College football
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article covers college football played in the United States; for college football in Canada, see Canadian Interuniversity Sport. For the video game series, see NCAA Football series.
College football is American football played by teams of students fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States. College football remains extremely popular today among students, alumni, and other fans of the sport.
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[edit] History
Modern American football has its origins in various games, all known as "football", played at public schools in England in the mid-19th century. By the 1840s, students at Rugby School in England were playing a game in which players were able to pick up the ball and run with it, a sport later known as Rugby union (or rugby). The game was taken to Canada by British soldiers stationed there and was soon being played at Canadian colleges.
The first ball game played between teams representing American colleges was not an ancestor of today's college football, rather it was played under rules derived from the 1863 rules of the English Football Association, the basis of the modern form of association football (soccer). The game, between teams from Rutgers College (now Rutgers University) and the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), took place on November 6, 1869, at College Field (now the site of the College Avenue Gymnasium at Rutgers University) in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Rutgers won by a score of 6 "runs" to Princeton's 4.[1][2][3] Other colleges followed suit, and for a short time soccer became the dominant code of "football" at U.S. colleges. Representatives from Rutgers and Princeton, along with Columbia and Yale, met in New York City on October 18, 1873, to establish rules governing their athletic competition and specifically to codify rules for the emerging sport of football.[4]
The American experience with the rugby-style game that led directly to present-day college football began in 1874 at a meeting in Cambridge, Massachusetts, between Harvard University and Montreal's McGill University. The McGill team played a rugby-style game, while Harvard played under a set of rules that allowed greater handling of the ball than soccer. The teams agreed to play under compromise rules. The Harvard students took to the rugby rules and adopted them as their own.[5] Teams from Harvard and Yale met for the first time in 1875 and played the first game of American college football.
Walter Camp, known as the "Father of American Football", is credited with changing the game from a variation of rugby into a unique sport. Camp is responsible for pioneering the play from scrimmage (earlier games featured a rugby scrum), most of the modern elements of scoring, the eleven-man team, and the traditional offensive setup of the seven-man line and the four-man backfield. Camp also had a hand in popularizing the game. He published numerous articles in publications such as Collier's Weekly and Harper's Weekly, and he chose the first College Football All-America Team.
College football increased in popularity through the remainder of the 19th century. It also became increasingly violent. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to ban the sport following a series of player deaths from injuries suffered during games. The response to this was the formation of what became the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which set rules governing the sport. One of the resulting rule changes was the introduction of the forward pass. Another was the banning of "mass momentum" plays (many of which, like the infamous "flying wedge", were sometimes literally deadly).
Prior to the founding of the National Football League and for many decades thereafter, college football was the predominant venue of American football. Innovations in strategy and style of play originated in college football and spread to the professional game gradually. During the 1950s and 60s, professional football began to be the predominant football medium.
Even with the emergence of the NFL, college football remains extremely popular throughout the U.S.[6] Because the accessibility of professional football is limited to major urban areas, the college game is especially popular in predominantly rural areas. It is often said that college football is more popular in the South because of the traditional lack of professional football teams. Cities like Atlanta and New Orleans traditionally show more support for the hometown teams (Georgia and Georgia Tech for Atlanta, LSU for New Orleans) than for the professional teams (the Falcons and the Saints). Some states or areas where college football is especially popular include Alabama, Arkansas, northern Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, central Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia; it is often said that the state craziest about the college game is Alabama, due to the intense rivalry between The University of Alabama and Auburn University, described as the fiercest in-state rivalry in the country. (Texas is most commonly described as being the hottest for high school football)
The popularity of the sport has led to increased coverage on some networks. In March of 2007 ESPN announced a weekly show about college football with in depth analysis, much like a similar show on ESPN called "NFL Live." The show was created due to record ratings for ESPN, ESPN 2, and ABC as well as the largest ratings in the twenty year history of the show "College Football Gameday." The host will be Alabama alum Rece Davis and feature ESPN personalities Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, and others who will offer analysis. It will premiere in July 2007 and run through the bowl season.
Although the college game has a much larger margin for talent than its pro counterpart, the sheer number of fans following major colleges provides a financial equalizer for the game, with Division I programs — the highest level — playing in huge stadiums (four [1] of which have seating capacity exceeding 100,000). In many cases, the college stadiums employ bench-style seating (as opposed to individual seats with backs and arm rests). This allows them to seat more fans in a given amount of space than the typical professional stadium, which tends to be a bit more luxurious. Overall college football draws more attendees than its professional counterpart. [7] [8] Despite these figures, surveys show that Americans prefer the NFL over college football.[9]
A lack of a professional franchise is not necessarily an indicator of where the college game is most successful; for example, in California, Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Florida—states which all have multiple NFL franchises—there are universities that also rank in the upper financial echelons of the college football. In many cases, though both collegiate and professional football teams exist in the same state, they reside in different cities.[citation needed]
Though college football is often a source of revenue for the participating university, college athletes, unlike professionals, are not permitted by the NCAA to be paid salaries. Many do receive scholarships and financial assistance from the university.
Unlike the early years of college football, the upper echelons of the college football are now dominated by public schools. First-tier conferences are mainly made up of flagship public schools from each state.
[edit] Season schedule
The college football season begins two to three weeks earlier than the NFL, toward the end of August. Until 2003, the regular season was officially ushered in by the Kickoff Classic (other pre-season games such as the Eddie Robinson Classic and the Pigskin Classic have also been played). Recent NCAA rules changes have eliminated these games. The regular season continues through early December, ending with the annual Army-Navy Game and several conference championship games on the same weekend.
The postseason consists of a series of bowl games that showcase top college teams. Bowl games generally match two teams of similar standing from different conferences, although some pit a high ranked team from a smaller conference against a lower ranked team from a more prestigious one. Division I Bowl Subdivision (still widely known by its former designation of Division I-A) football is the only NCAA sport which does not decide its champion with a playoff. In the past, the unofficial national champion was determined by various polls, such as the AP Poll, Coaches Poll, and the United Press International Poll. This system was problematic because two polls often named different champions.
Since 1998, the National Championship has been determined by the Bowl Championship Series. This formula, incorporating numerous computer rankings and human polls, is used to determine the top two teams in the country.[10] From 1998 to 2005, the two teams competed in one of the four BCS bowl games in a set rotation. Starting in the 2006 season, the BCS National Championship Game, was added. The game is played after completion of the BCS Bowls and the site rotates every year between the four BCS Bowls: the Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Sugar Bowl. The first BCS Championship game was held on January 8, 2007 in the new University of Phoenix Stadium, the new home of the Fiesta Bowl. This system is not without controversy. Some critics argue that the system unfairly favors teams from large conferences and that the process used to select the teams can be just as ambiguous as the earlier poll system. Also, the Bowl Championship Series champion has not always been the undisputed national champion; for example, in 2003, the Associated Press and Bowl Championship Series chose different champions, which is what the system was designed to prevent. However, most years do have a consensus national champion.
The season concludes with series of all-star bowl games in January. These include the East-West Shrine Game, the Gridiron Classic, the Hula Bowl, the Senior Bowl, and the newly-established Texas vs. The Nation Game. However, the Gridiron Classic was recently declared canceled for 2006 because of lack of sponsorship.[11]
The length of the season has gradually increased over the course of the game's history. In spring 2005, the NCAA ruled that teams could schedule twelve regular-season games (up from eleven) beginning in the 2006 season.[12] This decision was met with some criticism from those who claimed that expanding the season would overwork the athletes.[13]
- See also: 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings, NCAA Division I-A national football championship, List of college bowl games, Mythical National Championship, and BCS National Championship Game
[edit] Official Rules and notable rule distinctions
- See also: American football
Although rules for the high school, college, and NFL games are generally consistent, there are some differences. The NCAA Football Rules Committee determines the playing rules for Division I (both Bowl and Championship Subdivisions), II, and III games (the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is a separate organization, but uses the NCAA rules).
- A pass is ruled complete if one of the receiver's feet is inbounds at the time of the catch. In the NFL, both feet must be inbounds.
- A player is considered down when any part of his body other than the feet or hands touches the ground (from a tackle or otherwise). In the NFL, a player is active until he is tackled or forced down another way by a member of the opposing team (down by contact).
- A play may not begin until the referee declares the ball ready for play, at which time the play clock (25 seconds) starts. In the NFL, a similar rule requires the next play to begin within 40 seconds from the end of the previous play.
- The game-clock briefly stops when a first down is achieved to move and reset the chains. The clock restarts when the referee declares the ball ready for play, unless the previous play was ruled out of bounds. The clock then starts on the snap.
- Overtime was introduced to Division I-A in 1996, eliminating ties. When a game goes to overtime, each team is given one possession from its opponent's twenty-five yard line. The team leading after both possessions is declared the winner. If the teams remain tied, overtime periods continue, switching the order of possessions for each overtime, until one team leads the other at the end of the overtime. After the 3rd overtime, teams must attempt a two-point conversion. (In the NFL, overtime is decided by a 15-minute sudden-death quarter, and regular season games can still end in a tie if neither team scores. Overtime for regular season games in the NFL began with the 1974 season.)
- Two point conversions are attempted from the three-yard line. The NFL uses the two-yard line.
- The defensive team may score two points on a point-after touchdown attempt by returning a blocked kick, fumble, or interception into the opposition's end zone. In addition, if the defensive team gains possession, but then moves backwards into the endzone and is stopped, a one point safety will be awarded to the offense. In the NFL, a conversion attempt ends when the defending team gains possession of the football.
- The two-minute warning is not used in college football, except in rare cases where the scoreboard clock has malfunctioned and is not being used.
- There is an option to use instant replay review of officiating decisions. Division I-Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) schools use replay in virtually all games; replay is rarely used in lower division games. Every play is subject to booth review with coaches only having one challenge. In the NFL, challenges are only automatic in the final two minutes of each half.
[edit] National championships
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- NCAA Division I-A national football champions
- NCAA Division I-AA national football championship
- NCAA Division I-AA Year-by-year playoff results
- NCAA Division II national football championship
- NCAA Division III national football championship
- NAIA national football championship
- NJCAA National football championship
[edit] Team maps
 A map of all Division I Bowl Subdivision (I-A) schools. |
 A map of all Division I Championship Subdivision (I-AA) schools. |
 A map of all Division II schools |
 A map of all NAIA schools. |
[edit] Bowl games
A bowl game is a post-season college football game, typically in the Division I Bowl Subdivision. The first bowl game was the 1902 Rose Bowl, played between Michigan and Stanford; Michigan won 49-0. The term originates from the shape of the stadium in Pasadena, California where the game is played.
At the Division I-A level, teams must earn the right to be bowl eligible by winning at least 6 games during the season. They are then invited to a bowl game based on their conference ranking and the tie-ins that the conference has to each bowl game. For the 2006 season, there are 32 bowl games, so 64 of the 119 Division I FBS teams will be invited to play at a bowl. These games are played from mid-December to early January and most of the later bowl games are typically considered more prestigious.
After the Bowl Championship Series, additional all-star bowl games round out the post-season schedule through the beginning of February.
[edit] Bowl Championship Series (BCS)
The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is designed to pair the top two teams in college football against each other for a National Championship game. The system also selects matchups for the other prestigious BCS bowl games. The ten teams selected include the conference champion from each of the six BCS conferences plus four others ("at-large" selections). The top-ranked and second-ranked teams are pitted in the BCS National Championship Game in order to crown an unofficial NCAA Division I FBS national football champion. The winner is also required to be voted number one by the Coaches Poll. It has been in place since the 1998 season. Prior to the 2006 season eight teams competed in four BCS Bowls. The BCS replaced the Bowl Alliance (in place from 1995–1997), which followed the Bowl Coalition (in place from 1992–1994).
- See also: List of college bowl games and NCAA football bowl games, 2006-07
[edit] See also
- College football on television
- College Football Hall of Fame
- College rivalries
- List of sports attendance figures - college football in a worldwide context
- Canadian Interuniversity Sport - governing body of Canadian college football
- List of NCAA Division I FBS football programs
- List of NCAA Division I FCS football programs
- List of defunct Division I football teams
- List of defunct college football conferences
- List of Division I schools that have never sponsored football
- List of undefeated Division I-A football teams
- College basketball
- College hockey
[edit] Notes
- ^ NFL History at the National Football League website, accessed 10 September 2006.
- ^ Rutgers Through the Years (timeline), published by Rutgers University (no further authorship information available), accessed 12 January 2007.
- ^ Tradition at www.scarletknights.com. Published by Rutgers University Athletic Department (no further authorship information available), accessed 10 September 2006.
- ^ A History of American Football until 1889 accessed 10 September 2006.
- ^ Infamous 1874 McGill-Harvard game turns 132 at McGill Athletics, published by McGill University (no further authorship information available). This article incorporates text from the McGill University Gazette (April 1874), two issues of The Montreal Gazette (14 May and 19 May 1874). Accessed 29 January 2007.
- ^ Harris Interactive Poll "While Still the Nation's Favorite Sport, Professional Football Drops in Popularity Baseball and college football are next in popularity" http://sev.prnewswire.com/sports/20070109/NYTU17309012007-1.html
- ^ NCAA 2006 Attendence Statistics http://www.ncaa.org/stats/football/attendance/2006/2006_football_attendance.pdf
- ^ NFL 2006 Attendence Press Release http://www.nfl.com/news/story/10087448
- ^ Harris Interactive Poll "While Still the Nation's Favorite Sport, Professional Football Drops in Popularity Baseball and college football are next in popularity" http://sev.prnewswire.com/sports/20070109/NYTU17309012007-1.html
- ^ About the BCS (English) (HTML). Bowl Championship Series. Retrieved on 2006-07-18.
- ^ Gridiron Classic Will Not Be Played In 2006 (English) (HTML). Florida Citrus Sports (August 19, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-07-18.
- ^ Div. I-A Football Gets 12th Game (HTML). NCAA (April 19, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-07-18.
- ^ NCAA ponders adding 12th game to college football season (HTML). Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (2004-11-22). Retrieved on 2006-11-22.
[edit] External links
- NCAA Division 1A football news, information, and historical data
- NCAA football official site
- I-AA College Football Weekly Preview
- Stassen College Football, the most comprehensive and interactive college football database
- College Football Data Warehouse
- NCAA football section
- NCAA football stats
- An account of the first intercollegiate game
- Bowl Championship Series
- College Football Hall of Fame
- List of college football rule changes for 2006
- Most Valuable College Football Programs, Forbes
| 2006-07 Division I-A College football Bowl Game season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poinsettia (Dec. 19) • Las Vegas (Dec. 21) • New Orleans (Dec. 22) • PapaJohns.com (Dec. 23) • New Mexico (Dec. 23) • Armed Forces (Dec. 23) • Hawai'i (Dec. 24) • Motor City (Dec. 26) • Emerald (Dec. 27) • Holiday (Dec. 28) • Independence (Dec. 28) • Texas (Dec. 28) • Music City (Dec. 29) • Sun (Dec. 29) • Liberty (Dec. 29) • Insight (Dec. 29) • Champs Sports (Dec. 29) • Meineke Car Care (Dec. 30) • Alamo (Dec. 30) • Chick-fil-A (Dec. 30) • MPC Computers (Dec. 31) • Outback (Jan. 1) • Cotton (Jan. 1) • Gator (Jan. 1) • Capital One (Jan. 1) • International (Jan. 6) • GMAC (Jan. 7) | |||||||
Bowl Championship Series games:
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| All-Star Games: North-South All-Star Classic (Jan. 13) • Hula Bowl (Jan. 14) • Las Vegas All-American Classic (Jan. 15) • East-West Shrine Game (Jan. 20) • Senior Bowl (Jan. 27) • Texas vs. The Nation Game (Feb. 2) | |||||||
| NCAA Division I Bowl Subdivision Football Conferences: |
| Atlantic Coast Conference* – Big 12 Conference* – Big East Conference* – Big Ten Conference* – Conference USA – Mid-American Conference – Mountain West Conference – Pacific Ten Conference* – Southeastern Conference* – Sun Belt Conference – Western Athletic Conference – Independents |
| * – BCS Conference |
Categories: Articles lacking sources from November 2006 | All articles lacking sources | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with sections that needed to be turned into prose | Spoken articles | American football | College football | Intercollegiate athletics in the United States
