the best part of the new College Football Playoff. We need more

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame students woke up in a snow globe Friday morning, a few inches of fresh powder on the ground as snowflakes swirled through the air to usher in the start of college football’s new era.

It was late December in northern Indiana, so the wintry weather was hardly surprising. And that’s the point — whatever the elements, whatever the temperature, this was going to be where a meaningful college football game was to be played. Notre Dame Stadium was going to host the first on-campus College Football Playoff game, hell or (frozen) high water.

The snow stopped by midday, but a chill remained. Students were done with finals, so they were free to tailgate all day — a tantalizing option for many. Irish jigs were playing, and beers were flowing by noon, a full eight hours before kickoff for Notre Dame’s first-round game against Indiana. The tailgating lots were standing-room only by nightfall.

Syndication: The Indianapolis Star

This is a sport that stands tallest on Saturdays. And while Friday night is technically not Saturday, it embodied all that makes college football what it is. There was pomp, circumstance, tailgates and pep bands. There were dozens of drunk college guys who decided it was wise to go shirtless to a game played five days before Christmas. Fans lifted up strangers in the stands to commemorate points scored. The starting quarterback, who transferred here almost exactly a year ago, signed autographs after midnight for kids who had stayed up way past their bedtimes.

Though the game itself wasn’t super compelling — Notre Dame jumped out to a 14-0 lead and controlled the game the rest of the way, en route to a 27-17 win — its setting was. I can’t imagine anyone would have preferred a sterile neutral site to what we saw on Friday night. I watched Indiana fans (in…

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Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-12-21 07:46:00

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