If you have a favorite sport, chances are there are one or two, or many, reasons as to why that sport reins supreme in your book.

If it’s hockey, it’s probably the fights. Baseball typically has something to do with fantasy baseball. And golf, you are probably bored and lonely. I’m kidding. Kind of.

But let me tell you why my favorite sport is year-by-year transforming into my least favorite sport. Before long, collegiate football will be a mirror image of the NFL.

Granted, the two sports are exactly the same. They are both played with a leather, egg-shaped ball, on a 120-yard field, with pads. To me, the similarities between the two stopped there. That was until the NCAA released its recent set of rule changes that will me implemented in the upcoming years.

Effective immediately, there will no longer be wedge blocks on kick or punt returns. Designed to limit concussions, any violators will be penalized 15 yards. But far more often you see concussions as a result from left tackles missing blocks and players not protecting themselves. All this rule will do is reduce explosive returns, taking points off the board.

What is even worse in 2010 is the rule banning players from writing messages on their eye black. This fad became popular from Reggie Bush’s “619,” a tribute to his hometown area code in San Diego, and Tim Tebow’s bible scriptures. I would understand if players were writing something like “Your Mom,” but they aren’t, and the NCAA is killing what makes college football unique.

And while we’re at it, let’s just erase points off the board! It’s true. Starting in 2011, any player caught taunting or celebrating prior to reaching the end zone will result in the loss of the score and the ball placed 15 yards from the spot of the foul. Don’t get me wrong, taunting is ridiculous and doesn’t belong in sports, but the old rule of assessing the penalty yards on the ensuing kickoff worked just fine.

These are NFL-like rules. What makes the NFL boring to me are the countless rules and regulations, along with its typicality. The quarterback can’t be touched, players can’t get excited and the idea of self-expression is a mortal sin. The NFL is played for a paycheck; the NCAA is played for pride. It seemed that way at least.

You see, what makes college football great is its ability to be different. At the collegiate level, you have student sections, 120 FBS teams and the most demanding national championship format in sports. You have 141 years of tradition, marching bands, the Rose Bowl, Joe Paterno, and most importantly NO PAYROLL.

The NFL has haggard drunk Raider fans, 32 teams and a Super Bowl that most fans watch for the commercials. It has lived for a mere 44 years, a public address system playing an Usher song, the new $1.3 billion Dallas Stadium and whining wide receivers making over $27,000 a day.

Just pray that your favorite sport doesn’t cheat on you like mine is. So if ice hockey ever switches to roller skates and baseball becomes slow pitch, maybe you’ll think of me and how much you don’t want your favorite sport to change.