It's that time of year again: NFL schedule release week. The league turns the announcement into a full-blown event, with fans, players, and coaches alike buzzing about matchups, primetime slots, and the road ahead. It's a spectacle that generates excitement months before a single snap is played.

But as the NFL milks the spotlight in mid-May, it's worth asking: should college football follow suit? Could the sport benefit from a similar, centralized schedule release that builds anticipation and drives conversation?

On the surface, the idea faces plenty of hurdles. College football is a decentralized world, with conferences operating independently and often on their own timelines. Getting everyone to agree on a single release date—let alone a primetime TV event—would be a logistical nightmare.

Then there's the tradition of guarantee games, or "buy" games, where smaller programs agree to face Power Five opponents for a paycheck. These matchups are often scheduled years in advance, giving fans of underdog schools something to look forward to long before the season kicks off. Rivalry games, too, are steeped in tradition. Could you imagine Michigan and Ohio State playing anywhere other than the final weekend of November? For many, that would feel like breaking an unwritten rule.

Still, there's plenty of upside to a more coordinated approach. The NFL proves that not knowing exactly when your team's biggest games will happen—only who they'll face—creates a unique kind of suspense. In college football, that same unpredictability could breathe new life into the schedule.

What if Michigan and Ohio State met in Week 1, with the Buckeyes and Wolverines having the chance to derail each other's season right from the start? What if a smaller school found out in the spring that it would travel to an SEC powerhouse for a September showdown? The buzz would be electric, and it would give fans—and apparel shoppers—something to rally around months in advance.

Change won't come easy in a sport built on tradition, but a little innovation could go a long way. After all, the countdown to kickoff is half the fun. Why not make it official?