When I went out last Friday, I expected to grab a few drinks, and call it an early night. But that didn't exactly happen.

Instead I got into your typical bar room argument, albeit a civil one, and went home confused, prompting me to write this column.

The debate was not new, yet never gets old.

Which is the best time of year in sports: bowl season or March Madness?

Most would have you believe it's bowl season, especially in this area, which is clearly a college football town.

And that's fine.

But I respectfully disagree. Let me tell you why.

First, how can you argue with the survive-and advance deal? That right there makes every game much more compelling than a typical bowl game.

There's also the Big Guy vs. Little Guy storyline, which is always intriguing. The storylines alone make March Madness better than bowl season, particularly the upset potentials. There is no Cinderella in college football.

The excitement factor really doesn't compare to be honest.

Everyone playing in a bowl game is evenly matched. Can you really compare a last second 24-yard field-goal to a buzzer beater as time expires?

In college football, unless your team is playing, where's the excitement?

And even with that said, explain to me what you get when your team wins the Papajohns.com Bowl? What satisfaction can a fan take from that?

Other than the respected university getting money, where's the upside of a bowl game victory?

Seriously, as a fan, can you really brag unless your team wins it all? "My team won the Cotton Bowl" smack talk doesn't exactly make you sound all that cool.

Unlike college football, every school, no matter its size, has a chance to win it all. I would much rather see my team get into the dance as opposed to making a good bowl game.

I have to mention the TV scheduling as well. There are days during bowl season where there are only one or two games per day. With March Madness, it's 10-plus hours of hoops, virtually all day. And then the next morning, it starts all over again. You can't beat that.

And, of course, I have to mention filing out a bracket, which is just another form of excitement that bowl season lacks.

No, picking the bowl winners is not the same thing.

The whole country participates in filling out a bracket. I can't say the same for bowl season coveralls.

With March Madness the drama begins even before the games are played, with Selection Sunday. Watching teams on the "bubble" gathered around, hoping to hear their school called shows the purity in college basketball.

Plus, I can't take a sport that lets a computer determine who the best teams are seriously.

The know-it-all at the bar will say college basketball games don't matter early in the season because of the tournament. Sorry, not buying it. Teams are building their resumes for seeding, for getting to the dance, not to mention a little thing known as pride.

So, for all you college hoops fan out there, get on your dancing shoes, finish up those brackets, and get ready for the greatest tournament in all of sports.

And for the die-hard college football fans, don't worry—spring practice is rapidly approaching.

(E-mail Mike Santillo at news@moultrienews.com)