Former NFL Great Thinks College Football ‘Sucks’ for Very Simple Reason

Andy Nesbitt | Sep 4, 2025

Ohio State beat No. 1 Texas last Saturday in a boring 14-7 game. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tiki Barber loves football. Well, some football, that is.

The former Giants great isn't a fan of the state of the college game. At all. The ex-running back who finished his 10-year NFL career with 10,499 yards rushing, sounded off on the popular sport during his WFAN radio show this week.

Barber and Evan Roberts were breaking down the chances of the Giants turning to rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart at some point this season. That's when Barber took a vicious, and somewhat surprising, shot at the college game.

“This is the evolution of college football. And by the way, as an aside… college football sucks,” said Barber, via Awful Announcing. “It is a bad watch. Cause you don’t know who’s good and you don’t know who sucks. And even the good teams suck. So, college football is bad.”

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Barber said that just days after Ohio State beat Texas in a 14–7 game that left a lot to be desired from both highly touted teams. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 3 going into the showdown, while Arch Manning and the Longhorns were the No. 1 ranked team in the preseason rankings. In the end it was a competitive game, but was also a boring viewing experience.

The beginning of the season can really be a tough watch for football fans. Barber is right—it's hard to know which teams are really good and which teams will end up being either mediocre, or in some cases, just bad. Preseason rankings don't really tell an accurate story and it takes a few weeks for teams to show who they really are. Also, no preseason games can lead to ugly Week 1 performances.

Barber played his college football at Virginia, which isn't powerhouse program. He was the ACC Player of the Year in 1996 when he rushed for 1,360 yards and 14 touchdowns.

It's safe to say his opinion on college football won't be loved by the millions of fans who drop everything they have to watch their teams on Saturday.

But he's not entirely wrong.

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