College Football 2012: Top 40 Football Movies to Watch During Offseason

The offseason is slowly winding down as there are just 19 weeks left until the 2012 season gets underway.

Many ask what in the world do you do to make the time pass?

Besides watching every other sport imaginable, catching as many movies as possible is vital.

Several of these movies on this list may be a complete unknown, whereas others can be seen on television every other week seemingly.

Many rankings have their own opinions on what are the best football movies, but here are my top 40 football movies to watch during this offseason.

No. 40: The Game Plan (2007)

Yes, Dwayne Johnson makes you scratch your head in this Disney movie because he is the same guy that is turning his size 16 boots sideways in the WWE.

Either way, I have sadly watched this movie just because “The Rock” starred in it.

No. 39: Number One (1969)

The only movie on here I have not seen or heard much at all other than Charlton Heston’s inability to throw a football in real life would be this one at No. 39.

It doesn’t completely kill the movie that the main character could not throw a football in real life to save his life, but it wouldn't hurt if he spin it a little bit.

Heston stars as Ron Catlan, who once led the Saints to a Super Bowl (I know, sounds funny does it not?).

Obviously New Orleans just won their Super Bowl back in 2009, but this film once again revolves around a player that has struggles both on and off the gridiron.

No. 38: Paper Lion (1968)

Alan Alda plays the role (George Plimpton) of a Sports Illustrated writer that wonders what life would be like if he (the average man) attempted to play professional football.

Many players from the Detroit Lions played themselves in this movie, so it is worth a watch.

No. 37: Big Fan (2009)

Most movies are always concentrated on the actual football player, but this movie really concentrates on the life of a football die-hard.

Didn't love this movie, but I have seen worse sports movies.

No. 36: Jim Thorpe and Knute Rockne All-American (1951,1940)

Both classic movies involving legendary players, so these movies should be given an opportunity at some point during college football’s offseason. 

No. 35: Leatherheads (2008)

Any film that George Clooney is in will normally catch your attention before you actually see it, but this movie is based off George Halas’s signing of Red Grange in 1925.

“Leatherheads” is not one of your favorite football movies, but it still beats doing nothing on a rainy night.

No. 34: Code Breakers (2008)

This movie that was first seen on ESPN is all about the scandal that involved Army during its 1951 season.

Everybody seemingly remembers the two national championships they claimed, but they ran into some problems, and this movie recapped it all.

Note: It premiered on ESPN after the 2005 Heisman in which ironically Reggie Bush won.

No. 33: The Junction Boys (2001)

The greatest coach in the history of college football is in this movie, so it may be a decent idea to watch it.

Bear Bryant of course coached the Aggies before Alabama, and this entire movie revolves around his grueling camps that are famous to this day.

No. 32: Everybody’s All-American (1988)

The “Grey Ghost” played by Dennis Quaid is a movie that covers the first 25 years of Gavin Grey.

This movie was based on the novel "Everybody’s All-American" by Frank Deford in Sports Illustrated.  

No. 31: Possums (1998)

Radio announcing fictional games is something most of us may know, though usually it involves a live game put on mute or a video game back in the day.

Well, Will Collier does his own version of a fantasy game, if you will, when there is no football game going on after the local team loses its squad.

After the locals listen to some exciting finishes, the fever is brought up a few notches as Collier is given a chance to lead the team back to the top. 

No. 30: Lucas (1986)

One of the more unknown movies on this list, this one is severely underrated since football does not completely surround this movie. 

Still, this movie resembles the underdog story in which the nerd that can play sports does just to get the girl. Some would watch this movie nowadays just to see what Jeremy Piven and Charlie Sheen looked like back in the day.  

No. 29: Radio (2003)

Many were not a fan of this film, whether it was the brutal music (or maybe you don’t love Cuba Gooding Jr) throughout the film or perhaps just boredom at its finest.

Still, this is a football movie, and we should agree there are a bunch of less entertaining movies out there.

No. 28: The Last Boy Scout (1991)

Gambling, drugs and huge explosions can be put into this action film that has some football in it as well.

Bruce Willis plays the private investigator and Damon Wayans is the former player who got kicked out for gambling, but everybody remembers this being one of the first movies in which Halle Berry appeared in.  

No. 27: Heaven Can Wait (1978)

This movie is a bit of an unknown, and thus, it is undervalued. Warren Beatty plays everything perfectly, whether we are talking about his romance, giving money away to the right people or playing quarterback (LA Rams). 

No. 26: Wildcats (1986)

Molly McGrath (Goldie Hawn) gets her shot at coaching a high school football team, but the obstacles thrown in her way are not exactly easy to overcome.

More importantly, this is the debut for both Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson.

No. 25: North Dallas Forty (1979)

The North Dallas Bulls resemble the Dallas Cowboys, but this movie features your typical drugs, sex and NFL party atmosphere.

No. 24 Horse Feathers (1932)

This Marx Brothers film is filled with comedy and all of that fun stuff you would suspect in college (the bootlegging a speakeasy is humorous).

Maybe you won’t watch this for the love of football as much as you would for just laughing on your couch.

No. 23: School Ties (1992)

So many of these football movies revolve around the main character going through drastic changes in which the entire plot changes just to keep you watching (duh).

Well, the starting quarterback in David Greene (Brendan Fraser) has plenty of changes, and his friends start to question his ethics off the field. 

Maybe this movie is too predictable, but it isn’t all that bad. Plus, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have solid roles in it as well.

No. 22: Johnny Be Good (1988)

Take a minute and just let this sink in.

Anthony Michael-Hall is the best high school football player in America, and he can go anywhere he wants, but he must decide on whether he wants to go to a darn community school with a young Uma Thurman instead.

Sounds odd I know, but this movie is actually better than most anticipate.

No. 21: The Longest Yard (1974)

Watching this movie before the updated version surely helps, but this is still a solid movie to watch even if you have not done so already.

No. 20: Gridiron Gang (2006)

Dwayne Johnson or should I say, “The Rock,” is the football coach in this enjoyable football movie.

It is your typical movie filled with issues involving members of the football team, but Johnson helps his players along the way through all of the growing pains.

No. 19: All the Right Moves (1983)

Yes, Tom Cruise does an exceptional job as Stef Djordjevic as he gets in a few confrontations with his coach (Craig T. Nelson) throughout the movie.

Ultimately, they both set aside their differences and Nickerson (Craig T. Nelson) takes a coaching job at Cal Poly, but in the process offers Stef a full ride.

No. 18: Invincible (2006)

Vince Papale is played by Mark Wahlberg in which he is the true underdog story. His wife leaves and takes everything and she says he will never amount to anything.

Instead of giving up, Papale tries out for the Philadelphia Eagles after he loses his part-time teaching job, and he ends up making the team.

No. 17: Necessary Roughness (1991)

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this movie and actually like it a lot more than half of these movies. However, it is overrated when a friend of mine compared it to The Waterboy in terms of overall laughter.

I enjoyed this movie and have nothing against Paul Blake in the movie since he is your typical old quarterback that still has a solid arm, but I didn’t laugh as much as others did.

No. 16: Two for the Money (2005)

This has to rank high on your list because this movie really is all about the crunching of the numbers involving gambling.

Where would sports be without the lovely city of Las Vegas? Everybody always talks about how much a team is favored over another, and Al Pacino and his gambling partner Matthew McConaughey grab your attention in this one.

No. 15: The Replacements (2000)

Among my favorite sports movies of all time, and no I do not have mental issues. The movie is just classic humor, and as much as you perhaps may dislike Keanu Reeves, he plays the major role well.

Gene Hackman is a great coach and did not disappoint one bit. I almost forgot to mention that the cheerleaders are not bad to watch in the movie either.

No. 14: Jerry Maguire (1996)

“Show me the money” has to rank among the best lines in all of sports movies, but Tom Cruise is easily the most famous sports agent we have arguably ever seen in theaters.

Jerry Maguire has a ton of quotes that are fairly famous, and this football movie is one you can always watch once a year.

No. 13: Little Giants (1994)

Did anybody notice the Giants beat the Patriots because they showed this movie during the day?

All right, so this movie may not be the most popular of the bunch, but it surely is an enjoyable kids football movie to watch.

It gives you the classic underdog story and features one of the better and under-appreciated characters out there (Ice Box), who turns out to be the star player.  

No. 12: The Express (2008)

Based on the life of Syracuse running back Ernie Davis, this film really touches base with the hard life of racism, discrimination and athletics.

Davis, of course, became the first ever African-American to win the Heisman while at Syracuse in 1961.

No. 11: The Longest Yard (2005)

Maybe The Waterboy was a better overall film to enjoy on a rainy day during college football’s offseason, but this one is not too shabby.

Adam Sandler plays Paul Crewe, who is the troubled quarterback that helps lead a bunch of prison inmates victorious against their guards.

The first opening minutes of this movie catches your attention as Crewe steals the Bentley GT belonging to his girlfriend Lena (Courtney Cox) and ultimately gets sentenced to three years in prison for recklessly crashing it (DWI and grand theft).

Nelly, Bill Romanski, Brian Bosworth, Michael Irvin and a ton of former wrestlers are in this enjoyable football movie (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Bill Goldberg, The Great Khali).

No. 10: We Are Marshall (2006)

The 1970 plane crash that killed 37 football players was a tragedy and this movie does a fine job on showing you just how much a community can rally behind a football team. The more adversity one faces in life makes him or her so much stronger.

Football is a sport like no other, and being able to see coaches and players build personal relationships always makes you smile.

No. 9: Varsity Blues (1999)

Bud Kilmer is your typical high school coach that thinks he is the greatest thing ever created, but what makes the story is how his team finally stands up to him during the most important game of the season.

Injuries, as usual, play a factor, but the trouble that the boys get into makes it a fun and forever enjoyable movie.  

No. 8: Any Given Sunday (1999)

Al Pacino’s (Tony D’Amato) speech is legendary but during it you have to get goosebumps especially just seeing Jim Brown (Defensive OC) there in the background.

Arguably the greatest player in NFL history, the movie is loaded with underrated actors.

Cameron Diaz (owner and GM of Sharks), Aaron Eckhart (Offensive OC) and Dennis Quaid (starting QB) help make the movie, but everybody will always love quarterback Willie Beamen, played by Jamie Foxx. 

No. 7: The Program (1993)

One of the most underrated football movies most have ever seen really needs to get more love. In great football movies, the flick not only revolves around the star player, but also around his teammates and friends.

That would be the case in this movie, and all the pieces fit together perfectly. 

No. 6: The Waterboy (1998)

Talk about a classic movie to watch while waiting for college football to kick off!

Adam Sandler plays the role of Robert Boucher, and it is arguably the most enjoyable character of all football movies. It helps that he has antics and pulls off wrestling moves on the gridiron, but the guy is awkwardly hilarious off the field.

He isn’t the only character as you have Rob Schneider playing “The Townie,” as well as Vicki Vallancourt, Mama Boucher, Coach Klein and Farmer Fran.

Forget all of those perfect characters because the movie essentially gets better as the movie progresses. Just when you expect a boring part to arrive, Lawrence Taylor or Colonel Sanders will catch you off guard.

No. 5: Brian’s Song (1971)

Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers’ relationship made one of the better all-time films in the history of football.

The film won an Emmy Award for Best Dramatic Program (1971-1972), but it remains as one of the best true stories to watch in all of sports.

No. 4: Friday Night Lights (2004)

If you want a movie based off a real story and at the same time would prefer something realistic filled with a ton of drama, this is for you.

So many stories could be summed up by this movie regardless of the sport, and Billy Bob Thornton isn’t the only worthy character in this movie. A must-watch if you haven’t already seen it a hundred times.

Note: It is amazing to realize the importance and the pressure that the town puts on these kids, always a joy to watch the drama unfold

No. 3: Remember the Titans (2000)

There a ton of movies featuring Denzel Washington, but the role he played as coach Boone is memorable.

The racial tension on top of all the other obstacles that was thrown in many of the coaches and players’ way was obvious.

Seeing a team bond together and unite as one in time makes you stop and realize anything is possible when things are clicking on all cylinders.

No. 2: The Blind Side (2009)

Sandra Bullock may not have been loved by people before the movie came out, but she certainly made a believer out of everybody after the movie.

She was awarded a Golden Globe and an Academy Award, but the story of Michael Oher was inspiring regardless if you even like football.

This isn’t a great movie just for sports fans, but also for people that enjoy witnessing people become stronger as individuals when the going gets tough.

This movie has to be ranked No. 1 perhaps in terms of family movies to catch if you haven’t already done so. 

No. 1Rudy (1993)

Some argue that there is not a better sports movie out there.

People may debate that there are a few better sports movies or perhaps even better football movies, but Rudy always takes the cake for me.

I try not to make it all about Notre Dame football since so many may dislike the Irish, but this is simply about that kid who did everything imaginable to be able to go to his dream school.

He eventually got his dream and even suited up in the final game of his senior season, but the friends he made (Fortune the janitor) along the way is what makes the best. 

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