Man, College Football USA 97 on SNES takes me back. The pixelated stadiums, those chunky player sprites—it’s pure late-90s college football nostalgia. You pick your team (I always went with Florida State back then), and suddenly you’re calling plays from that old-school menu where every run up the middle feels like a gamble.

The controls are straightforward—no fancy stick moves here, just A to pass, B to sprint—but man, those CPU defenders read your plays like they’ve got your playbook. First time I played, I threw three interceptions before halftime. Turns out, the trick is to mix in more option runs than you’d think.

And that Sugar Bowl chase? It’s got that just-one-more-game pull. One minute you’re grinding through a rainy rivalry game, next thing you know, you’re sweating the BCS rankings because your defense gave up a last-minute TD to Notre Dame. The soundtrack’s all hype too—those MIDI fight songs hit different when you’re driving for the winning score.

It’s janky by today’s standards, but there’s something about the way the crowd sprites bounce after a touchdown that still makes me grin. If you’ve got a SNES lying around, dust it off for this one.