It doesn’t matter where we go or who we talk to, these are the questions we get asked in almost every conversation we’re having.
How many teams have you seen?
The answer we currently give is 96 teams. When we started, we based that on the number of teams that Seth had seen and for whatever reason, we’ve never changed it. Other numbers it could be: 101 (the number of teams that either Mike or Seth has seen), or 86 (the number of teams that Mike has seen).
What’s the best ______ you’ve been to?
Everyone wants to know the best stadium, the best fans, the best tailgating, etc. The honest answer is that each place we’ve been is great for a different reason. Some stadiums are bigger, some have more history, some are newer, etc – but each place is unique. Each tradition is different, each fan base has something to offer, and the variety of traditions, stadiums, bands, uniforms, and more are what make college football so special. Have something specific you really want to know (Best PA announcer? Best stadium concessions?), hit us up on twitter @MissionCFB and we’ll come up with something for you.
When did you start doing this?
Technically we count any team we’ve ever seen. Mission: College Football didn’t become official until 2013, but going back to the 1980’s, we’ve seen a lot of college football. If we saw a team play in 1991, 2004, 2012 or any other year, they count. Seth has attended games for 35+ years in Ames cheering on the Cyclones with his family. When his wife surprised him with a trip to Notre Dame, he was suddenly enjoying football without just cheering for his Cyclones. Two years later, Seth and his dad made a trip to a Florida/ Tennessee game in Knoxville. Mike meanwhile had attended countless games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City cheering on the Hawkeyes. Over the years, we talked about taking some random road trips to watch football, but until 2013, we never really made the effort. When we made the trip to Louisville, the college football bug bit us both. The next day, the idea of seeing all (now) 134 FBS college football teams was the idea and the Mission: College Football journey had officially kicked off.
When will you finish this journey?
Outside of football, we both have careers, wives, and kids. Needless to say, we can’t accomplish this goal of seeing every team overnight. With an average of 4 or 5 new teams per year, that puts the finish line somewhere in 2030-something.
The Map (See the map of teams we’ve seen)Coaches’ Quotes (What coaches have said about MissionCFB)Photos (See our photos on Facebook)