College football is complicated.

Chris Vanini covers college football for a living,

and even he thinks it's complicated.

College sports has always been built differently,

run differently, it would be impossible to explain it

to anybody outside of this country, I think.

But on today's explained, we're going to attempt the impossible.

We're going to try to explain college football to people inside

and even people outside this country.

But why, some say, explain college football?

Why choose this as our goal?

Why climb the highest mountain?

Why does rice play Texas?

We choose to explain college football on today's show

and do the other things, not because they are easy,

but because they are hard.

Because that goal will serve to organize

and measure the best of our energies and skills,

because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept

when we are unwilling to postpone and when we intend to win.

And the others too.

Just a few years ago in Deep Pandemic,

...