Top 10 Things About College Athletics

These are the Top 10 reasons I love college sports much more than pro sports.

10. College football overtime rules! Equal possessions, if the first team scores the other has to or the game is over...Awesome.

9. Egos. Granted a 22 year-old's ego can be pretty big, but it's no where near as big as say Chad Johnson...er...Ochocinco.

8. Final Four tournament. Bar-none the best playoff tournament in the world. Where else is there a 64 team (plus one winner from a play-in game) playoff to determine the national champion? The best team always shows up and a few Cinderella's go dancing and upsetting the big boys.

7. Passion. There is so much passion in a stadium or arena that you can literally feel it vibrating.

6. Rankings. Every week there is a list of the 25 best teams in the country, you play well you move up lose you drop. Plain and simple.

5. Rivalries. The bitter hatred between rivals, so bitter that some rivalry games have had to be moved to neutral sites to avoid serious problems.

4. Focus on teams, rather than individuals. I may know every player on my team, but a few year's down the road I won't I'll just remember the team.

3. Education. You don't learn, you don't play...well if you're GPA isn't good enough you don't.

2. Tradition. Marching Bands, rituals, and superstitions, every school has them and they make each and every game and school unique and fun.

1. They play for the love of the game, not for the money.

Dear Pac-10...

Dear Pac-10 athletic conference,

I write you today in the interest of persuading you to consider expansion once again. Now I know the name "Pac-12" is lame but if you listen to my points you will see that you have some very good options that will no doubt increase interest in your conference.

The rumor mill has been bustling with the thoughts of who the two teams to join may be. I have heard Colorado, Boise State, BYU and Utah's name's mentioned as possible teams. But let me propose this to you the University of Utah and Utah State University as your two schools.

A. Colorado is a great school one rich in football tradition, however, with the exception of a decent men's basketball team the school is lacking many necessary components that would make them a suitable option.

B. Boise State is quite the powerhouse in the WAC, but let's face it the WAC hasn't been anything special since the teams that now form the Mountain West bolted. Aside from that Boise doesn't quite fit into the "research school" category that the Pac-10 so desperately would like.

C. BYU is a tough program that will do what it takes to be the best, and I'm sure they would beg you to be a part of your conference. But BYU's sole purpose in athletics is to make themselves look better at the expense of anyone in their way. They think of themselves as an elite school when they're little more than a law and accounting factory. Add into the equation that they refuse to play on Sunday's and that makes them an ill-advised choice.

D. (your best option) Utah, a school who has done more with a small athletic budget (i.e. multiple national and conference championships) than the vast majority of the country has. Utah fits the bill as one of the finest research schools in the country, a strong football team that is only getting stronger, very competitive basketball teams that have both garnered national attention, and an exceptional gymnastics program, these are just a few of Utah's strong suits.

Now here I make my case for Utah State, USU has quite honestly one of the smallest budgets in the NCAA. But they strive for excellence and fit the bill that the Pac-10 in looking for. For instance, every school currently in the Pac-10 has a major or regional rival accompanying them (Arizona-Arizona State, Washington-Washington State, UCLA-Southern Cal, Oregon-Oregon State, and Stanford-Cal) a Utah-Utah State addition would be the perfect solution so that you once again have two neighboring schools.

USU is still in the growing stages of many of their athletic sports but they are quickly coming on. We're talking a bout a school that survived nearly five years as an independent football team and in the years to come Gary Anderson will turn heads when he takes out the likes of Boise State in the WAC.

This is my simple proposal, forget all the wannabes like BYU, Colorado, and Boise State, make the call and ask Utah and Utah State to join the new Pac-12. The two teams will no doubt fit into your conference but given the a little time they would excel.

Thank you and GO UTES! (and Go Aggies!)

-Jeren W. Canning

Lifelong Ute Fan, and longtime Aggie sympathizer.