Super Bowl XLVIII: A Homage to College Football

NFL’s Championship Game Pays Tribute to Recently Dissolved Big Ten West and PAC 12

Objectively speaking, the Super Bowl last night was kind of slow, clunky, until it wasn’t. The first 3 quarters, save a trick play for a touchdown by the 49ers and a 52-yard bomb from Patrick Mahomes, were played close to the chest. Each team had difficulty moving the ball, punters were dictating the narrative, and each team didn’t have a single play inside the red zone, forcing kickers to kick long field goals. The halftime score was 10-3, and NFL fans were bemoaning the “boring" Super Bowl they were being subjected to so far. 

I, on the other hand, was watching and thinking to myself, wait a minute I have seen this before. Punts? Field goals? Stingy defenses? It’s the Big Ten West!!! Apparently, the comparisons were not lost on others on Twitter as well. My feed is mostly people who are College Football affiliated or adjacent, so it was a great time reading how people were laughing at NFL fans who were so distraught with something we witness every Saturday in the Fall. Furthermore, the Iowa comparisons and “punting is winning” were also quite prominent. Others, including myself, also realized that CBS will be broadcasting some Big Ten games moving forward, so what better way to preview their product than having the NFL have a Big Ten exhibition game for 3 quarters? 

Sadly, this display of Big Ten excellence was not meant to go on forever, as we got a shot of adrenaline in the 4th quarter and overtime. The game became a back-and-forth affair between the 49ers and Chiefs, something perhaps NFL casuals would have preferred to the slog we witnessed before. Field goals still featured prominently, but there was a lot more ball movement. Then, chaos as the 49ers missed an extra point that changed the game completely, sending it into overtime after Mahomes drove down the field for a game tying field goal, surprising no one. In overtime it was more of the same, following a 49ers field goal, Patrick and his offense methodically drove down the field for the eventual game winning touchdown as time expired. 

As I watched this, glued to my TV as we got deeper into the evening, I thought to myself, hm, this chaos and prolific ball movement after the sun goes down reminds me of something. Ah yes, PAC 12 after dark! It was a complete contrast to what we saw the first 3 quarters of the game. Now there are likely some factors such as tired defense and more sense of urgency that played a factor, but the differences in the style of play were quite stark to me. As many of you know, 4 former PAC 12 schools will be joining the Big Ten in 2024, so they’ll bring that same energy, to be aired on CBS. 

So, for true college sickos like me, the Super Bowl was a fascinating watch, and very entertaining to experience within the College Football community. Heck, Florida State’s Marching Band blared the War Chant on recorded loudspeakers as is always done for the Kansas City Chiefs. There was even a marching band featured prominently at halftime! Jackson State’s Sonic Boom of the South performed an excellent show alongside Usher and a smattering of artists. The NFL, whether they knew it or not, was putting on a College Football broadcast for those of us paying close attention. Of course, the overly corporate and starch crowd would have you quickly realize this isn’t in fact College Football, but they really did try. 

Look, I’m having a little fun with this. I enjoy the NFL, but it is far from my favorite sports entity out there. Patrick Mahomes executed a game tying and game winning drive with surgical precision and excellent decision making. Did anyone really feel like he WASN’T going to pull that off? Much like Thanos, he just feels inevitable. If you’re on the opposing sideline or a fan, there’s a sense of impending doom when Mahomes has the ball and time, which I suppose makes it all the more joyous when they don’t actually do the thing. The 49ers defense was excellent all game until it wasn’t, Brock Purdy shouldn’t be an afterthought as a quarterback anymore, and overall, what we saw were 2 great teams playing a classic game. One can see that and appreciate it for what it is, while also having a laugh at how much that game was a tribute to two College Football entities, the Big Ten West and PAC 12, that are sadly no longer with us. So well done NFL, you put on an excellent tribute to a couple of College Football staples of the past, even if it was a happy accident.

Oh, and in a fantastic tip of the cap to Iowa, Kansas City ended up with 25 points. Yes. The Chiefs hit the Ferentz line average on the nose, and depending on which sports book you frequent, the game also hit the under.