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Thursday, November 9
The best and the worst
By John D. Hunter
ESPN.com

Everyday is a Halloween for college football players, but are there more tricks or more treats?

Most all college football player have their ups and downs during a college career -- most players will tell you its a continual roller coaster ride.

Finding out exactly what those highs and lows are is the purpose of this week's interactive feature The Players. ESPN.com asked our pool of football student-athletes what they see as the best part of being a college football player and what are the worst parts. Also, in keeping with the Halloween spirit, we asked the players to give ESPN.com users a treat and reveal something football fans might not know.

travis dorsch
Purdue's Travis Dorsch says football can get a grind sometimes.

Javon Green, wide receiver Colorado
"The best thing about college football is the camaraderie. We get a chance to compete with players from top high schools all over the country. You learn how to compete as a team and learn how to be successful. I think college football is such a learning experience all together. You learn the ups and downs of the game, the injuries, the wins, the losses. You learn valuable lessons that will help you in life. And a free education isn't all that bad, either.

"The toughest thing for most of us is the time commitment. That's probably what the fans don't realize. It's not always Saturday afternoons in front of thousands of fans. It's Monday through Sunday. It's a full time job for everyone. It's early mornings, late nights. We work all year for 11 games. But I am truly thankful for the opportunity and wouldn't change places with anyone."

Marques Tuiasosopo, QB Washington
"The best part of being a college football player is being able to play a game that you love every Saturday of the fall. You can't ask for anything better than to do something that you love doing.

"The worst part is the offseason, but that is just part of the stuff you have to go through if you make a decision to keep doing something that you love. The worst part is probably just being sore, but then it is good because you are playing the game. Being sore after the game is probably the worst part of it."

Something you might not know

"Since I go to a military academy, my life is very different than most other Div-1 football player.. Each summer we spend about a month doing military training. For me that means I am stationed on a ship. Last summer I was lucky to get placed on a ship that was in Hawaii for the month of June. We were out at sea for a good deal of the time, but we did pull into port for about ten days and I was free to do what I wanted in Hawaii. Needless to say, it was a good time."
Chris Lepore, Navy

"I think people don't take us very seriously as students. A lot of people just laugh when I say that, but it's true. I think the stereotype remains of us as just football players who can't do anything else. After all, football is all we ever talk about in the media. Of course, I don't expect anyone to ask me to entertain them by talking about school. But we have a lot of demands on us time-wise. From media obligations, to film study, to study hall, to the same academic demands all college students face, it's a pretty full schedule every day. Most of it is fun, but it doesn't leave much time for anything else. We have mandatory study hall time each week and it's more than just an hour. We're in their working under supervision for a long time. And I need more time outside of that to complete all my class work. Add in the football obligations and you can see how quickly your schedule fills up."
Dan Morgan, Miami

"What most ordinary fans don't know about college football players is the amount of hours we put in for film, meetings, practice hours, and the amount of school hours a day we have to go through. We spend on a average about 15 hours a day with school and football activities."
Dylen Smith, Kansas

"It's hard. People think that we have it easy and that people are lined up waiting to give us things. Football is hard, and it is especially hard to balance with your school work and the limited time we have. You can't work and you don't have a lot of money and it can really be a sacrifice."
Kenny Clark, Central Florida

"You have to manage your time well because football practice and meetings are a whole other world outside of school. It is very hard to juggle football with schoolwork and a social life. It's even tough to get some sleep."
Reggie Newhouse, Baylor

Kenny Clark, wide receiver Central Florida
"Just coming out on a Saturday and seeing all the fans that have taken their time and spent their money to come out and see you play and to support you. That has to be one of the best parts of being a college football player.

"It's really been a positive experience for me, but I'd say the worst part is all the hard hours that has to go into preparing as you lead up to the game. Football players wish they could play a game everyday."

Dan Morgan, linebacker Miami
"You're treated great by everyone. It's been a great experience, both for myself and my family. I'm from the area and it's great to be able to play college football on a national stage, yet get to go home to see my family whenever I want. It's really special. I think the best part of all is being able to get an education while playing college football. You really can't beat it for the opportunities it gives you in life."

"There's really no downside to it. If I had to pick anything, it would probably be not having a playoff. But that's a different subject. Other than that, I think the media sometimes is a little negative and people forget most college players are still pretty young. Most of us are just trying to get established in our lives and, when things don't go right, people jump on us pretty fast."

Chris Lepore, free safety Navy
"The best part of being a major college football player is Saturdays. I know there are so many people who would love to have the opportunity to put on the uniform and play Division I college football. I love the sport and that's why I play. I only have three more games so I'm going to cherish each one. Having the opportunity to play in front of 70,000 people against teams like Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, and in the Army-Navy game is the best. The feeling is unbelievable.

"The worst part about playing football are the injuries. Every Sunday I wake up so sore I just want to stay in bed all day long. When my career is over, the one thing I will not miss are all the trips to the training room."

Travis Dorsch, kicker Purdue
"The best part of being a major college football player is definitely the experience as a whole -- Getting to go out every Saturday and play your heart out with 100 other guys who share the same passion as you is an incredible feeling. Great friendships and great memories result, and when no one remembers anymore how many games we won, those will last.

"The worst part is probably the many responsibilities that go with being a student-athlete. Lifting weights, conditioning, practicing, team meals, and study hall are just some of the things we have to do on a daily basis to keep everyone around us happy. In the long run, taking on all these things will most definitely make us better individuals, but in the present, they just seem like hassles of the daily grind."

Dylen Smith, quarterback Kansas
"The best part of being a college football player is having the chance to play on television every weekend. Being in the spotlight is something a lot of people dream of and college football gives that opportunity to people. Also, having the chance of getting a free education is the best thing overall.

"The worst thing about college football is when things are not going well with your team or your own personal play and the newspapers say bad things that embarrass yourself or your team which is hard to handle as a college player."

Reggie Newhouse, wide receiver Baylor
"I can't really say there is a bad part to being a college football player. It is exciting, fun and a great opportunity to learn. Football teaches you so much about life and it is a great way to meet people."







ALSO SEE
Week 1: The first game

Week 2: The stunning upset

Week 3: Effective coaching

Week 4: Road trip!!

Week 5: Ouch!

Week 6: Media frenzy

Week 7: Women in sports

Week 8: College football polls




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