Aww... I love them too for loving Ross and Rachel!
I think the comparison with Ross and Rachel doesn't really have anything to do with similarities between the two couples (because come on, "Could they BE any more different?"
) but with the concept of OTP. "Friends" is by many considered one of the greatest sitcom ever (for me, it's the number one
) and when it came out Ross and Rachel became the epitome of the One True Pairing. IIRC their first kiss also reached highest ranks on the '100 all time greatest moments of tv', hence they're basically pop culture by now. I mean, even drama show writers are sometimes asked if the couple on that show it's their "Ross and Rachel".
In this specific case the question comes out more often for several reasons, IMHO. Because Nick and Jess are clearly the main OTP of the show. Because the show it's a comedy. Because Nick and Jess have potential to become as popular as Ross and Rachel were, even though their development is definitively more similar to Chandler and Monica's build up. Because, when "Friends" ended, fans felt like orphans since making a brilliant comedy show is apparently far more complicated than a drama and "New Girl" is one of the these rare instances (the only other sitcom that I find entertaining is "How I Met Your Mother"). Because current comedies writers learnt a lot from "Friends" ones. I could go on, but I think you got my point.
As for the sneak peeks, I decided to skip them all. I mean really, why on earth does FOX release the whole episode?
It's like watching a movie and realizing that the best scenes were already in the trailer.
Let's just hope they saved the best for last (that means I hope there are still Nick/Jess juicy scenes that haven't been shown yet).