Americans absolutely love college sports, particularly football.  Since it’s that time of year again here are 5 of the best college football movies of all time.  All of them are a must see and they show the hard work and dedication behind a football teams struggles.

We are Marshall

After a 1970 plane crash that killed nearly all of the Marshall University football team.  The university president reconsidered his decision to indefinitely suspend the football program.  The plot follows the rebuilding of the program, and the struggles that the team faces.

Rudy

Rudy is a legend but in case you don’t know what it’s about, I will elaborate.  The movie is an account of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger who wished to play football for the University of Notre Dame.  He faced many obstacles, and initially failed to get into Notre Dame, he attends a small junior college, until he can qualify for a transfer to the university.  He gets a job on Notre Dame’s groundskeeping staff and in his final semester of transfer eligibility makes it into Notre Dame.  In his last home game, he is able to play in the final game of the season and is able to sack the opposing quarterback in the final play of the game.

Necessary Roughness

This comedy focuses on the removal of football players and coaches because of a scandal at a fictional university. Due to the lack of talented and experienced players, they have to look for players in odd places. They recruit a former high school star, a professor, and a female kicker from the school’s soccer team.  The team finds little success at first, but in the last game wins against the number one ranked team.

The Express

This football classic is based on the life of Ernie Davis the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy.  Despite coming from a difficult background, the character is able to excel on the football field as running back.  He plays for Syracuse University and concludes a regular season undefeated and ranked number one in the nation.  During his career, Ernie had to constantly fight racism and in 1960 led his team to a victory and their first national championship.  In 1961 Ernie wins the Heisman Trophy and is able to meet President Kennedy.  Later in his career he faces a serious medical condition also known as Leukemia. 

The Program

This is a movie about players at a major university that come from different backgrounds and how they try to cope with the pressure. They must choose how they face the pressure, so some turn to drinking, studying, and drugs. One player after assaulting a girl, because of his football talent. After facing all these challenges, the players head to a major bowl game after scoring a victory.

These movies show the work and team spirit it takes to become winners.  These college football movies are ranked as "must see." 

The Holy War is nearly upon us. The past two years BYU has bested the University of Utah in their football rivalry, but Ute fans are hoping this year will be different. The two teams will go head to head on Nov. 22 to a sold out crowd in Salt Lake City. Utah, who is 10-0 in the Mountain West division, has a powerhouse defense they hope will be the key to a win over the 10-1 BYU.

The Holy War, which got its name due to both universities’ strong ties to the LDS church, is one of college football’s longest rivalries. The competition between the two teams is so heated neither can agree on when the first Holy War game was fought. Utah contends the first match was in 1896 against then named Brigham Young Academy. BYU sports fans argue the first match didn’t actually happen until 1922. You know its a heated rivalry when the two sides can’t even agree on their first match.

November is a time of Thanksgiving, not simply for food and crops, but for the plethora of sports to watch. It is the beginning of the NBA season, which has plenty of new rookies and storylines to be excited about. The NFL is in full swing and certain teams are beginning to emerge as legitimate playoff contenders, while others fall from grace. Each weekend college football teams are trying to prove that they belong in bowl games. With so much going on, it is sometimes hard to keep all the storylines together. So here is your cheat sheet for the water cooler that will give you some insight into each sport.