Just because the University of Colorado belongs to the PAC 12, does not mean that we should give up on loving football. The PAC 12 might be pretty lame, but there is a little thing called ESPN where you can watch a not so lame conference play some damn good football and exhibit school pride like nothing in the West. This conference is the SEC. The South Eastern Conference, or the super excellent conference, hands down has the best set of football teams. These schools are so excellent that not only football experts appreciate the conference, but novice football observers recognize this as well.

Being a novice football observer myself, I don’t really care that the SEC football teams are far better than the PAC 12, but the pre-gaming in frat village at the University of Tennessee proves that football experts do care. So, I suppose one could say the SEC is the best because of the football, but I don’t think it is the talented football playing that makes the SEC the super excellent conference.

First of all, the SEC has very cool team names and mascots. A buffalo might be cool, but a cute bloodhound is way cuter. Trojans, ducks, and bruins are foolish when there are Commodores in a landlocked state, rebels in an old confederate state, the volunteers in a city, and Alabama’s Crimson Tide for no other reason other than their crimson colors.

Attending the football games is way more fun. CU is a fun school, but the football games are not. The stadium doesn’t fill like it used to, and the stadium is much smaller than the SEC schools’ stadiums. Kyle Field, Neyland Stadium, Tiger Stadium, and the Bryant-Denny Stadium all seat over 100,000 people; CU’s Folsom Field holds 53, 750 people.

CU loses games most of the time. Half the observers are not even wearing school attire, let alone school colors. In the SEC, they call Tennessee Big Orange Country for a reason: don’t even think about getting in without wearing orange.

The tailgating at CU is fun, but tailgaters and tailgates are very low in volume compared to a southern school. At Ole Miss, the grove takes tailgating to an extreme: chandeliers hang from trees and the football team walks right through the grove on the walkway of champions. And at any school rivaling the Florida gators at their home stadium, it is guaranteed that one of the tailgates will be grilling an alligator (which apparently tastes like chicken).

The SEC fight songs are way better. “Shoulder to shoulder we will fight”, has nothing on Hotty Toddy or Rocky Top.

SEC half-time and pre-game events are incredible. The schools have the typical band and dance team performers and the singing of the national anthem, but they also each have some fun rituals. They recite prayers (it’s the south), impress fans with their mascots, ring cowbells, and always have their players run through campus and into the stadium.

A football game in the south is not just a sporting event; it is a social event. Ladies and gentlemen conduct themselves with their best manners, women must wear dresses, men talk business with other men, and mother’s brag about their daughters.

Need I say more? Attending an SEC football game is better than any other college football game. However, to enjoy the SEC, you don’t need to attend a game. ESPN will give you a good picture of the incredible football and school spirit. And, probably half of these guys will be drafted to the NFL, so if you aren’t up to date with all the current NFL stars, in a couple years you will be if you stay up to date with the SEC.