Face it, the NCAA is a buzz kill. It’s genetically predisposed to buzz killing and to instituting the arbitrary rule that confuses and irritates and generally makes dealing with them a pain in the ass. Exhibit A is the so-called rule against “targeting”. Let’s first establish that no one targets, that is, no college player, in a premeditated fashion, says to himself, On this play I’m going to launch my body as a missile and use the crown of my helmet, intentionally aiming it, at the helmet of my opponent while in the act of making or attempting a tackle. It doesn’t happen. “Targeting” therefore is a silly and inaccurate term and concept. What does happen is that, while hurtling themselves at one another with

the speed of a track star and the force of a rail car, helmet meets helmet. It’s unavoidable, it’s incidental and it’s damn-near impossible for Player A to instantly calculate, to do the split-second mental physics required to proactively prevent a collision with Player B and his helmet. It’s dangerous as hell, no one’s debating that. When it happens, though we all know that 9,999 out of 10,000 times it’s a complete accident, there has to be a penalty. But why are players being kicked out of games for it? Why are they reviewing plays to determine if it’s helmet-to-helmet? Well, because it’s political correctness. The NCAA wants us to think, they want everyone to know, that they are so, so concerned with player safety…that they are the all-compassionate, benevolent protector of college athletes and college athletics. Bullshit! I’ve seen dozens of players ejected for “targeting” in the first four weeks of the 2017 season. It changes games, it’s unfair, it’s arbitrary. It should stop. Fifteen yards is enough of a penalty for an accident. Just using the term targeting, a term that implies intention is offensive. If the NCAA cares about players so much why are they accusing them (by labeling them targeters) – multiple times every week – of what amounts to assault, of trying to intentionally injure the opponent? The NCAA needs to butt out of the NCAA football rulebook and stick to what they know best – finding creative ways to make money off of amateur athletes.

OK, sorry, I wanted to get the negative vibes out of the way first. What I actually wanted to bring to the fore was a few cool, fun things that happened in Saturday’s college football games…Things that remind us of the sheer joy of Fall Saturdays and why college football really has no equal across the American sports landscape. First, the Iowa-Penn State game was a good time. The people in Iowa City represented, especially with an impressive display of disciplined color coordination, as the entire state either wore a black or yellow (gold?) t-shirt to the game and then sat only in those sections where the other farmers were wearing the same color. It was a nice black-and-yellow-and-black-and-yellow ribbon effect and we all appreciated the extra effort. Sorry about that ending.

On Thursday night I caught the game between the North Carolina Central Eagles and the South Carolina State Bulldogs, with NCC prevailing on a late fourth quarter score. The game was worthwhile, but the action in the stands was better, with folks dancing in the aisles, the drum lines getting after it and the students generally partying like, well, like a college football game can change the world. For the uninitiated, these schools play in the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) and you should watch one of these games or one from the SWAC (the Southwestern Athletic Conference) or maybe catch some MACtion (that would be action from the MAC, Mid-American Conference) every chance you get. It sure as hell beats the NFL on Thursday Night.

And finally, in Minneapolis, they had the biggest crowd to ever watch a Division III football game (over 37,000 people). St. Thomas beat St. John’s, that is, the Tommies beat the Johnnies 20-17. Yep, that’s what the teams are called, the actual mascots, Tommies and Johnnies. How sweet is that! Did you know that St. Thomas vs. St. John’s is a big rivalry, like a serious Minnesota grudge match? It is. They’ve been playing since 1901, and get this, they play for the Holy Grail. The Holy f’n Grail! Epic. And that’s college football, at any level, it’s a blessed thing. Traditions and rituals and regional customs and clashes that make this country great. Enjoy it while you can, until the Earth darkens and it’s basketball season.