PHILADELPHIA — One thing the NFL has always needed is more trophies. This is one area where the college game has always been superior. True, you have to spend four hours of an autumn Saturday afternoon watching two future gym teachers attempt to play quarterback, plus another hour and a half on the halftime show. But the payoff is that you get to see a bunch of 250-pound dudes celebrate as they claim possession of a Little Brown Jug (Michigan-Minnesota) or an Old Brass Spittoon (Indiana-Michigan State) or a Big Brass Ironing Board (I made that one up).
It really is marketing genius. Which makes total sense when you consider that 35% of the players on the field eventually will take an entry-level job for a company that is more or less a pyramid scheme. Every walk of life has its Kentuckys and Indianas. In college football, they get to play for a Bourbon Barrel. In the NFL, they get sent to London.
Think about the sponsorship opportunities the NFL would create if the Texans and Jaguars were suddenly playing for the Bronze Oil Drum or the Old Inflatable Raft instead of fourth place in the AFC South and the No. 3 overall pick. The Bengals and Browns could play for the Crumbling Brick. The Dolphins and Jets could play for the Golden Neck Chain.
