College football rivalries played for Muskets, Little Brown Jugs, Paul Bunyan and other assorted awards are the norm. Hampton and Howard play for institutional identity.

Superheroes come in different forms. There are the ones who fly through the air in a white cape or do cannonballs off tall buildings. Then there are the real-life kind, the ones who sacrifice a great deal to better the lives of others but don’t get the same attention as the fictional characters.

THURSDAY NIGHT CONFERENCE GAMES KICK OFF 2022 SLATE: A pair of Thursday night conference games kick off the 2022 CAA Football schedule. League newcomer Monmouth visits New Hampshire and Stony Brook entertains Rhode Island. It's the first meeting ever between Monmouth and UNH. SBU has won seven of the eight previous matchups with URI, but the Rams pulled out a 27-20 overtime victory last season.

The refrain is common to the point of cliche, but that makes it no less true: The Colonial Athletic Association just might be the deepest conferences in college football.

A top-flight defensive back has the ability to flip a game like few other positions. As passing offenses have proliferated in recent years, defensive backs take on more challenges, serving to heighten the importance of solid play in the secondary.

A full Labor Day weekend slate of non-league games awaits the members of the South Atlantic Conference. The 2022 season gets underway on Thursday and ends Saturday night, the weekend bookended with SAC matchups against CIAA competition as Tusculum hosts St. Augustine's and Newberry faces Allen.

A linebacker's role in a defense has evolved with the times in college football, but the position's importance has never changed. Linebackers often function as the eyes of a defense and are often tasked with stuffing the run, but they double as vital pass-rushers and, with the proliferation of pass-heavy offenses, can even function as hybrid defensive backs.

The GLIAC sees five of its seven teams in action on Thursday night to open the 2022 season, including a top 10 showdown. National championship credentials will be checked straight away in a huge opening weekend for GLIAC teams.

The elite programs of high school football were finally able to be let loose this past weekend, and did they ever put on a show.

The wait is over: College football makes its return in full force.

Week 1 is the most special date on the college football calendar. Optimism is boundless as records reset and summer gives way to autumn.

In the same way offensive line performance dictates success with the ball, the play of the fellas up front does the same for a defense.