NCAA Bracket 2011: 10 Reasons the NFL Is Better Than March Madness

March Madness, which tipped off on Tuesday night, is one of the most exciting tournaments in American sports and is certainly much more popular than the college basketball regular season.

Between the fact that 68 teams make the tournament, as well as the single-elimination factor, March Madness provides plenty of drama for both players and fans.

However, as exciting as March Madness is, it is not as great as the NFL, which is currently the most popular sport in the country by a mile.

Here are 10 reasons why the NFL is better than March Madness.

10. Longer Games

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KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 02: Team captains for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders meet for the coin toss before a game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 2, 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Tim Umphrey/Getty Images)

NFL games last just over three hours, on average, allowing teams to scope out their opponents and make adjustments throughout the game.

This is a full hour longer than March Madness games, even when you factor in commercials, timeouts and free throws. With such short games, there is very little room for error, as we often see games come down to one big run.

9. Fewer Teams

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 03: Running back Maurice Jones-Drew #32 of the Jacksonville Jaguars runs against the Indianapolis Colts at EverBank Field on October 3, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars won 31-28. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

When watching the NCAA tournament, we oftentimes don't know much about many of the teams until the third or fourth round.

A big part of this is the fact that there are more teams that make the NCAA tournament (68) than there are teams in the entire NFL (32).

As a result, it is tough to get very invested and passionate about March Madness matchups that don't involve our favorite teams.

8. Better Athletes

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CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 16: Julius Peppers #90 of the Chicago Bears is blocked by Chris Spencer #65 of the Seattle Seahawks in the 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Soldier Field on January 16, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty I

While you can argue that football players are more or less the same, in terms of athleticism, as basketball players, most would agree that college basketball players, typically in the range of 18 to 22 years old, are less athletic than NFL pro athletes.

College basketball talent has also been watered down in recent years due to so many great players leaving after one year for the NBA draft.

7. More Physical Game

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 08: Offensive tackle Jeff Linkenbach #72 of the Indianapolis Colts blocks on offense against the New York Jets during their 2011 AFC wild card playoff game at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 8, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Pho

As competitive as the NCAA tournament can be, there are rules preventing charging, loose-ball contact and moving screens.

In the NFL, teams are able to use their desire to knock down the opponent to their benefit, whether it be by hitting, tackling or simply intimidating opponents.

6. Enthusiastic Crowds

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LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 6: A fan of the Washington Redskins cheers against the New Orleans Saints at FedExField on December 6, 2009 in Landover, Maryland. The Saints defeated the Redskins in overtime 33-30. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)

In the NFL, games other than the Super Bowl are rarely ever played on a neutral site. This allows home fans to support their team and potentially even help their team win by screaming so loudly that the opposing team has trouble communicating which play is called.

This is very different from March Madness, in which the crowd is composed of many neutral fans that may stay for several games at a time.

5. Fewer Games

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FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 16: Braylon Edwards #17 celebrates with Dustin Keller #81 of the New York Jets after Edwards scored a second quarter touchdown during their 2011 AFC divisional playoff game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Jan

The NFL has a shorter regular season than college basketball, as well as a shorter postseason than March Madness.

As a result, each NFL game is magnified, with teams and players giving 100 percent on just about every play.

Once an NFL team makes the postseason, the games become even more intense, as teams can win the championship with three or four wins, as opposed to six or seven in the case of March Madness.

4. Unsung Heroes

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CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 23: B.J. Raji #90 of the Green Bay Packers reacts with teammate Sam Shields #37 after scoring on a 18-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship Game at Soldier F

During the NCAA tournament, most teams know who the best scorers and most dominant big guys are, so the story tends to be whether or not the select number of star players can get the job done.

This is very different from the NFL, which consists of offense, defense and special teams, with a wide variety of players contributing to each aspect of the game. As a result, there tends to be a different storyline and hero for each NFL game.

3. More Strategy

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PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 23: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers talks to head coach Mike Tomlin (L) and Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians (R) during their 2011 AFC Championship game against the New York Jets at Heinz Field on January 23, 2

In big part due to the lack of time to prepare for your next opponent, much of the action during March Madness is improvised, with a lot of poor decisions being made. This leads to a lot of wide-open shots and player mismatches.

In the NFL, on the other hand, teams have a week to prepare for their opponents, including team coordinators that call complex plays, as well as audibles before the snap designed to throw off opponents.

2. Stronger Legacies

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Tom Brady holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy as he stands on the podium after The New England Patriots defeated The Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX at Alltel Staduim in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

In the NFL, we see dynasties and franchise players that fans can cherish for a number of years.

Rarely do we see this in college basketball because of so many elite college basketball athletes only staying in school one year before leaving for the NBA. This takes away any chance of these athletes building a strong legacy with multiple championships.

1. More Parity

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KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 26: Receiver Dwayne Bowe #82 of the Kansas City Chiefs is congratulated by fans as he jumps into the stands after making a 75 yard touchdown catch during the game against the Tennessee Titans on December 26, 2010 at Arrowhead S

The NFL draft allows bad teams to pick up top prospects, while the salary cap prevents rich teams from spending significantly more than their opponents

There is very little parity in college basketball, on the other hand, because top high school prospects tend to sign with big-name schools that have a lot of history.

Out of the 68 teams that make the tournament, only about a quarter have a realistic chance of winning their region. This is very different from the NFL, wherein the majority of teams believe they will make the playoffs before the season begins, and if a team is fortunate enough to make the postseason, it usually has at least a small chance of winning it all.