There are so many epic places college football games are played in. The Rose Bowl, the Cotton Bowl and so many other stadiums. But, what if I told you there could be a new way to enjoy college football. What’s that new way, you may ask? That new way is for the NCAA to start playing international college football games more often. 

Now, before we get any further, the NCAA does have TWO international college football games, them being the Bahamas Bowl and the annual game in Dublin, Ireland. They also used to have another bowl game known as the “International Bowl,” which was played in Toronto. 

Now, why should the NCAA play any international games when the NFL already plays games in the United Kingdom, Germany and Mexico? NCAA football is its own breed of football in comparison to the NFL. We have seen the impact that the NFL has made overseas. There have been viral videos of crowds in Munich singing Country Roads during an NFL game in Germany. The NFL is even now going to be playing a game in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2024.  Now, imagine a packed stadium in Germany or in the United Kingdom or even in Mexico singing Rocky Top or Dixieland Delight at the top of their lungs. 

Another reason why there should be more NCAA international college football games is to spread the brand. Now, colleges like the University of Alabama and the University of Michigan are already known worldwide for their football teams and actually do sell quite a lot of merchandise overseas. I’ve seen someone wearing a Michigan sweatshirt while I was on vacation in Zurich, Switzerland. Now, imagine that you give that same opportunity to other schools, like the University of Missouri (I will inform the readers that I am biased here) or Indiana University. Playing in an international game would allow schools to build their brand overseas, which actually could help them land talented recruits from overseas. I mean, lots of college soccer teams have players from places like Germany. Also, Missouri’s golf team actually has someone on their roster who’s from Dubai. Most of the Missouri sports teams actually have someone international on their roster, in fact. 

Now, I do have a restriction around playing international games. I don’t think a rivalry week game should be played internationally. So, that means that there is no Iron Bowl game in London or no Battle Line game in Frankfurt. 

Playing more international games would also cause more economic development, both for the teams involved and also for the country where the game takes place. And, economic development is always a plus. 

Imagine, also, for the fans of the teams playing these international games, they may get to do some sightseeing in the city that the game is being played in. Imagine getting to just wander around London for a day, or get a tour of Munich. 

Finally, the NCAA should consider playing more international college football games because college football has the capacity to serve as an ambassador, just like the NFL does in Europe. People there have already been introduced to the sport of American football; why not get them introduced to college football?