A longhorn versus an owl. That’s what college football has come to.

You can tell just from the mascots that the Texas Longhorns dominate the Rice Owls. In all aspects, these games are unfair. Texas has access to all the big recruits, while Rice is left with their sloppy seconds. Texas Memorial stadium is able to hold 100,000 people while Rice Stadium can only hold 50,000. Despite all of the facts,  this is the opening game for one of the proudest programs in the country.

Texas played poorly and still won 34-17. The first weekend of the season is littered with games of dominant programs facing small schools. These small schools rarely have a chance, but they do receive a check for playing. This makes the first week almost meaningless.

The solution to these first weekend blues is simple: scheduling. Labor Day Monday had two of the best games of the weekend because they were competitive. Navy vs. Maryland came down to a goal line stand where Maryland stuffed Navy’s triple option offense from one yard out to seal a 17-14 victory for the Terps, who are trying to rebound from a dreadful 2-10 campaign last year.

The late game featured the third ranked Boise State facing off against ACC powerhouses 10th   ranked Virginia Tech in a top 10 battle. Boise State, traditional underdogs, is now in the top five, taking them out of their traditional role as the spoiler. Their chance at the national title was on the line, and made a late comeback, giving them a 33-30 victory.

Unfortunately, big time college sports are becoming more of a business than a collegiate activity. TV contracts, conferences, and 100,000 capacity stadiums filled to the brim give the schools huge sums of money. The money from sports helps the school, but also takes away most of the core values of the game itself.

One of the best examples of a big money college football team is Texas. This summer, many of the large conferences realigned. The Big 10 and the Pacific 10 now have 12 teams, and the Big 12 now has 10. Colorado and Utah joined the Pac-10, and Nebraska left the Big 12 to join the Big 10. Texas decided to stay in the Big 12, simply so they could get a better TV contract. If they had moved to the Pac-10, their academic standards would have been raised.

For a high school player interested in college football, some of the traditions might be lost. For all intensive purposes, college football is now just a way to prepare you the NFL. For most players, the NFL is no more than a dream. So, instead of enjoying your time in a collegiate sport, you are an employee of the business called college football.

Games like Boise State vs. Virginia Tech are what help the game as a whole, while games like Miami vs. Florida A&M only help the individual schools. As a fan, I prefer games like the first , and hope the schools can do the same in the future to help the game.

Henry Shepard can be reached for comment at [email protected].