The fall's biggest weekend of college golf

__By Ryan Herrington

__

Which is the better tournament, the U.S. Collegiate Championship or the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational?

I get that question every now and then, and my answer usually gets a poor reaction because it tends to sounds smug.

"Neither."

I then try to explain myself. Which is your better child? Which do you like better vanilla or chocolate ice cream? There is no right answer because they're all pretty darn good.

I then play one last card: Does one have to be "better?"

The skyboxes and caddies at GC of Georgia—and this year an exemption for the individual winner into the Web.com's Air Capital Classic in Wichita, Kan.—give this tournament an aura. The challenge course and the curious spectators at Isleworth CC—tour pros watching their alma maters with a unique rooting interest—give that tournament a cache. If you're a participant in either event, consider yourself lucky. They're both college golf at their best.

Now if we can only get them to hold their events on different weekends.

__TALE OF THE TAPE

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__[U.S. Collegiate Championship

](http://www.theuscc.org/)__Oct. 18-20

GC of Georgia, Alpharetta, Ga.

Host: Georgia Tech

__Defending champion:__Georgia Tech (+10/874) by one stroke over UCLA; Stanford's Patrick Rodgers (-7/209) by four strokes Washington's Cheng-Tsung Pan, Auburn's Michael Johnson and Oklahoma State's Talor Gooch

Field: Auburn, Clemson, Duke, East Tennessee State, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Kent State, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Virginia, Wake Forest, Washington

Golf World/Ni____ke Golf participants: 2 top-5 teams, 5 top-10, 10 top-25s

Statistical quirk: There are twice the number of Pac-12 schools playing in the tournament than SEC programs

Skinny: The Yellow Jackets have won two of the three times since the event has moved to the fall. Their home course advantage is real and they're having an impressive fall so it's hard not to think they're going to prevail this weekend.

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Isleworth Collegiate Invitational

Oct. 20-22

Isleworth CC, Windermere, Fla.

Host: UCF and Texas Tech

Defending champion: California (+4/868) by two strokes over New Mexico; California's Michael Kim (-4/212) by one stroke over New Mexico's James Erkenbeck and Alabama's Justin Thomas

Field: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida State, GRU Augusta, Illinois, LSU, New Mexico, North Florida, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, UCF, UNLV, Vanderbilt

Golf World/Nike Golf participants: 2 top-5 teams, 4 top-10, 8 top-25s

Statistical quirk: It's the first and only time this spring where Alabama and California will be competing in the same event.

Skinny: There are some very good teams in the field, but I think a two-school race—Crimson Tide and Golden Bears—will ensue. Who wins? Flip a coin … when I did I had it come out for Alabama.