Why the NFL Would Benefit from an NCAA Football Overhaul

The NFL is at its peak of popularity, but it is dangerously close to a quick decline.

Scandals like the New Orleans Saints bounty program disgust the average fan. However, the constant penalties for big hits seem to do the same. Some fans are close to giving up on the sport altogether.

Surprisingly, the league can receive help from the NCAA.

In 2005, the NBA imposed an age requirement that stated no player is able to enter the draft until they are at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school.

This forced players like Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose to play a year of college basketball instead of jumping straight into the draft.

It completely changed the outlook of the NBA for the fans. These players were able to get an entire year of marketing by dominating as amateurs, so by the time they reached the professional level they were already household names.

In addition, fans of only college basketball were excited to watch more NBA games because they were emotionally invested in the players. They would rather cheer for Kevin Love than Andray Blatche or Kwame Brown.

Now, the NFL does not need to change its age requirements, but the idea is that college football needs to better market its future stars.

A lot of respect is given to great teams, and rightfully so, but there is very little discussion about the rest of the country.

It was hard to ignore the hype of Andrew Luck this season, but how many people outside of Texas knew about Ryan Tannehill? The Texas A&M quarterback could end up being a top-10 pick and possibly a franchise quarterback.

Last season, Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder were all quarterbacks selected in the first round but were almost non-existent on the college football scene.

The problem starts with the fact that only a few teams are in contention for the national championship by the end of the year.

In basketball, dozens of teams make noise all the way until the end of the season. This helps make players like Stephon Curry of Davidson get noticed and become a lottery pick, as well as a fan favorite.

Parity in college football would help the average fan learn more about different teams, and in turn would become more knowledgeable about the future of the NFL. At the very least, more discussion on teams outside of the Top Five will do the same.

If the NFL wants to continue being on top in the public's view, they need this little help from the NCAA.