It has been a long time since I covered college football, but I have never stopped enjoying it.

I've covered the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Southeastern Conference, the Big Eight (now the Big 12) and the Pacific 10 Conference, and I've attended games in some of the country's most historic stadiums. I've been between the hedges at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., high up in the press box in Norman, Okla., battling early deadlines in Baton Rouge, La., watching Traveler roam the sidelines at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and seeing numerous UCLA games at the Rose Bowl.

I don't know why it is that college football seems so much more real to me than the professional game. Maybe it's because the athletes aren't paid as much (except maybe at Oklahoma) or maybe it's because it seems to matter so much more to the fans. In most places, it's a lot more real to cheer for a school than for a city.

[caption id="attachment_51" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Ralphie the Buffalo"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-51" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/ralphie-300x196.jpg" alt="Ralphie the Buffalo" width="300" height="196" />[/caption]

I think the place I most enjoyed the college game was the two seasons I covered the Colorado Buffaloes. Folsom Stadium is far from the biggest of the college cathedrals, but there are few places that can top it for the view. Just west of Boulder are the foothills that lead up into the Rocky Mountains, and if there's a more majestic view than the Rockies, I have yet to see it.

Boulder also has the best of the college mascots, a real live buffalo named Ralphie. I don't know which of the Ralphies they're on now, but just as Texas has Bevo the Longhorn and Georgia has Uga the bulldog, the best moment of any pregame show at Colorado is when Ralphie runs across the field.

I'll never forget the 1986 pregame of the Colorado-Nebraska game. The Buffaloes were on the way up under Coach Bill McCartney, and the Cornhuskers were a perennial power under Tom Osborne. Colorado wasn't going to win on this day -- I seem to recall the score was something like 28-0 -- but Ralphie gave the fans a thrill when he appeared to run straight at Osborne before the game.

I think the Nebraska coach needed to change his underwear after that.

You'll never see that from a Dolphin or a Jet, although a real-live Giant might be interesting.