College football

A college football game between Colorado State and Air Force.

College football is American football played by teams of student athletes 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.

Contents

History

Main article: History of American football
A college football game between Texas Tech and Navy.

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 football. The game was taken to Canada by British soldiers stationed there and was soon being played at Canadian colleges. The first football game played between teams representing American colleges was an unfamiliar ancestor of today's college football, as it was played under soccer-style Association rules.[1] 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.[2][3][4] The 1869 game between Rutgers and Princeton is important in that it is the first documented game of any sport called "football" (which also encompasses the game of Association Football) between two American colleges. It is also notable in that it came a full-two years before a codified rugby game would be played in England. The Princeton/Rutgers game was undoubtedly different from what we today know as American football. Nonetheless it was the forerunner of what evolved into American football. Another similar game took place between Rutgers and Columbia University in 1870 and the popularity of intercollegiate competition in football would spread throughout the country.

The American experience with the rugby-style game that led directly to present-day college football continued in 1874 at a meeting in Cambridge, Massachusetts, between Harvard University and Montreal's McGill University. The McGill team played a rugby union-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]

Walter Camp, the "Father of American Football", pictured here in 1878 as the captain of the Yale Football team

The first game of intercollegiate football in America between two American colleges that most resembles the game of today was between Tufts University and Harvard on June 4, 1875 at Jarvis Field in Cambridge, Mass., won by Tufts 1-0 .[6] A report of the outcome of this game appeared in the Boston Daily Globe of June 5, 1875. Jarvis Field was at the time a patch of land at the northern point of the Harvard campus, bordered by Everett and Jarvis Sts. to the north and south, and Oxford St. and Massachusetts Avenue to the east and west. In the Tufts/Harvard game participants were allowed to pick up the ball and run with it, each side fielded eleven men, the ball carrier was stopped by knocking him down or 'tackling' him, and the inflated ball was egg-shaped - the combination of which marks this game as the first game of American Football. A photograph of the 1875 Tufts team commemorating this milestone hangs in the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana. Harvard and Yale also began play in 1875 though under rules that made their game, as well as the aforementioned Princeton/Rutgers game, significantly different from what we know as American Football compared to the Tufts/Harvard contest which is more closely the antecedent to American Football than these other games. The longest running rivalry and most played game between two American colleges is between Lafayette College and Lehigh University.

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.

1906 St. Louis Post-Dispatch photograph of Brad Robinson, who threw the first legal forward pass

College football increased in popularity through the remainder of the 19th century. It also became increasingly violent. In 1905, 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. The rules committee considered widening the playing field to "open up" the game, but Harvard Stadium (the first large permanent football stadium) had recently been built at great expense; it would be rendered useless by a wider field. The rules committee legalized the forward pass instead. The first legal pass was thrown by Bradbury Robinson on September 5, 1906, playing for coach Eddie Cochems, who developed an early but sophisticated passing offense at St. Louis University. Another rule change banned "mass momentum" plays (many of which, like the infamous "flying wedge", were sometimes literally deadly).

Even after the emergence of the NFL, college football remained extremely popular throughout the U.S.[7] 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 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 greatly more attendees than its professional counterpart.[8][9]

College athletes, unlike professionals, are not permitted by the NCAA to be paid salaries. Many do receive scholarships and financial assistance from the university.

Injuries

As research has shown, collegiate athletes are more susceptible to catastrophic injury, such as brain and quadriplegic injuries, than athletes at the high school level, particularly when it comes to football. Statistics state that 1 in every 100,000 players will suffer from a catastrophic injury. According to research published in the November 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, enhanced injury prevention instruction, improved equipment and protective gear, and revision of sport regulations has been put into effect in order to lower the number of players at risk.[10] In addition, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has banned the form of tackle referred to as "spearing" from the game due to concerns over head and neck injuries related to head down contact.[11]

Season schedule

The college football season currently begins Labor Day weekend, one week earlier than the NFL. From 1982 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 with the season's final weekend holding several conference championship games and rivalry games, including the Army-Navy Game.

The postseason consists of a series of bowl games that showcase top 64 college teams. Bowl games generally match two teams of similar standing from different conferences. 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 and the two highest ranked teams after the regular season were not guaranteed to meet in a bowl game.

NCAA Division II game between Northeastern State and East Central Universities in Oklahoma.

Since 1998, the National Championship has been determined by the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). This formula, incorporating numerous computer rankings and human polls, is used to determine the top two teams in the country.[12] 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 arbitrary 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. On the other hand, as recent years have proven, a team with an unblemished, undefeated record does not always guarantee at least a share of the National Championship.

Following the season, a series of all-star bowl games are played in January with the nation's best seniors being selected to participate. These games include the East-West Shrine Game, the Hula Bowl, the Senior Bowl, and the newly-established Texas vs. The Nation Game. Under NCAA rules, players with remaining college eligibility are not allowed to participate in these games.

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.[13] This decision was met with some criticism from those who claimed that expanding the season would overwork the athletes.[14] Furthermore the ACC, Big 12, C-USA, MAC, and the SEC all offer conference championship games, while others, like the Big East, Big Ten, MWC, Pac-10, Sun Belt, and WAC do not. This extends the season for the teams eligible for those games, while teams from the latter three conferences do not have to play an extra week.

See also: 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings, 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, NCAA Division I-A national football championship, List of college bowl games, Mythical National Championship, and BCS National Championship Game

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 several minor 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).

National championships

Team maps

Bowl games

2006-2007 Bowl Games per state (and Canada)
Main article: Bowl game

Unlike most other sports -- collegiate or professional -- the Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-A college football, does not employ a playoff system to determine a champion. Instead, it has a series of "bowl games." The annual national champion is determined by a vote of sports writers and other non-players. This system has been challenged but little headway has been made given the entrenched vested economic interests in the various bowls.

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 "bowl" originates from the shape of the stadium in Pasadena, California where the game is played.

At the Division I FBS 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 were 32 bowl games, so 64 of the 120 Division I FBS teams were 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.

Bowl Championship Series (BCS)

Main article: Bowl Championship Series

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

See also

Notes

  1. http://www.scarletknights.com/football/history/first-game.asp - note that the London Football Association's rules were adopted at the time
  2. NFL History at the National Football League website, accessed 10 September 2006.
  3. Rutgers Through the Years (timeline), published by Rutgers University (no further authorship information available), accessed 12 January 2007.
  4. Tradition at www.scarletknights.com. Published by Rutgers University Athletic Department (no further authorship information available), accessed 10 September 2006.
  5. 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.
  6. Smith, R.A. "Sports and Freedom: The Rise of Big-Time College Athletics", New York: Oxford University Press, 1988
  7. Harris Interactive Poll While Still the Nation's Favorite Sport, Professional Football Drops in Popularity - Baseball and college football are next in popularity
  8. NCAA 2006 Attendance Statistics
  9. NFL 2006 Attendance Press Release
  10. Preventing Severe Head and Neck Injuries in High School and Collegiate Athletes: Orthopaedic research reveals benefits of enhanced protective gear, preventive strategies, rule revisions
  11. Microsoft PowerPoint - Head-Down Contact and Spearing in Football.ppt
  12. "About the BCS" (HTML). Bowl Championship Series. Retrieved on 2006-07-18.
  13. "Div. I-A Football Gets 12th Game" (HTML). NCAA (2005-04-19). Retrieved on 2006-07-18.
  14. "NCAA ponders adding 12th game to college football season" (HTML). Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (2004-11-22). Retrieved on 2006-11-22.
  15. "Kickoffs from 30 yard line could create more returns, injuries" (HTML). AP (April 16, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
  16. "NCAA Football Rules Committee Votes To Restore Plays While Attempting To Maintain Shorter Overall Game Time" (HTML). NCAA (2007-02-14). Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
  17. NCAA Division I Football Championship - Official Web Site

External links

Statistics

Rules


College football awards
Best player awards:
Heisman Memorial Trophy
Maxwell Award • Walter Camp Award • AP Player of the Year
Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Best Defenseman)
Chuck Bednarik Award (Best Defenseman)
Dave Rimington Trophy (Best C)
Davey O'Brien Award (Best QB)
Dick Butkus Award (Top LB)
Doak Walker Award (Best RB)
Draddy Trophy (Academic Heisman)
Fred Biletnikoff Award (Best WR)
Jim Thorpe Award (Top DB)
John Mackey Award (Best TE)
Johnny Unitas Award (Best Senior QB)
Lombardi Award (Top OL, DL, or LB)
Lott Trophy (Defensive IMPACT)
Lou Groza Award (Best PK)
Manning Award (Best QB)
Outland Trophy (Top Interior OL or DL)
Ray Guy Award (Best P)
Sammy Baugh Trophy (Top Passer)
Ted Hendricks Award (Best DE)
Wuerffel Trophy (Humanitarian-Athlete)
Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year • Home Depot Coach of the Year
Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year • Walter Camp Coach of the Year
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year • Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award
Broyles Assistant Coach of the Year
Walter Payton Award (Best Div. I FCS Off.) • Buck Buchanan Award (Best Div. I FCS Def.)
Eddie Robinson Award (Best Div. I FCS Coach)
Harlon Hill Trophy (Div. II) • Gagliardi Trophy (Div. III) • Melberger Award (Div. III) • Rawlings Award (NAIA)