College football

College football is a type of gridiron football played by student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through college games that gridiron football first gained popularity in the United States. Today, it is most popular in the United States and Canada, with most top schools belonging to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In Canada, U Sports governs university football.

Unlike many other sports in North America, there are no minor leagues or farm teams for American football or Canadian football. This makes college football very important, as it is the step between high school competition and professional competition. In many parts of the United States, especially in the South and Midwest, college football is even more popular than professional football.

Most players in the National Football League (NFL) started their careers in college football. Each spring, the NFL holds a draft where they pick new players, and most of these players come from NCAA schools. College football remains a key part of football in North America. Other leagues like the Canadian Football League (CFL) and United Football League (UFL) also mainly select players from college teams.

History

See also: History of American football and History of Canadian football

College football has stayed very popular in the U.S. even after the start of the professional National Football League (NFL). Many big college teams play in huge stadiums, some with over 100,000 seats. These stadiums often have bench-style seating, which allows more fans to fit in compared to typical professional stadiums.

Early history

Main article: Early history of American football

Modern football in North America started from games called "football" played in Britain in the mid-1800s. American students in the early 1800s played a rough game similar to medieval football. By the 1840s, students at Rugby School in Britain played a game where they could pick up and run with the ball. This game spread to Canada and was played at Canadian colleges. The first recorded game of this type was played at University College, part of the University of Toronto, on November 9, 1861. In 1864, rules were made based on this rugby-style game.

The first college football game happened on November 6, 1869, between Rutgers University and Princeton University (then called the College of New Jersey). The game looked more like soccer than modern football, using a round ball and soccer-like rules.

By 1873, representatives from Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Rutgers met to create the first set of rules for intercollegiate football, based on soccer. However, Harvard University, which played a different style of football, did not join. In 1874, Harvard played games against McGill University using McGill’s rugby-style rules, which Harvard liked. In 1875, Harvard and Yale played under mixed rules. On November 13, 1875, Yale and Harvard played for the first time, with Harvard winning 4–0. This game started an annual rivalry known as "The Game."

In 1876, representatives from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia met to standardize new rules based on rugby. They formed the Intercollegiate Football Association. The rules were mostly like rugby union but with points for scoring a try. Yale initially did not join but did so in 1879. Rutgers was not invited.

Walter Camp: father of American football

Main article: Walter Camp

Walter Camp was key in developing American football. He reduced the number of players from 15 to 11 and created the line of scrimmage and the snap from center to quarterback.

Expansion

College football grew a lot in the late 1800s. Many rivalries started during this time.

In 1890, college football was first played in Kansas, Tennessee, and the Army–Navy Game happened for the first time.

Violence, formation of NCAA

College football became very popular but also had some safety issues in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. President Theodore Roosevelt met with football representatives in 1905 to discuss making the game safer. In 1906, 62 schools met to change the rules, forming the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, which later became the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 1910.

Modernization and innovation (1906–1930)

Changes after 1905–1906 made some old plays illegal and allowed forward passes. Bradbury Robinson threw the first legal forward pass in 1906. Other changes included rules for offensive players and blocking.

From a regional to a national sport (1930–1958)

In the 1930s, college football grew, especially in the South. New conferences like the Southwest Athletic Conference, Pacific Coast Conference, and Southeastern Conference formed. Bowl games increased, and the Associated Press began ranking teams in 1936.

Modern college football (since 1958)

Since the late 1950s, professional football has become more popular nationally, but college football remains strong regionally. Television helped both sports grow. New offensive strategies like the wishbone and spread offense were developed. Bowl games increased greatly in number from the 1940s to the 2000s.

Organization

College football teams usually play against schools of similar size. The biggest teams are in Division I, which includes schools with larger budgets and more facilities.

There are also Division II and Division III teams. Division II schools are smaller and offer fewer scholarships, while Division III schools do not offer athletics scholarships at all.

Football teams in Division I are split into two groups. The largest programs used to decide their champion through special games called bowl games, but now they use a playoff system with four teams.

Teams in these divisions are also grouped into regional conferences. There are also college football programs outside the NCAA, such as those run by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the National Junior College Athletic Association, and club football teams organized by student clubs.

Some schools play a special type of football called sprint football, where all players must weigh less than the average college student. There are two leagues for this: one in the northeastern U.S. and one in the Midwest.

Official rules and notable rule distinctions

See also: American football rules

College football has rules that are mostly similar to other levels of the game, but there are a few differences. Before 2023, one group made all the rules for college football. Now, each level of college football has its own group to make rules.

Some key differences include:

• A pass is completed if just one of the receiver's feet is within the field boundaries when the ball is caught. In the NFL, both feet must be within the boundaries.
• A player is stopped when any part of their body besides their feet or hands touches the ground, or if they lose the ball while falling. In the NFL, a player continues until tackled or brought down by an opponent.
• Overtake started in 1996 to avoid ties, except during the regular season. Since 2021, each team gets one chance to score from the 25-yard line in the first two overtime periods. If a team scores a touchdown, they must try to score two more points. From the third overtime on, teams start closer to the goal.
• Extra points are tried from the three-yard line in college football. Kicked extra points are worth one point. Teams can also try for two points by lining up at the three-yard line and attempting to score. The NFL started using the two-point attempt in 1994.
• The defending team can score two points if they return a blocked kick or interception into the opposing team's end zone. They can also score one point if they are pushed back into their own end zone after gaining the ball. This rule was added to college football in 1988 and later adopted by the NFL in 2015.
• College football did not use a two-minute warning until 2024. The NFL uses this warning to stop the clock for two minutes before the end of each half.
• Instant replay is used to review officiating decisions in Division I FBS games. In the NFL, only certain plays are reviewed.
• Since 2012, if a kick goes out of bounds after a touchback, the ball is placed at the 25-yard line. The NFL started this rule in 2018.
• In 2007, college football moved kickoffs back to the 30-yard line to reduce downtime during the game. The NFL moved kickoffs back to the 35-yard line in 2011, and college football followed in 2012.
• Several rule changes in 2011 differ from NFL rules, such as how penalties during a touchdown affect the play, and how players can block opponents on placekicks.
• In 2018, college football changed touchback rules to match a change the NFL made; a fair catch on a kick between the goal line and 25-yard line is treated as a touchback, with the ball placed at the 25.
• Yards lost on quarterback sacks count toward a player's rushing stats in college football. In the NFL, these yards count toward team passing stats but not individual passing stats.

Coaching

Main article: Head coach § College football

College football teams have a head coach. The coach helps plan the team’s strategy and guides the team’s performance. Coaches help players get better and make important choices during games. They work with players to get ready for each match.

Determination of a national champion

Main article: Bowl Championship Series

See also: NJCAA National Football Championship and NCAA Division I Football Championship

College football teams at the top level are split into two groups. One group plays in special games called bowls. The other group plays in tournaments to find their champions. There has never been a single tournament to decide the top team overall.

Because of many bowl games, it became hard to pick a national champion fairly. Teams were often tied to certain bowls, making it difficult to match the best teams.

In the past, different systems tried to solve this. One system tried to match the top two teams, but it didn’t include all important teams or games. Another system included more teams but still had problems.

Today, the College Football Playoff decides the champion. It started in 2014 with four teams, but now includes twelve teams. A special group picks the best teams to compete. The winners move on until one team is crowned the national champion.

At lower levels of college football, there are also playoffs to find champions. These include many teams and follow their own rules to decide who plays where and who can move on to the next round.

National championships

College football has different ways to decide its national champions. The top level, called NCAA Division I FBS, uses different systems over time. From 1998 to 2013, the Bowl Championship Series decided the champion. Since 2014, the College Football Playoff has been used, and it was expanded to 12 teams in 2024.

Other levels, like NCAA Division I FCS, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division III, each have their own playoffs to choose a national champion. There are also championships for teams governed by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the National Junior College Athletic Association, as well as special leagues like the Collegiate Sprint Football League and the Midwest Sprint Football League.

Team maps

Map of Division I (A) FBS

Map of Division I (AA) FCS

Map of NCAA Division II

Map of NCAA Division III

Map of NAIA

Map of NJCAA

Map of CCCAA

Bowl games

Main articles: Bowl game and List of college bowl games

In college football, there are special games called "bowl games" that happen after the regular season. These games decide the champion in a different way than most sports. Instead of a playoff system, the champion is usually chosen by a vote.

The first bowl game was the 1902 Rose Bowl, played between Michigan and Stanford. The term "bowl" comes from the shape of the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California. Teams need to win enough games during the season to be invited to a bowl game.

For many years, the best teams played in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) to decide the national champion. This system used a computer to help pick the top teams. However, this often caused arguments about which teams were the best.

Since 2014, a new system called the College Football Playoff (CFP) has been used. This system has a small tournament with a few teams. Experts choose the teams, and they play several games to decide the champion. The format will change in 2024 to include more teams.

Awards

Division I FBS

Here are some important awards in college football:

• Heisman Trophy
• Maxwell Award
• Walter Camp Award
• Outland Trophy
• Associated Press Player of the Year
• Johnny Rodgers Award
• Fred Biletnikoff Award
• Lou Groza Award
• Lombardi Award
• Bronko Nagurski Trophy
• Dick Butkus Award
• Jim Thorpe Award
• Doak Walker Award
• Campbell Trophy
• Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
• Home Depot Award
• Ray Guy Award
• John Mackey Award
• Burlsworth Trophy
• Jet Award
• Paul Hornung Award
• Jon Cornish Trophy
• Patrick Mannelly Award

Division I FCS

And here are some awards for another level of college football:

• Walter Payton Award
• Buck Buchanan Award
• Jerry Rice Award

Controversy

College football makes a lot of money, over a billion dollars a year. With so much money, there are some problems. Sometimes, school leaders focus too much on football instead of their main job. Football coaches often earn more than school leaders, and some believe players get special treatment even if they break rules.

There have been talks about paying student athletes because football makes a lot of money, but players don’t get a share of it. Recently, rules changed to allow players to earn money using their name, image, and likeness. This means they can sign deals and earn wages while they finish school. This change started in 2021 after many states, like California, passed their own laws.

Injuries

Playing football can sometimes lead to injuries, especially to the head. Because of this, there is a big focus on making helmets safer. New helmets have special padding and sensors to help protect players. There is also a soft pad called a Guardian Cap that players can wear during practice to reduce the chance of head injuries. Teams must also regularly check and fix their helmets to keep players safe.

Attendances

This table shows the three college football teams with the most fans at their home games each year on average.

College football outside the United States

See also: List of college football games played outside the United States and College football in Ireland

Canadian football, which is similar to American football, is played by university teams in Canada under the guidance of U Sports. In Canada, unlike in the United States, there are no junior colleges that play football, and the group that oversees junior college sports, CCAA, does not include this sport. Still, amateur football is played outside of colleges in Canada, for example, in the Canadian Junior Football League.

Organized college-level American football also takes place in several other countries, including Mexico (ONEFA), the UK (British Universities American Football League), Japan (Japan American Football Association, Koshien Bowl), and South Korea (Korea American Football Association).