Top 10 Movies About College Football

Between coding web sites, writing assignments about college football, and therapy sessions to deal with how bad Iowa men's basketball is, I try to squeeze in as many movies as humanly possible.

It seems I am a bit of a movie nerd.

Movies are a good way to escape and imagine the possibilities of life. Movies are also a good way to forget college football doesn't start for another six months.

To help fill the void from January to August, I have turned to movies about college football. And there are no shortage of movies to pop in the DVD player, either. Ok, so maybe I need to get out of the house more.

Here are the Top 10 Movies About College Football.

10. The Waterboy

The Waterboy is definitely one of Adam Sandler's worst movies, but this movie still has its moments. And it is about college football.

Sandler plays Bobby Boucher, the sweet-tempered, Forrest Gump like man-child who loves his job of eighteen years as the waterboy for the local university's football team. It doesn't take long to find out Bobby is actually a tackling maniac.

"You can do it! You can do it ALL NIGHT LONG!"

9. The Comebacks

The Comebacks is a satire flick that makes fun of about 14 other movies, but the main theme is about college football.

Coach Lambeau Fields (David Koechner) leads a team of complete misfits to a title, with a lot of cheese mixed in along the way. Pure ridiculousness.

It is hard to go wrong with a movie when David Koechner is in it.

8. Everybody's All American

Everybody's All American is a story of a fictional famous college football player during the 1950s whose professional career is sidetracked by alcoholism, failed business ventures, and marital problems.

I am not the biggest fan of this movie, but I am sure a few people would have taken issue had I have left it off.

Dennis Quaid really can't act, but this movie does a good job of telling a decent football story.

7. Necessary Roughness

Necessary Roughness is an oldie but a goodie. It is about a struggling college football team trying to win despite having to play ironman football.

This movie might have been filmed before half of the Featured Columnists on Bleacher Report were born, but a movie staring Sinbad as a college football player...that's movie gold in anyone's book!

6. We Are Marshall

This movie could have been ten times better had Matthew McConaughey not mucked it up with his acting.

It tells the story of the Marshall Football team tragedy in 1970, when a plane carrying almost the entire Marshall University football team and staff crashed, killing 75 people and devastating the town of Huntington, West Virginia. The movie follows the team and the town as they try to recover.

It is a great movie, but McConaughey should really stick to roles like his character in Dazed and Confused.

5. Forrest Gump

The movie Forrest Gump isn't necessarily about college football, but it is hard to overlook the fact that Forrest was player at the University of Alabama during part of the movie.

It might only be a five minute stretch, but Tom Hanks performance as a college football running back playing for Bear Bryant is worthy of being on this list.

This movie should also make any ping pong movie lists, too, if there is such a thing.

4. The Junction Boys

The Junction Boys is the name given to the “survivors” of Coach Bear Bryant’s 10 day summer football camp in Junction, Texas that began Sept. 1, 1954. The camp has achieved legendary status and was eventually turned into a television movie by ESPN.

This movie gives a great impression about how football used to be like. Sure, the coach nearly killed all of his players, but at the end of the day Bryant turned them into champions.

3. The Program

Some people love this movie, some people hate it.

The Program is a great movie about several players from different backgrounds trying to cope with the pressures of playing football at a major university. Each player deals with the stress differently, and the movie shows how some player thrive off the stress while others fail under the pressure.

The movie also featured several familiar actors, including James Cann and Omar Epps.

2. Johnny Be Good

This one is another oldie but a goodie, and one of the better movies made during the 1980s. Ok, maybe that's a slight exaggeration.

Johnny Be Good stars a young Anthony Michael Hall as the number one high school quarterback prospect in the country. And he is being recruited by every major college in the US.

It gives a comical view of how the college football recruiting process works.

This movie also stars a young Uma Thurman and a young Robert Downey, Jr.

1. Rudy

Rudy is arguably one of the greatest sports movie ever made, and it has nothing to do with the acting of Samwise Gamgee.

Rudy is a film about the life of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, who had dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame despite significant obstacles. When his best friend Pete is killed in an explosion at the mill, Rudy decides to follow his dream of attending Notre Dame and playing football for the Fighting Irish.

It's a difficult journey for Rudy, but it all pays off in the end.

I have seen this movie about 40 times over the years, and I am not ashamed to admit that I still get a little choked up at the end of this movie when they carry him off the field.

You're my boy, Rudy!

Added Bonus

Since commenters will feel the need to leave messages about my mental capacity because I left their favorite football movie off the list, I thought it wise to point out that the movies on the list relate to college football.

In looking at all the football movies over the years, I noticed they all broke down into high school football, college football and pro football. Below are some of the top movies in the other categories.

Top High School Football Movies
1. Remember the Titans
2. All the Right Moves
3. Varsity Blues
4. Radio
5. Friday Night Lights
6. Wildcats

Top Pro Football Movies
1. Any Given Sunday
2. Invincible
3. Jerry Macquire
4. The Replacements
5. The Longest Yard
6. Brain's Song