College gridiron football has a rich history in North America, particularly in the United States.
The origins of college football in the United States date back to the late 19th century. The first intercollegiate football game was played between Rutgers and Princeton on November 6, 1869. However, this early version of the game was more akin to soccer and rugby.
Over the next few decades, the sport evolved, incorporating elements of rugby but developing its own unique rules. Walter Camp, known as the "Father of American Football," played a significant role in shaping the modern game, introducing the line of scrimmage, the system of downs, and the scoring system used in gridiron football.
In Canada, college football has roots in rugby football, with the first documented game played at the University of Toronto in 1861. The Canadian game evolved separately from its American counterpart, leading to distinct differences in rules and gameplay. Canadian football is played on a larger field, with 12 players per side, and three downs rather than four.
The official rules of collegiate football in the United States are governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). By these rules, the field is 100 yards long and 53.3 yards wide. Each team has 11 players on the field. Teams. have four downs each to advance the ball 10 yards. Touchdowns are worth six points, field goals three points, extra points one or two points, and safeties two points.
In contrast, in Canadian college football, governed by U Sports, fields are 110 yards long and 65 yards wide. Each team has 12 players on the field. Teams have three downs to advance the ball 10 yards. Scoring is similar to American football but with some variations in the kicking game.
The NCAA is the primary governing body for college football in the United States. It oversees the rules, regulations, and organization of college football programs across three divisions. The NCAA ensures fair play, academic standards, and the well-being of student-athletes. It also organizes the College Football Playoff (CFP) system, which determines the national champion at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level.
While the NCAA is the most prominent, other entities also operate college football programs. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) provided opportunities for smaller colleges and junior colleges to compete. The California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) governs sports, including football, at California's two-year institutions. These organizations have their own championships and regulations.
Club football, in which student clubs run the teams rather than the colleges themselves, is overseen by two organizations: the National Club Football Association and the Intercollegiate Club Football Federation, with some clubs being members of both organizations.
The pinnacle of college football in the United States is the College Football Playoff (CFP), which determines the national champion through a series of semifinal and championship games. Additionally, bowl games, such as the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Orange Bowl, are prestigious postseason contests that attract significant attention and revenue.
In Canada, the Vanier Cup is the national championship game for U Sports football, determining the top collegiate team in the country. The game is the culmination of the U Sports football season and is highly anticipated by fans and players alike.
While gridiron football is predominantly a North American sport, it has gained popularity in other parts of the world. Mexico, included in North America, has an established college football program, along with other countries, such as Japan and Germany. These programs provide opportunities for international competition and cultural exchange.
College gridiron football is a dynamic and influential sport with deep roots and significant impact. Unlike other major sports, no official minor league farm organizations exist for American or Canadian football. Therefore, college football serves as the second tier of football, occupying the space between high school and professional play. Most NFL players previously played college football.
For much of the 20th century, college football was more prestigious than professional football. College football is arguably more popular in some parts of the United States, especially the South and Midwest.
Online resources for college football, including organizational websites, team websites, fan sites, or others, are appropriate topics for this category or its subcategories.
Recommended Resources
Played in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played each year since January 1, 1935. It is tied with the Orange Bowl and the Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed only by the Rose Bowl Game. Since 2007, the game has been sponsored by Allstate and is officially known as the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Schedules, sponsorship opportunities, a seating diagram, a staff directory, and a Sugar Bowl history are stated.
https://allstatesugarbowl.org/
California Community College Athletic Association
The 3C2A (formerly CCCAA) is a sports association of community colleges in California. The organization was formed in 1929 as the California Junior College Federation to unify programs in Northern and Southern California. It is divided into ten conferences: Bay Valley, Big 8, Central Valley, Coast (North, South), Golden Valley, Inland Empire, Orange Empire, Pacific Coast Athletic, South Coast, and Western State (North, South). Team stats, scores, standings, and rankings are posted.
https://www.cccaasports.org/sports/fball/index
An annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area, the Orange Bowl has been played each year since January 1, 1935. Sponsored by Capital One since 2014, the game is officially known as the Capital One Orange Bowl. Game day information, ticket options, and sales and featured on the website, along with a profile and history of the event, press releases, publications, and other resources, including other events held at the same venue.
https://www.orangebowl.org/
College football scores are listed on this website, divided between the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), both under the jurisdiction of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and competing in Division I, with the FBS being home to the largest schools in college football. Recent scores are reported on the index page of the site, and may be sorted by FBS/FCS, year, week, or team name and logo. Schedules and standings are also included.
https://www.cfb-scores.com/
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, CFN has been publishing collegiate football news since 1998, partnering with FOX Sports, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Scout, and Rivals, offering in-depth previews, predictions, rankings, bowl projections, and analysis of all aspects of the game. Other information includes game schedules, football betting information, and NFL draft predictions and news. A profile of the news site and publisher is included, along with contacts.
https://collegefootballnews.com/
The CFP is a postseason event to determine college football's national champion on the field while emphasizing the significance of college football's regular season, where every game counts. The selection committee ranks the teams based on the members' evaluation of the teams' performance on the field, using conference championships won, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, and comparison of results against common opponents. The history of the CFP is provided.
https://collegefootballplayoff.com/
Great American Conference: Football
The GAC is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Headquartered in Russellville, Arkansas, its twelve all-sports member schools are in Arkansas and Oklahoma in the South-Central United States. Upcoming football events and results are posted along with the annual GAC football standings, statistics, a weekly notebook, players of the week, region rankings, and GAC historical content.
https://greatamericanconference.com/sports/football
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
Established in 1940, the NAIA is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America, including the United States, Canada, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to their student-athletes. The NAIA sponsors 28 national championships. Participating schools, conferences, statistics, and regular season and postseason resources are provided, along with coaching information, and live viewing.
https://www.naia.org/sports/fball/index
National Christian College Athletic Association
The NCCAA is an association of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic competition with a Christian perspective." The NCCAA includes Division I and Division II schools, although many teams in the NCCAA also participate in other athletic associations, such as the NCAA, NAIA, or ACCA. The organization's history, statistics, ratings, and awards are featured.
https://thenccaa.org/sports/football
The NFF is a non-profit organization formed to promote amateur American football on all levels throughout the U.S. and to develop the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal, and the drive for academic excellence in America's young people. It was founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, longtime Army Black Knights football coach Earl Blaik, and journalist Grantland Rice. The NFF also oversees the operation of the College Football Hall of Fame.
https://footballfoundation.org/
National Junior College Athletic Association
The NJCAA is the governing body of community college, state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Although the NJCAA was founded in California, it no longer operates there, having been supplanted by the unaffiliated CCCAA. The NJCAA is currently headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The organization covers several college sports, including football, which is divided into Division I and Division II. NJCAA teams may be found via the site.
https://www.njcaa.org/sports/fball/index
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a non-profit organization that regulates student athletics in the United States. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges, utilizing a three-division system of Division I, Division II, and Division III. Generally, larger schools compete in Division I and smaller schools in Division II and III. Division I football is further divided into the Football Bowl Subdivision and the Football Championship Subdivision.
https://www.ncaa.com/sports/football/
Traditionally played on New Year's Day at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, the Rose Bowl Game is an annual college football bowl game. Played annually since 1916, it has been the highest-attended college football bowl game since 1945. A game day guide, parking and seating maps, travel packages, and media contacts are provided, along with a guide to Rose Bowl Stadium. The game, the Rose Parade, the Rose Bowl Bash, and an online shop offers branded apparel.
https://rosebowlgame.com/
Saturday Blitz is an online platform dedicated to college football, offering insights, interviews, and analysis, covering a wide range of topics, from NFL draft prospects to team rankings, predictions for upcoming seasons, college football news, and original content. The site also serves as a community for like-minded fans to discuss their passion. The content is sorted by CFB News, ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, Notre Dame, and HBCU Football. Fan-sided sites are also featured.
https://saturdayblitz.com/
The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in El Paso, Texas, in the southwestern United States. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. Usually held near the end of December, games are played at the Sun Bowl Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso. The game is officially named the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl after the mascot for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes.
https://www.sunbowl.org/
