UNITED STATES—It is September and I am super excited. Why? Summer is officially over in my eyes and my favorite time of the year is upon us. I love the fall, not just because of the crisp weather, but because of all the holidays that come with it including Halloween, Thanksgiving and ultimately Christmas. However, there is another thing that draws my attention more than anything: football.

Yes, I am a diehard college football fan, however, I love professional football also, but there is a bit more fun and excitement when it comes to college football. The players are actually fighting for something and you see that on the field, whereas with the NFL there is a bit too much showboating for my liking. Yes, there are some games that are exciting and fun to watch, but not that edge of your seat mayhem I get with the college game.

With that said, there are some major changes in some of the divisions for the 2024 season. Notably, the Big 10 conference is not really ten schools anymore. There are actually 18 schools now with the additions of USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon. Yeah, you have some titans in the football arena like Oregon that are about to give a run for its money to schools like Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State.

That has always been an argument for me, how do you know the best team in collegiate football if those teams are not playing other teams instead of those just in the conference. There is a reason you sometimes see the same teams vying for the national championship as they are not challenged by other teams that might be superior, but they don’t get that opportunity for that dance.

Well, with more competition it makes certain divisions a bit competitive and I love that. I mean I love it. Look, I’m not going to make any qualms about it, I’m a diehard Michigan State Spartan. I graduated from the university and it’s my alumni. Which you already know, the Michigan Wolverines are our mortal enemy. Kudos to the Wolverines for a stellar 2023 season despite all the controversies and trust there was plenty of it, not to mention losing many of its key players to the NFL draft or those graduating from the school. Let’s take a look at the Big 10 now, which includes all of the following schools: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, UCLA and USC.

The addition of Washington, Oregon and UCLA I think totally changes the conference for the better with more competitive schools in play giving some titans like Ohio State and Michigan a run for their money. I expect the 2024 season to be a whirlwind and full of excitement with plenty of upsets and surprises. I like that edge of your seat feeling on a Saturday watching collegiate football when possible. While I’m not one who can watch football from the start of the day until the end of the day (I do work), when I can catch a pivotal game, you better believe I’m watching.

Also with the playoffs this year having a total of 12 teams that means teams with near perfect records who didn’t make the cut in previous years are now being invited to shake things up even more and for a football fan you could not ask for anything else. Who have you placed your bets on for the 2024 season? Share your thoughts America.

Written By Davy Jones